Q: What are the pros and cons?

Pros TempSure treatments are suitable for all skin types and tones. Discomfort during the treatment should be minimal. According to doctors on RealSelf, patients typically feel mild to moderate heat, but no real pain. Some reviewers on RealSelf even describe this RF treatment as “relaxing.” It’s a noninvasive treatment with no downtime and no post-treatment restrictions, so you can get right back to your normal activities after each session. Cons Collagen growth is a slow process, so it can take three to four months to see results. This is a nonsurgical treatment that delivers nonsurgical outcomes. If you have severe sun damage, deep wrinkles, or visibly loose skin, the payoff may be too subtle to make an appreciable difference. Keep your expectations in check. For best results, providers recommend a series of treatments—at least four, spaced two to four weeks apart. Multiple visits can quickly add up to thousands of dollars. Results are temporary. If you want to keep them up, you’ll need annual maintenance treatments. RealSelf Tip: While RF energy is proven to gradually thicken the skin by building collagen, TempSure Firm does not work directly on the fibrous bands, or septae, that are responsible for cellulite dimples, so you may need to incorporate a separate treatment, like Avéli, to fully address your cellulite.

Question 1

What is Tempsure Envi?

Accepted Answer

TempSure Envi is an FDA-cleared, noninvasive monopolar radiofrequency (RF) treatment. Primarily used on the face, it can firm skin while minimizing the appearance of forehead lines, frown lines, crow’s feet, and smile lines, for more youthful skin.

This skin tightening treatment works by harnessing RF energy, which heats the dermis. The heat provokes a healing response that regenerates the collagen over the coming months, making skin more plump and smooth.

TempSure Envi is part of CynoSure’s TempSure system, designed to treat various skin concerns on the face and body.

This system also includes Tempsure Firm, an RF energy treatment that can temporarily improve the appearance of cellulite on the abdomen, arms, butt, and thighs.

Question 2

What are the pros and cons?

Accepted Answer

Pros

TempSure treatments are suitable for all skin types and tones.
Discomfort during the treatment should be minimal. According to doctors on RealSelf, patients typically feel mild to moderate heat, but no real pain. Some reviewers on RealSelf even describe this RF treatment as “relaxing.”
It’s a noninvasive treatment with no downtime and no post-treatment restrictions, so you can get right back to your normal activities after each session.

Cons

Collagen growth is a slow process, so it can take three to four months to see results.
This is a nonsurgical treatment that delivers nonsurgical outcomes. If you have severe sun damage, deep wrinkles, or visibly loose skin, the payoff may be too subtle to make an appreciable difference. Keep your expectations in check.
For best results, providers recommend a series of treatments—at least four, spaced two to four weeks apart. Multiple visits can quickly add up to thousands of dollars.
Results are temporary. If you want to keep them up, you’ll need annual maintenance treatments.

RealSelf Tip: While RF energy is proven to gradually thicken the skin by building collagen, TempSure Firm does not work directly on the fibrous bands, or septae, that are responsible for cellulite dimples, so you may need to incorporate a separate treatment, like Avéli, to fully address your cellulite.

Question 3

How much does Tempsure Envi cost?

Accepted Answer

Your price will depend on your provider’s level of experience, their practice location, the size of the treatment area, and the number of treatment sessions you get.

During your consultation, ask for an all-in cost quote for your entire treatment plan, and ask if they offer package discounts if you pay for a series up-front.

Cosmetic procedures like this one are not covered by health insurance.

You can finance your treatment with CareCredit.

Question 4

TempSure Envi before and after pictures

Accepted Answer

The TempSure Envi photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

Question 5

What happens during a Tempsure Envi treatment?

Accepted Answer

Here’s what to expect:

Treatments can last 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the targeted area. You won’t need local anesthesia or numbing cream.
Your provider will guide the appropriate TempSure handpiece over your skin as it transmits heat from the RF energy below your skin’s surface.
You’ll feel a warming sensation (comparable to a hot stone massage), but it shouldn’t be painful.

Afterward, there should be no visible side effects other than slight redness, which usually subsides quickly.

Question 6

How soon will you see Tempsure Envi results?

