Ultherapy: Stories

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wasteoftime

wasteoftime
posted 1 year ago
updated 8 months ago

Not Worth It
Nassau, NY

AWFUL... you can read my other posts. I don't care...

23 May 2012

AWFUL... you can read my other posts. I don't care that Ultherapy says this SHOULD not happen. One is enough. I researched this thoroughly and am told the machine malfunctioned or my Dr made an error? who cares when I have 2 holes on my cheek. ??Emotionally this has been a nightmare. I am going for a second derm opinion.

Finally Ulthera has come to a conclusion and...

17 Jul 2012

Finally Ulthera has come to a conclusion and contacted my Dr- Seems the machine did something they never anticipated? There will be a new safety- software added to Ulthera etc but that certainly DOES NOT change the fact that I am left with a scar. Supposedly they are calling but have not called. and i don't expect them to. I am seeking advice from a lawyer at this point.

BYE

7 Sep 2012

BYE

Great review?

Comments (26)

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marla10021 12 Feb 2013

Others are talking about starting a class action suit.

diannne 8 Sep 2012

Hi, I posted a review of ultherapy last year on Real Self. I ended up with a dent under my right eye on the top part of the cheek. It is still there! Hope yours fills in.

wasteoftime 19 Jul 2012

thank you Megan but my Derm. has taken full responsibility and is treating me. ULTHERA is 100 % at fault here and should be doing something for my emotional and physical stress since that awful May 9th day.

Megan P (Community Manager) 19 Jul 2012

Thanks for sharing an update with us chloedog. I'm very glad to hear that the company is taking this serious enough to put some new safety features in place. I can completely understand why you are upset about having a scar now. We have communities focussed on scar treatment and scar removal. Perhaps reading some of the reviews and talking with some of the community members in them will help you find options for treating the scar.

ld in nashville 14 Jun 2012

Yea! Sure it will be OK.

wasteoftime 14 Jun 2012

thank you... ! its just one small lesion on the bottom side of my face. My DR has been really great about it and we still have not heard back fro Ulthera.. But we are going to start a laser on it next week. I see limited tightening?

ld in nashville 14 Jun 2012

Sorry this happened; yeah, it hurt like hell and I got zero results, for a fat price. I think I'm done with facial procedures. I hope your skin heals OK. I've had bad chemical peel results in the past and eventually, skin returned to normal. So, keep your chin up.

freeport beach 13 Jun 2012

It is a dirty little secret that cortisone shots can induce atrophy in the area it is injected. Those holes in your face could be the result of the shots of cortisone, on top of the malfunctioning of the machine! It will still require the punch out or fat grafting. Cortisone is way overused and not so good for you. Just sayin. But thanks for letting us know, I was researching having Ultherapy done, so am glad to know of the potential side effects.

wasteoftime 19 Jul 2012

i never saw this post. I was told cortisone could reduce the swelling when it first happened? it was only one shot not 2. the holes which have closed somewhat were from the ultherapy. I now have a kidney shaped scar which My Dr is using a laser Fraxel once a month.

Shannon Rogers 12 Sep 2012

I just basically said the same thing before this comment!! I'm glad somebody else was thinking that! I would bet that the injection caused this. I perform the Ultherapy Treatments in my office, and I've never made it a practice to inject the welts that can sometimes form. They go away with time.

Curt Samlaska, MD 13 Sep 2012

Intralesional and IM injections of Kenalog can cause atrophy. On the face we use low doses, such as 2-5 mg/cc to inject everything from acne to alopecia areata. If too much is injected, or if using a higher concentration, such as 10 mg/cc, atrophy can occur. If your doctor is a dermatologist, I suspect he did it appropriately, and I doubt the subsequent scarring was related to the injection. You can ask your doctor what concentration was used and how much was injected. I suspect he used 2-5 mg/cc and injected 1-2 ml.

View answers from Curt Samlaska, MD

CherylAnn1 18 Sep 2012

Hi wasteoftime, I had cortisone injected in a scar above my lip and I had a nice size hole that it created about a week later, it got worse and started to get better. I have a feeling the indent is from the cortisone.

marla10021 12 Feb 2013

Don't do Ultherapy. Huge waste of money with zero results!

wasteoftime 6 Jun 2012

sorry i guess you are right.. as than God it is not 3 inches.. Saw my Derm today. He feels it is filling in.. wants to wait longer and do FRAXEL. on the entire face. I only had the Ultherapy done on my right side and lower left jaw. what do you think of that procedure. I guess what i like is its gradual. he said we would do multiple treatments. thanks again for your input. he said seeing my lesion in person is not the same as a pic. I am also consulting with their plastic surgeon on Monday. Another pair of eyes cant hurt.

Curt Samlaska, MD 6 Jun 2012

I am confused about your measurements. The first photograph shows a site that I would estimate to be around 6-8 millimeters (mm). A centimeter (cm) is equal to 0.4 inches (10 millimeters), so an 8 cm injury would be 3.1 inches in length. I think you mean that it was 8 mm, don't you? Can you clarify this for me?

