POSTED UNDER Ultherapy REVIEWS
Time Will Tell ... - New York, NY
ORIGINAL POST
I had Ultherapy of the lower face and neck done...
Susan72338May 12, 2013
$3,500
I had Ultherapy of the lower face and neck done this past Friday, 5/10/2013. As I write this review on Sunday morning, 5/12/2013, I still have a good deal of swelling (I look like a chipmunk storing nuts!) , numbness and sensitivity around my jawline and neck.
The swelling is the big shocker as I was not told during my consultation that there would be any swelling, nevertheless the amount of swelling I have.
While it was suggested to me that I take a NyQuil PM 1-hour prior to the procedure, the amount of pain was greatly down-played during my consultation.
Before I get to ahead of myself, here are some further details:
- I'm 49 years old
- I work directly with a chemist who specializes in cosmetic chemistry and customizes all my skincare products. This individual pinpointed the Plastic Surgeons office he suggested I visit (he recommended that I make sure an Esthetician actually performs the procedure, and that was indeed the case).
- My chemist felt that Ultherapy was a great option for me as I'm just really beginning to see some sagging along my jaw line.
- When I went for my consult with the Esthetician, she was actually unavailable (out sick). I met with her assistant who herself has under-gone Ultherapy. I did feel like I got more of a sales pitch than a consult from her (she asked me what I wanted to focus on and before I could get a word out she said she'd suggest a full face procedure. My response was ... um, no). While I do feel the office should have called me to reschedule my consult, at the end of the day I was set to have this done and don't feel it would have made any difference if I had met with the Esthetician.
- 90 minutes before the procedure I took 800 mg of Motrin.
As I mentioned, I had the procedure done this past Friday. The office called me yesterday afternoon to check in (it was the receptionist who called). I told them I had a great deal of swelling and she said that's normal. When I asked how long the swelling would remain she said a day or two. Quite honestly, based on the amount of sensitivity I still have along my jaw line, I find it hard to believe that tomorrow I'll awake with no swelling, but we'll see. I'm somewhat surprised that at no time did anyone suggest I ice the area to help reduce swelling.
During the procedure:
Seriously, the Esthetician could not have been nicer. She utilizes various "tools" (e.g., a back heat/massage pad; stress balls) to try to distract you from the procedure itself. She gave me small breaks as needed.
The procedure had two phases. The first phase they go over the area using a very high laser level. During the second phase they go over the entire area again with a much lower laser level. The first phase hurt ALOT. The second phase was a breeze.
My Chemist made it clear to me that in order for the procedure to be effective, the laser has to be set at a pretty high level. I hate to say this but it's somewhat the no pain, no gain scenario. In order for the laser to get down to the layer it needs to impact, it has to be up there. Quite honestly, for the money I spent, I rather have the pain now than find myself out the money with no results later.
That's about it for now. I certainly haven't seen immediate results as other have claimed. If anything, due to the swelling, I look worse post-treatment. Obviously, I expect this to be temporary and I'm hopeful that I'll see the results I want in time for my 50th birthday!
The swelling is the big shocker as I was not told during my consultation that there would be any swelling, nevertheless the amount of swelling I have.
While it was suggested to me that I take a NyQuil PM 1-hour prior to the procedure, the amount of pain was greatly down-played during my consultation.
Before I get to ahead of myself, here are some further details:
- I'm 49 years old
- I work directly with a chemist who specializes in cosmetic chemistry and customizes all my skincare products. This individual pinpointed the Plastic Surgeons office he suggested I visit (he recommended that I make sure an Esthetician actually performs the procedure, and that was indeed the case).
- My chemist felt that Ultherapy was a great option for me as I'm just really beginning to see some sagging along my jaw line.
- When I went for my consult with the Esthetician, she was actually unavailable (out sick). I met with her assistant who herself has under-gone Ultherapy. I did feel like I got more of a sales pitch than a consult from her (she asked me what I wanted to focus on and before I could get a word out she said she'd suggest a full face procedure. My response was ... um, no). While I do feel the office should have called me to reschedule my consult, at the end of the day I was set to have this done and don't feel it would have made any difference if I had met with the Esthetician.
- 90 minutes before the procedure I took 800 mg of Motrin.
As I mentioned, I had the procedure done this past Friday. The office called me yesterday afternoon to check in (it was the receptionist who called). I told them I had a great deal of swelling and she said that's normal. When I asked how long the swelling would remain she said a day or two. Quite honestly, based on the amount of sensitivity I still have along my jaw line, I find it hard to believe that tomorrow I'll awake with no swelling, but we'll see. I'm somewhat surprised that at no time did anyone suggest I ice the area to help reduce swelling.
During the procedure:
Seriously, the Esthetician could not have been nicer. She utilizes various "tools" (e.g., a back heat/massage pad; stress balls) to try to distract you from the procedure itself. She gave me small breaks as needed.
The procedure had two phases. The first phase they go over the area using a very high laser level. During the second phase they go over the entire area again with a much lower laser level. The first phase hurt ALOT. The second phase was a breeze.
My Chemist made it clear to me that in order for the procedure to be effective, the laser has to be set at a pretty high level. I hate to say this but it's somewhat the no pain, no gain scenario. In order for the laser to get down to the layer it needs to impact, it has to be up there. Quite honestly, for the money I spent, I rather have the pain now than find myself out the money with no results later.
That's about it for now. I certainly haven't seen immediate results as other have claimed. If anything, due to the swelling, I look worse post-treatment. Obviously, I expect this to be temporary and I'm hopeful that I'll see the results I want in time for my 50th birthday!
Replies (10)
May 16, 2013
Thanks for writing such a helpful review about the process so far. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out for you. :) Do you plan to post pics?
