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POSTED UNDER Thermage REVIEWS

Hoping to Heal from Thermage Damage ... Day 4

ORIGINAL POST

I am 48. I had a full face treatment and also...

claire59
$3,000
I am 48. I had a full face treatment and also Eyes by Thermage on Wednesday. My eyes have always been my best feature and was bothered by some hooding over my lids and so I went for it. The facility is one of the best in town. Very reputable dermatologist. Though I have a high tolerance for pain ... the eye area did hurt. I was told the settings go from 1 - 5 and the higher the setting the beter the results. I think she said she was stayig at 4. When the procedure was over I was given an RX for some cream to treat the burns. BURNS? She explained that there were a few areas around my eyes that "got a little burned". I saw just a bit of swelling but nothing that looked like burns. I was told to expect some swelling for a few days and to continue to treat the burns with the cream. So I left ... excited and relieved that I had actually done it. Well ... the second day was fine. Some swelling and redness. I was still excited though I am not expecting any change for months. I would feel a bt self-concious if I had to go to work because of the swelling. Day 3, I noticed some blisters forming in a few area around my eyes and still had swelling. I had hoped the swelling would be gone by now. I called the doctor and she said it was normal and to give it a week or so. So much for no down time! Yesterday was rough. I actually looked worse than when I went in and had to cancel plans for the evening because of it. The delicate area beneath my eye is red and puffy. I have 4 round blisters where the small eye wand was placed. Under my brow on the opposite eye I have 3 round red marks ... but no blistring. Amazingly, nothing hurts! This morning (Sunday) I have found that the blisters under my eye have opened and the fragile skin looks torn. On top of that, the puffy redness has become darker ... like a bluish-red. It looks as though I got hit in the eye and the lid area is swollen at the inner corner. No change in the other eye. Since there are open wounds under my eye, I cannot apply makeup. This means I will have to cancel an open house I scheduled for a client. I did not expect this kind of down time and am willing to wait it out before I render a final opinion. I will say, however, THERE IS DOWN TIME! I will keep you posted.

Replies (20)

January 29, 2008
The aforementioned blisters have scabbed over and are actually a series of 1/8 inch rectangles. Some have sloughed off and the skin is pink and easily covered by concealer. The area under my brow is still a bit swollen and the hooding I was trying to correct is worse because of the swelling! The rest of my face that got the Thermage treatment is just fine. No swelling, redness or blisters. It appears that the eye area ... with the more delicate skin, took a bit of a beating, even though the "special", smaller tip was used. The blistering, etc. is such a distraction. I did not expect to be concentrating on healing. I expected to be pleasantly surprised by the subtle changes over the next 6 months. Still ... I remain positive and will keep you posted.
(unregistered guest)
February 13, 2008
I am thinking of getting a full face thermage and would like to know how your face feels and looks now 2 weeks after your last posting of Jan. 29th. I am 62 and very interested in this procedure. Please let me know how you are doing. Thank you.
February 15, 2008
My face feels and looks the same! I have not seen any results as I have been distracted by the area under my eye that sustained some burns. The procedure is uncomfortable. You will need the anti-anxiety and pain medication before the procedure. I have a high tolerence for pain, but it was still uncomfortable. Afterwards, I felt fine. No burning, etc. I am willing to give it time. If it works ... great. If not, it may not have been the right procedure for me. I am not a treatment junkie. My goal is to be able to wear the least amount of make-up possible by the time I'm 50. I will soon be 49 and needed to get busy with it! I have had foto-facial that has dramatically addressed any sun damage and I am very pleased with that. I took a chance that Thermage might help with a bit of firming. I will be pleasantly surprised with any results at this point. But i will have to just wait and see.
July 28, 2015
Hi Claire, I just had the Thermage face and eye treatment four days ago. The day after my treatment, I had two blisters on my face (one long line and the other a smaller thin line) and some weird dark spots around my eyes (burns?). I'm so scared. I saw a nurse at the Medspa couple days ago and she gave me some biafine ointment to put on my blisters. After four days, they have formed a scab and the skin is red. Can anyone tell me if I will get a permanent scar or if the blisters will heal? Also, I never heard about the fat loss and am hoping that won't happen to me. When does that start and is it permanent? I did several Clear and Brilliant treatments and was happy with the result. I should have stopped there! Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated it.
July 28, 2015
Claire, I just had thermage face and eyes done five days ago. The day after my treatment, I had two blisters on my face (one long and one small, thin blister) and some dark spots around my eyes. The nurse at the Medspa told me that they would go away and gave me some biofine ointment to put on the blisters. I hadn't heard about the fat loss either. When does that usually show up and is it permanent? The doctor used a high setting on my face and it did hurt. The tips kept giving out and he had to change out about 8 of them. I'm so worried. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. Wish that I had just stuck to the Clear and Brilliant treatments. I was getting good results with them.
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July 28, 2015

