Went for Coolsclupting with Dayse and she was amazing. :) Explained how everything was going to work, the different sensations, home care, etc. Always very friendly and professional. Highly recommend her and the Ritacca team.
I had my first consultation a year ago to inquire about correction for my under-eye bags. At that time, I was told lower blepharoplasty was the only solution. Last month, at the clinic's open house, they talked about addressing under-eye bags using Agnes RF. I was excited to learn more, and went in for a second consult. Had my first Agnes rf treatment yesterday. His assistants did all the prep, and were friendly and worked to make me comfortable. It was my first time meeting Dr. Ritacca. He was all business when he walked in. I sat up to say hello, and he came right up to me and said, "frown." He didn't even say hello! After telling his assistant, Steph, a few things he would need her to prepare, he walked to the door saying he'd be right back. I said, "oh, by the way, hello, and very nice to meet you." He said it was nice to meet me, and left! Well...I wasn't there for warm fuzzies, but I have to say I was a little surprised. They offered me laughing gas (at an extra cost), and I was like, "hell, ya, of course!" They administered that, and then some local anesthesia under my eyes, and waited until I was numb and loopy to start the treatment. After my first, I asked if anyone ever said no to the laughing gas. They said no, never. I wondered why they didn't just include it in the price? Anyway, the treatment was VERY uncomfortable, and I couldn't imagine doing it without the laughing gas!! The first eye was somewhat uncomfortable. The second was a lot worse. I can't really think of a good way to describe it, but, if you've ever had a tattoo, imagine that discomfort, multiply it by three, and then imagine how that would feel in the skin just under your eye. I was sucking on that laughing gas like a fiend. The difference immediately after treatment was phenomenal. This morning, 24 hours later, it looks like I was in a brawl, and I have 2 black eyes. The left eye (which was the second eye he did) is a lot more swollen than the right. Afterwards, as I was checking out, Assistant Steph came out and brought over a tube of ointment called Alastin, and said I needed it for post care, and nothing else would do. It was $199!!!! Well, I couldn't spend all the money on the procedure, and then not do the aftercare properly, so I felt like I had to buy it. But, again, I feel they should build these things into the overall pricing, and it would be far more customer-friendly. She did give me 10% off. But at that price, this stuff better give me some high-end results! Steph called and checked in with me 24 hours after treatment, to see how I was doing and if I had any concerns or questions. By then, I looked like I'd been in a brawl! But each day since then has been better, as you can see from the accompanying photos. I have a follow up at week. I'm optimistic about the end results. Overall, the experience was ok. The staff was friendly and helpful, even if the doctor had no bedside manner. The add-on sales approach was a little cheezy. The treatment was uncomfortable, but I didn't expect it not to be. The total cost was about $1400.00. The doctor said I would likely need a second treatment, followed by some filler at the tops of my cheeks. At the moment, I do not plan on doing this again. I think full results can take 3-6 months, so we'll see how I feel and look then. Updated on 5 Jan 2021: Actually, I've been meaning to post an update for a while, so thanks for the prompt! It's been about 3 weeks since I had the procedure, and I am scheduled to go back for a follow up this coming Friday. I definitely can feel that I am still healing-there are still tender 'bumps' of tissue under my skin that are slowly diminishing in size. I think it takes the body quite some time to fully dissolve and remove the treated tissue, which is why they say it could take up to 2 months to see final results. Overall, though, I am very pleased with the results I'm seeing. You can judge for yourself with the attached photo, taken yesterday. Updated on 14 Jan 2021: It's been one month since Dr. Ritacca performed the Agnes RF procedure under my eyes to improve the appearance of under-eye bags, and am very happy with the results. The final results can take up to 2 months, and I can tell I still have a little healing and swelling remaining in the area, but very minor at this point. I am expecting to see a little bit more improvement, but again, probably minor. I had a follow up appointment last week, and Dr. Ritacca suggested injecting a small amount of filler or fat at the top of my cheeks as a final step, when I am ready. I'm attaching a before & after, and will let the photo speak for itself. Going back to my first review on this procedure, I will say this procedure was WORTH IT! But please do your homework and seek out a highly-qualified, highly-experienced professional to perform the work!!! Updated on 14 Mar 2021: It's been a solid 3 months since my procedure, and I'm still happy with the results. Right after I had it, I was convinced I would not consider another treatment nor a filler. Now, I would consider either. I'm glad I waited though, because every now and then, I still feel a little "twinge" that tells me there is still healing/changes going on. With spring arriving, I spent the day in the yard doing cleanup the other day, and for the first time, I saw the affect of allergies---24 hours afterwards, my undereye bags were packed and ready to go! LOL! But what a difference from a year ago, when I wouldn't have noticed the difference.
