Amplify vs the former Ultherapy program? Not as much energy.

The Amplified Ultherapy protocol changed to provide patients with a lower energy setting for a more comfortable treatment.  When comparing the existing treatment protocol with the Amplified protocol, which requires a minimum of 800 lines, results proofed to be the same.  No safety issues have been reported because the ultrasound energy cannot penetrate deeper than 4.5 millimeters.  Our patients often combine Ultherapy with dermal fillers, PRP, Microneedling  and Venus Legacy (Lift FX) treatments for optimum results.

The energy setting is lower, it has been proven to give comparable results. It is unlikely that the tech went deeper into the muscle than the device allows. If you are concerned about your treatment, I suggest following up with your Dr. Ultherapy works well with other treatments for best results. In my practice we do VASER and ThermiRF in combination with ultherapy to get neck lifting and tightening, for those who are candidates. Lasers or RF, Sculptra, microneedling/prp. Kybella and/or ThermiRF treatments are also non-invasive options. Please see an expert for a formal consultation. Best, Dr. Emer.

The newer Amplify protocol was developed for patient comfort. Compared to the older protocol, the energy setting is lower but when studied side by side the results were equivalent. Safety was not the issue. A full face treatment with the Amplify protocol is minimum 800 lines. It is not possible for Ultherapy energy to penetrate deeper than 4.5 millimeters, so going "deep into the muscle" is not within the capability of the machine regardless of what setting is used (including energy level) and regardless of technician training. During a full face lifting treatment, some of the lines are placed at 3.0 mm and some are at 4.5 mm. There certainly is a "sweet spot" the Ultherapist is trained to look for in terms of placement- but this is because lines delivered below that sweet spot will not be effective in terms of lifting, in other words it is "wasted" energy, not because it is dangerous. They are taught to identify the SMAS- or submusculoaponeurotic system-a fibrous and fatty layer under the facial skin- and to deliver energy near or just above it as energy delivered below it is not helpful. More importantly, they are taught to avoid certain areas as "no fly zones"- the nasolabial fold region, the marionette region- in order not to irritate nerve and blood vessel structures there. That is where Ultherapy can cause issues if done improperly. 

If you have a question about the quality of your treatment you can certainly reach out to Ulthera/Merz. They can pull the treatment log off the machine (which cannot be altered by the technician who performed the procedure- it can only be downloaded onto a USB stick and then uploaded as a file for the company- it cannot be edited) and have it reviewed by their medical director to determine if the treatment was within recommended parameters.

Best,

Lisa Vuich, MD