Is Ultherapy a good idea for a woman who is 67 with sagging skin and jowls?

Ultherapy Lift works best for patients who are not experiencing dramatically loose or sagging facial contours. It's not a substitute for a surgical face lift or neck lift.Much of the decision lies in how elastic YOUR skin is and whether or not there is redundant skin that we know won't conform around tighter substructures.As you age, collagen production slows. Just like you probably can't run as fast as you did at 25, your skin can't make up collagen loss at the speed it needs to in order to stay firm and tight. This process happens to us all and is inevitable with aging.If surgery is absolutely off the table, you can consider other types of procedures that remove under-chin fat (such as Kybella - if that is an issue), or potentially a radio frequency procedure such as Profound. It would take a professional assessment to determine if non surgical choices would be useful and to what degree. You also have to have realistic expectations of what nonsurgical treatments can achieve. That's not to say Ultherapy would be of no benefit, but at 67 you should not expect similar results as those you could expect at 47.

It all depends on what you expect from the results. A few days ago I saw a couple for a consult, they are both in their mid to late sixties and both have facial aging concerns. One of them elected to undergo a face and neck lift while the other does not want surgery at all and so I offered Ultherapy. The expected results for them are completely different and the one undergoing surgery, wants the best results while the other is happy with some kind of improvement. That being said, you have to decide what kind of results you are expecting from the treatments. A face and neck lift is more costly, has about 10 days of downtime, has risks associated with surgery however, results are fantastic. Ultherapy has no downtime, minimal risks and and has less extensive results with a lower cost of procedure. 

Ulthera® is the current gold standard treatment to nonsurgically lift sagging skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle all over the face, neck and body. 

Although an ethical medical office should review potential side effects with patients before Ultherapy treatment, side effects have been unusual in our office.  The most common side effect is under treatment- requiring an additional Ultherapy treatment(s) to see the best results.  And some people simply should not be treated- like those who are better candidates for a facelift, and those who have unrealistic expectations!  Ultherapy is best for those who have early gravity effects of aging, not significant jowls and neck skin laxity.  With that said, you should notice some mild improvement with UItherapy, are more likely to need more than a single Ultherapy treatment, and might wish to consider Ultherapy if a facelift is medically "out of the question" for you.

Since 2012, Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC has been the Albany, NY and  Capital District area office of choice for Ultherapy.  We are the only area office top rated and listed on the Ultherapy.com website an "Ultra Provider".    "Ultra Provider" designation by Merz, the manufacturer means my Ultherapy certified staff and I have more expertise and experience providing Ultherapy treatments than any other office in our region. In fact, Christina at my office is the only area Ultherapy technician to receive advance training at Ultherapy corporation headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.  What does this mean for you?  Ultherapy is an effective  tool for non-surgical facial and neck (and for treating other areas "off label") skin tightening. In the right hands it can do wonders to rejuvenate your appearance.  Improperly used  by poorly trained doctors, nurses or other staff  located within or outside a medical office, the results can be poor and complications can occur.  Since Merz/Ultherapy (the manufacturer) does not provide guidance on how to choose a provider or who is allowed to do the procedure, when it comes to choosing a provider, the catchword is "buyer beware".  I imagine the overall "worth it rating" on RealSelf would be 95% for Ultherapy if poorly done treatments and patients who have unrealistic expectations of the results that could be achieved could be sorted out.  

I offer the analogy of a "hammer", a tool that can build a nice house or beautiful piece of furniture.  But in the wrong hands the "hammer" can hurt someone if you hit them over the head.... You get the picture.   Choose your Ultherapy provider with care.

You have posted no photo for us to evaluate so I'm not sure how we are expected to provide you with a relevant recommendation. Having said that, I would typically not recommend Ultherapy at your age or with the extend of skin excess and laxity that you report. Your best cosmetic outcome will be with a surgical face lift.

Non- surgical treatment of the signs of facial aging may not be enough to ensure an aesthetic outcome.  A facelift may be more appropriate. DrBurnett#realself100

We've been doing Ultherapy for the face and neck for about 4 years in our SkinLaze clinic and for most of our clients over 60 years old, we do not recommend it if they are open to surgical options.  Over the age of 60 your skin's laxity is not what it used to be typically a lower face lift by a qualified and highly experienced facial plastic surgeon is your best choice.  Best of luck, Doc Halliday