Decided on some cheek enhancing. Went to Dr. Ritacca and couldn’t be happier. I originally wanted Voluma as my choice of product and after my consult and I was given great information and decided to rely on Dr. Ritacca’s professional recommendation. He is an experienced and gentle injector. He also uses cannulas instead of needles. I have had no bruising at all. I always leave looking better. The next day the assistant Jackie callEd to see how I was doing. Great office staff. Been coming here for years. I started going to this office through a promotion party they had and am so glad I did. Thank you Dr. Ritacca. ??
The pictures speak for themselves. I started CoolSculpting treatments in May 2017 and have continued since. I achieved results that I never thought were possible. I have a healthy diet and routinely exercise, but I could never get rid of certain areas of fat. CoolSculpting solved that problem. Dayse Medina is a very skilled technician. She takes a lot of time identifying which areas we should target. She also makes sure that I am as comfortable as possible during the procedure. I highly recommend getting this procedure done at Dr. Ritacca's office in Vernon Hills, IL.
I am a 59 year old woman who was unhappy with the loose skin on my upper eyelids and the festoons below my eyes. Dr. Ritacca performed upper blepharoplasty and Total Laser Resurfacing below my eyes/on checks. I am 9 weeks post surgery. The results are absolutely amazing! I look 10 years younger and feel very good about my results. I highly recommend him for this type of surgery. He is very skilled and meticulous in his work. You can hardly see the scars on my eyelids as he took care to hide them within the contour of my eyelids.
I have had nothing but great experiences with Dr Ritacca, Dawn Davidson and the team. I had Dr Ritacca liposuction my double chin follow immediately with ThermaTight to shrink the possible loose skin. It was amazing! I had it done in 2009 and today, 2017, it still looks great! Dawn is the filler/Botox queen! She's honest and will stop you from looking overdone! I've actually had her refuse to do further treatments because she wants her patients to look natural. Jen Greco is my go-to skin rejuvenation guru! I've done multiple BBLs, chemical peels, Vampire facials and red lights with her and my results are amazing! My 54 year old skin looks plump and glowing. Sara is the Ultheraphy expert! Want a mini lift? See Sara! I have so much respect for this med spa that I've referred many a friend and family member to them!
I have some crows feet and acne scarring and was told the Fractora laser treatment would make a tremendous difference in the improvement of my skin texture and reduction of the crows feet. I had three treatments (My last treatment was in March) with applications of stem cell secretions which were suppose to also make a huge difference. Four syringes of the stem cell secretions for each laser treatment were $400.00 totaling $1200. So ultimately the whole deal rang up to over $3500. The results? Well if I have to take a microscope to see a difference then it is not worth it to say the least. As a matter of fact, the post treatment photos showed reddening of the skin around my cheeks. There really wasn't a noticeable difference so I would say, look for an alternative treatment and if they make a promise then they better back it up with a guarantee of some sort. And you should take before and after pictures because there are plenty of doctors out there that will modify images for their case. Would I recommend it? No way! It's tragic that we are guinea pigs for companies with the latest gadgets with no guarantees. So far, the CO2 lasers seem to make a difference on crows feet and I have yet to find a great treatment for my mild ice pick scars. I'm scheduled to receive some other laser treatment but may ask for the CO2 treatment. I like my doctor and he is brilliant with filler injections and I've seen the before and after patient results of his blepharoplasties which are amazing and as perfect as one can imagine. He is a terrific person and he genuinely wanted to help. He used the technology which seemed appropriate for the condition and he really was trying to give the best dosages of strength and coverage, but I hope he will stand by his work. There were negative results so he should be generous for the time and discomfort I've gone through. Perhaps he should also go back to the laser company to recoup his costs if he decides to refund part of the procedure. Half back is reasonable wouldn't you agree? We'll see how he proceeds.