Hi snfong, I just opened up the following discussion if you want to get the conversation started: 

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN BEFORE HAVING THERMAGE?

July 28, 2015
Hello snfong,
I am 6 months post thermage and have had lots of damage. You can send me private message if you wish to learn more about my experience. Keep in mind that it is very recent for you and you still might get positive outcomes. I sincerely hope that you do. Stay positive and try to stay busy.
(unregistered guest)
February 1, 2008
I am sorry about your expected downtime, boo. Please keep on posting. I am considering on my face and tour comments caused me great pause. Can you tell if you think getting it done at a med-spa is the same as going to dermatologist/ actual skin doctor?
February 15, 2008
My procedure was done by a reputable dermatologist who also offers spa services. The advantage to going to a dermatologist is that he/she will be able to address any adverse reactions to the procedure with appropriate prescription grade cream or alternative treatment. In my case, at no charge.
(unregistered guest)
February 11, 2008
I will be interested in keeping in touch with your email. I have been investigating thermage and seen a dermatologist where I live. I like the idea of non invasive treatment. I know your are told it can take 6 months or more to see results. Please keep us informed how you feel about your treatment and if you feel it is worth it. I was not told about any possible burning but that you would be able to resume work immediately. Gail
February 15, 2008
It has been just over 3 weeks since I had both Eye by Thermage and the Thermage treatment on my face. The eye area is where I had trouble. My face looks and feels fine ... though it looks like I got punched in the eye! This is my take on the whole thing ... The procedure was performed by a dermatologist. My consultation was with a staff member (aka consultant). I believe the consultant is hired to take the time to explain the procedure and "sell" services. She is young, fresh-faced, enthusiastic and has NEVER had the need for most of the procedures offered. I never saw her again. She did not see me when I left. I don't know if she has ever seen someone who has just had the procedure other than her training video! She did her job. I have no problem with that or her. It is a business. She told me that there was no downtime. Just a bit of redness and that I could reapply make-up before leaving. I was not told about any possible blistering or burning of the outer layer of skin. Though I did sign the waiver releasing them from liability. There was a bit of swelling and lots of redness right after the procedure. Applying make-up and going into a social setting was not an option. Keep in mind that you will have taken a valium and percocet. Not only would I not be in any condition to go back to work, I would hate to see what my make-up would look like while under the influence of the meds! The adverse effects transpired a couple days later with the blistering and swelling around my eyes. This was due to the Eyes by Thermage treatment. The doctor is trying to remedy the situation and is very sympathetic but assures me everything will be okay. We'll see. The ultimate test as far as firmness is this ... when I bend over in Yoga class does my face fall forward also???? LOL ... it still does. I'm willing to give it time, however.
(unregistered guest)
March 14, 2008
How are you doing now, Claire?. I was told yestrday I should do the eyes as well as the face but they put in a black eye covering under the lid. That alone freks me out. I'd appreciate any update you can give. I'm going to a med spa in westwood, los angeles the teatment to be done by a urse who did hav it done. Though I noted she dd not have her eyes done.