Accepted Answer

Some skin-tightening may be noticeable almost immediately after treatment (usually as a result of the heat, circulation boost, and temporary swelling). The benefits will continue to improve in the weeks following treatment, as the natural response of collagen production picks up and your skin undergoes its rebuilding process.

Some reviewers on RealSelf say they noticed positive results, including softer marionette lines and smoother skin around the eyes, after just one TempSure skin tightening session, and a more youthful-looking neck following three treatments—but because TempSure Envi relies on our body’s own regenerative response, individual results can vary greatly.

One RealSelf member, a 44-year-old with jawline laxity, spent $2,400 on a series of three treatments and wasn’t impressed with her results. Another reviewer who didn’t see results 90 days after her third session called TempSure Envi “a complete waste of time and money.”

Question 7

How long do Tempsure Envi results last?

Accepted Answer

Your results from TempSure Envi and the new collagen fibers generated are lasting; however, they are still subject to the future effects of the aging process and gravity.

While not a substitute for a facelift, radiofrequency treatments like TempSure Envi, when performed early in life, may help put off the need for plastic surgery.

Providers recommend getting maintenance treatments every 6 to 12 months (following your initial series).

Question 8

TempSure Envi vs. Ultherapy: What’s the difference?

Accepted Answer

TemThe biggest difference between TempSure Envi and Ultherapy is the type of energy in play: TempSure Envi uses radiofrequency, while Ultherapy emits ultrasound waves.

The goal of both options is the same—to generate enough heat to spark new collagen production and remodeling in the dermis. However, there are differences in treatment parameters like temperature control, energy output, and depth of treatment, which influence how the procedure feels and how many sessions are needed to see a real difference.

When treating the face, some providers even pair TempSure Envi with Ultherapy, alternating energies to address various depths of tissue for a more comprehensive tightening treatment.

Ultherapy delivers the energy more deeply in the tissues, so it typically requires local anesthesia. The upside is that patients commonly need only a single session of Ultherapy to get optimal results.

TempSure Envi is less intense, more comfortable, and requires a series of treatments.

Another key difference of TempSure Envi is that it’s a multifaceted device, with different handpieces for treating facial wrinkles, skin laxity, cellulite, and even the vaginal wall (with TempSure Vitalia), all via collagen stimulation and remodeling.

A fairer comparison might be TempSure skin tightening vs. Thermage, another RF energy treatment. Thermage has been around for decades and, like Ultherapy, is known for its intensity and discomfort.

Still, there are plenty of doctors who swear by its tightening effects, saying it continues to give unparalleled results, despite the many newcomers in this realm.

In a RealSelf Q&A, Chicago plastic surgeon Dr. Laurie Casas says that she uses Ultherapy to lift sagging, lax skin but favors Fraxel lasers to stimulate new collagen in the skin’s surface. “Ultherapy can target three different depths,” Dr. Casas explains: “the dermis (deeper skin), fat + connective tissue (the SMAS), and muscle.”

Another benefit is the temperature: Ultherapy “precisely and consistently heats the targeted tissue to 60-70 degrees centigrade, the optimal temperature for contraction and denaturation of collagen.” Thermage and other radiofrequency treatments “only heat the tissues to 40-50 degrees, which is suboptimal for neocollagenesis,” according to Dr. Casas.

Just one word of caution: deeper and hotter isn’t always better, in poorly trained hands.

The bottom line: There are numerous skin tightening technologies harnessing these two types of energies. Generally speaking, the ones that require multiple sessions are less powerful and impactful than those promising a one-and-done experience.

They’re all expensive, and none can deliver anything close to surgical results, so they’re best reserved for patients with mild laxity and fine lines.

A board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon—ideally one who offers a range of treatment options—can recommend the one that will work best for you.

TEMPSURE ENVI

Jolene Edgar

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	TempSure Envi nonsurgical	Ultherapy nonsurgical	Thermage nonsurgical	Fraxel Laser nonsurgical
Worth It Rating	75%	61%	70%	65%
Average Cost	$1720	$2437	$3116	$1281
Downtime	No downtime	No downtime	Minimal downtime	Up to 1 week of downtime
Anesthesia	No anesthesia	No anesthesia	No anesthesia	Topical anesthesia

Jolene Edgar

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