May 16, 2013
I'm glad that you found my review helpful beautygrrl! Yes, I'll start posting some photos over the weekend. Most of the swelling has receded, so my face looks pretty much how it did prior to my Ultherapy appointment.
I'll post monthly updates and hopefully by August there will be a noticeable difference :)
November 9, 2014
How do you feel now? I'm 42 and feeling sagging in the jaw area...I'm also in the NY area and thinking about this? Are you happy now? Have you seen an improvement..LMK..
February 26, 2015
Had swelling also but not too much pain~ bearable! Won't know for at least 3 months if it was worth it!
UPDATED FROM Susan72338
7 days post
Before Photo
Susan72338May 17, 2013
This photo was taken on 12/29/2012. I had Ultherapy done to my lower face (concentration around jaw line) on 3/10/2013.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM Susan72338
7 days post
1-Week Post Ultherapy
Susan72338May 17, 2013
This photo was taken on 5/17/2013, 1-week after my Ultherapy. While I still have a good amount of tenderness and numbness around my jawline, all the swelling has receded.
Replies (11)
May 18, 2013
I had mine done last week, too. I bruised, did you? I still have a little bit of numbness and pain when I touch the area that was treated.
May 18, 2013
Hi Deb. No, I had no discernible bruising. Now, 8-days post treatment I still do have the tenderness and numbness. All the swelling has now dissipated.
May 25, 2013
I had mine done May 21, and have quite a bit of green bruising along the jawline and upper neck. It's sore to the touch (like a bruise would be) but the swelling and numbness are a little better today.
May 18, 2013
My doctor is getting this in very soon. I too have notice my jawline and underneath my chin area bothering me. My doctor knew I did not want to go under the knife and called me about this. I am looking forward in getting something done so I hope this is worth it for you. bottom line would you do it again?
May 18, 2013
Mine was done Wednesday, 5/15 and I still have some bruising along the cheeks. I too felt like I looked like a chipmunk. I am tender along the jaw long and still have puffiness - although it's gone down. There was more swelling on one side - the side that hurt most. This is my second time for ulthera and i a 60. People say I don't look my age so something is working! You will be tender and have the numbness and prickly feeling for awhile. You should see good results in a couple of months! I also iced for a couple of days. Going to play this evening and I will ice some more. I don't know how anyone could do this procedure without medication. I was given 2 vicoden and a valium and took it 20 minutes before the procedure. Would NEVER do it without it! Good luck!
May 18, 2013
I'm honestly not certain that I would be able to go thru this procedure a second time, unless they were able to give me some topical numbing cream. I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but this really through me for a loop.
May 18, 2013
I also take Juice Plus supplement which is fruits and veggies in pill form. I also have a vitamix and have been making my 'green' shakes daily - spinach, kale and fruits - so I firmly believe this is helping my healing process.
May 20, 2013
I had my treatment a litlle less than 2 weeks ago. It was far far more painful than I was led to believe despite 4 Advil and .5 mg Xanax 30 minutes prior to starting the procedure. I have a high tolerance for pain but I actually had tears and had to do deep breathing through the first part. I had only a small bruised area under the chin. I had a big swelling under the chin. I felt like I had a kangaroo pouch. I may have been a little puffy in some areas but not too bad. At this time I have a little swelling left from the kangaroo pouch and can not see any improvement in my face and neck. I too felt a sales pitch approach to the treatment. I would not recommend this to anyone without more assistance killing the pain. All the paperwork I had to sign when I arrived for the treatment protected the doctor and the facility. There was no protection for the patient. They have yet to call me to see how I am. I am deeply disappointed by that since the place has a reliable reputation as well as being expensive. Not sure yet whether I think it is worth all that goes with this. Giving it some time. Good luck to others. It sounds like a great concept.
May 23, 2013
Hopeful, I hope that the remainder of your swelling has started to resolve itself! Tomorrow will be 2-weeks for me, and while I'm still tender to the touch along my jaw line, all my swelling is gone. I may even be seeing a little improvement, although it's very difficult to quantify that at this point. With that said, I do feel a little less "jowly".
In regards to "patient protection", if you go anywhere for any type of procedure, you have to sign the same paperwork. I really don't take issue with that personally. As with any elective procedure, you need to assume some level of risk.
I too would have appreciated a little additional follow-up from the Esthetician. The office phoned me the day following my Ultherapy appointment, and they sent me 1 email as a follow-up to my inquiry in regards to the swelling. Additional follow-up by the Esthetician's office this week would have been nice.
At the end of the day, I still think it will take 2 - 3 months to formulate a final opinion as to whether or not the Ultherapy worked for me.
Stay tuned.
May 23, 2013
Hi Susan72338,
Thank you for posting your updates & pictures. Although you didn't have much nasal labial lines to begin with, I think you look much smoother around that area. Your jawline seems to lift too. Congratulations!!! (I also think it would help more if your pictures taken at the same distance. I kept going back and forth between the before and after pictures.)
Thanks again.
May 23, 2013
Yeah, unfortunately, I'm not the best picture taker :) Figured posting something is better than nothing.
Did the swelling all go down? I've heard of people having a bit of swelling, but haven't heard of the amount you experienced, so please let us know how its going.
Yes, being mentally prepared can make a huge difference in how the treatment goes for you. I always remember going in for my first acupuncture treatment after having heard everyone say it doesn't hurt my expectations were it wouldn't hurt. It did hurt, not like intense pain, but it wasn't painless, so I think it seemed worse to me than it was because I was expecting it not to hurt. On the flip side, when I went to get Botox for the first time I did expect that to hurt, but it wasn't bad, about the same as acupuncture. However, because the discomfort was so much less than I had expected I didn't feel like it hurt. Funny how what we are prepared for can really alter our experience, isn't it?!