“Hoping to heal from thermage damage ... day 4”
Thermage: NOT worth it
Pain: Uncomfortable
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.
Jan 27, 2008Comments and replies (10)
5 posts
29 Jan 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
1 Feb 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?
unregistered guest
11 Feb 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
5 posts
15 Feb 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
14 Mar 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.
unregistered guest
18 Mar 2008
I don't know how Claire is doing but with all the problems she has already mentioned I am canceling my appointment for this week. It is not only Claire, I have not found many positive responses to Thermage on any site so far. This blistering of the eye area without mend after 3 weeks has been the icing on the cake which has confirmed my decision to cancel. I can tell you I had consulted with another doc who said they were not doing the eyes as they were concerned with complications and so I decided to go to the one who does do eyes because I thought that would be a critical part of the overall success of the procedure. Having read this, I will wait until there are more positive responses or something better. But that's just me. Good luck with your decision and good luck Claire59 with your final outcome
10 posts
25 Sep 2009
PLEASE NOBODY GET THERMAGE: I did it twice. A year later and my face feels so loose now. Had I done some research I would have realized that thermage is a recipe for disaster regarding skin tone. They promise tightening and that may happen initially. But after a few months you will experience severe fat loss around all the treated areas. I had my neck forehead and face treated and there is not one spot on my face that feels firm. It's like jello. I'm so bummed now. I feel like an idiot. Don't make the same mistake. If you want to firm your skin do facial exercises, change your diet to green vegetables and maybe get some some peels here and there. Thermage will age you by 5 to 10 years. Just google - thermage + facial fat loss. You will see what I'm talking about. Thousands of complaints.