I had a smas lift in 2010 for sagging skin and jowls. The surgeon at that time did beautiful work, no scars. After six years gravity , once again, created the same problem. I did not want to go through the pain of another smas lift.I researched and found a genius that performed thermi tight. Very happy with the painless procedure . The numbing shots were not as painful as at a dentist office, they are injected in the soft tissue. Updated on 29 Jan 2016: Day three and if the itching was not so intense , I would not know I had surgery.I don't want to ruin my results and not wear the headband.I am swollen still,and not sore unless I touch the area.
To maintain as young and natural an appearance as possible without invasive procedures. Ultherapy has been a very successful procedure for me . It has helped me maintain a youthful lift for my face and neck. Sarah is so skillful and knowledgable as an Ulthera practitioner that I never feel apprehensive about my next treatment.
Last Thursday I went to see Dr. RItacca in Vernon Hills, IL. I found him through a blunt micro cannula supplier, as he among others was a doctor who used their materials. I called and they said he loves working with micro cannulas and uses them mainly for his fillers. Another great thing about his practice is he had every filler imaginable and would use what he though was the best for your personal needs. I needed to look great with very low down time as I have an important meeting this week (seven days after injection). The micro cannula paired with Dr. RItaccs's expertise left me with zero down time, zip. I went to a restaurant right after and looked fresh and normal (actually very improved). My husband estimates that the Voluma gave me eight years back. I look so good. For professional reasons, I need privacy so I can't share a photo with you. But I am serious. My hairstylist said, "You don't have a wrinkle on your face." I'm bubbly to say the least. Dr. Ritacca used one vial of Voluma in each cheek with some of that material going into the eye trough and one syringe of Juvaderm Ultra around my lips. With the zero down time and amazing results, I highly recommend getting fillers with a blunt micro cannula and certainly love Voluma for the instant gratification. They tell me the Voluma should last about two years. I iced three times for five minutes on each area filled.They told me to discontinue icing after mid day on day 2. The second day the cheeks were a little swollen but still attractive and presentable. Bruises-zero, redness, zero. Thank you Dr. Ritacca and staff.
I often recommend a neurotoxin such as Botox or Dysport to smooth the forehead. Your lines are actually not very strong, so you would not need a very high dose to relax the movement. I recommend researching trained injectors in your area and scheduling a consultation.
Botox works by temporarily relaxing the muscles in the face. When you relax muscles, you develop less wrinkles. If you stop receiving Botox injections, the movement will simply come back, but not make anything worse. It's important to schedule regular injections if you wish to improve static lines and overall texture. I recommend treatment every 3 months for maintenance, but you may be able to go longer at your age. Botox in your younger years will mean you develop less wrinkles to treat later on, theoretically meaning that less Botox needed. However, some patients do report developing a slight tolerance to Botox and needing more as the years go on. I recommend Botox to most of my patients, as it is an amazing, non-invasive option for antiaging and preventing wrinkles.
Great question. I treat many patients with the same concern. Approximately 4 units of Botox can be a great solution to relaxing the muscles that pull the upper lip up. I recommend scheduling a consultation with a provider near you.
This is a great question. Jawline and chin filler is a very popular request from patients. A few syringes of a sturdy filler such as Juvederm Voluma to the chin and jawline would work great for creating a strong jawline.
There are a few options to balance the lower half of your profile. Surgical liposuction is the gold standard, but Kybella is a nonsurgical option that may benefit you. If you feel you need more strength in your jawline and chin, filler is a great option and simple appointment to build your jawline structure.