View answers from Curt Samlaska, MD

Curt Samlaska, MD 5 Jun 2012

I recommend a biopsy because it appears to be epithelialized, the epithelial lining has formed over the ice-pick scar, or dilated pore. That means that it will not improve further, so we are now onto a corrective treatment. As I noted, if you core out the scar and close the skin side-to-side it should heal up quickly and nicely. Just a recommendation! Good luck!

As far as how did this happen I am totally at a loss. The transducer lays down a series of 15-20 small dots of thermalcoagulation. Why only two dots side-by-side? The transducer contains water (the medium used to transmit and focus the sound waves), but there is a small amount of air in the transducer head which transmits and focuses the sound wave. If the technician turns the transducer upside down, and this can happen when treating under the jaw line if you are not careful, then bubbles can trap in the head of the transducer as it moves across the arm in the transducer... This could result in a misfire and focus of the sound wave more superficially resulting in epidermal injury. The injury is usually a small welt or a small 1-2 mm white superficial burn that does not ulcerate. It usually heals up in a few days. In over 350 cases that we have done, we have seen this only twice, just under the jaw line and in both cases there was no significant complication. Also, remember that because it uses ultrasound during treatment we are actually visualizing the layers of your skin. If air traps in the head, or too little gel is utilized on the face during treatment, the ultrasound image does not transmit and you know that there is an issue usually. If it is a small air bubble then it will show as a black spot on the screen with no sound wave transmissions to the deeper tissues, but if it is only a small portion of the image it might not have been detected before firing the machine. I hope this helps.

View answers from Curt Samlaska, MD

wasteoftime 5 Jun 2012

Initially is was a welt. The Derm did a cortisone shot immediately to reduce swelling. Then as it healed, 2 holes in the center became visible. 2 weeks ago it measure 8 cm x 3 cm. Last week 6 cm x 2 cm. Today, another week later the size is the same but the space in the center is shrinking some. They tell me it should fill in more?
The problem occurred after he had don the jaw on the left side and then moved up to the cheek. It's only about an inch from the bottom of my jaw on the side of my face. adding a pic from today.

jpu82 5 Jun 2012

Are you confusing the term biopsy with removal? Biopsy does mean testing the removed tissue, am I not correct? She knows the cause of the lesion, which was the Ulthera machine, so I'm not sure a biopsy would be necessary.

wasteoftime 7 Jun 2012

i thought the same.. 'have the tissue sent off to pathology" was not sure why? my Derm feels it wil fill some more but I am seeing a plastic surgeon o Monday and will let him decide. Honestly after 4+ week of a hole in my face is long enough.. i would be happy to close it at this point. I usually heal very quickly.

Curt Samlaska, MD 8 Jun 2012

It is referred to as a "punch biopsy." But don't let that confuse you. We often use punch biopsy for cosmetic reasons also, such as removing chicken pox scars, or acne scars. It cores out the contracted, bound down tissue which allows the pysyician to close the tissue side-by-side, resulting in minimizing the replacement scar. I would send the tissue off to pathology to get a good look, it could help determine what promoted the scar formation.

View answers from Curt Samlaska, MD

Shannon Rogers 12 Sep 2012

Kennalog is a common steroid used in injections. The risks of Kennalog do include indentations. I had a fairly large acne bump on my chin about a year ago and had it injected. It left a divot that we filled with juvederm. Have you thought that maybe the injections have left you with the scarring?

wasteoftime 5 Jun 2012

thank you very much for taking the time to view my pics and give m your opinion. I have forwarded this to my derm. I saw him this Am and he feels he sees improvement from last week. I am seeing a plastic surgeon on monday. It seems to be clear that too much pulse was perhaps directed - the machine was exchanged for a new machine. In your opinion how did this happen ? I understand you may not wish to share that and you can send me a private message.

Curt Samlaska, MD 5 Jun 2012

Just got to your post today choedog, and I agree with you. I don't believe that the second photograph showing the two ice-pick scars are going to improve much more. They appear to epithelialized. It appears to be what one would see with a dilated pore of Winer. I am a Dermatologist. Ask your Dermatologist about performing a punch biopsy. A 2 mm punch biopsy of each of the ice-pick scars should remove them nicely. A suture is placed to close the area, one suture for each scar and that should take care of it. I do these all the time for ice-pick scars or dilated pore of Winer (pilar sheath acanthoma) with excellent results. I would have the tissue sent off to pathology. Often no scar is observable after removal since it is such a small biopsy. Best of luck. Sorry you had these problems.

View answers from Curt Samlaska, MD

wasteoftime 5 Jun 2012

one other question- why would you suggest a biopsy? This was done by the Ulterapy tool.
thank you

wasteoftime 23 May 2012

I have only one lesion.. and honestly I am not even sure it is a burn- 2 weeks today and 2 very clear deep holes have shown themselves. i think it was more of a puncture wound that felt like a burn. I see no improvement at all. My right side had been totally done as well as the jaw and chin. The problem occurred as they were finishing left cheek. no one has any real answers as they are waiting to see how i will heal. Thanks