Is Numbness a Side Effect of Ultherapy?

The ultrasound can hit a small sensory nerve temporarily disrupting it's function - these are relatively uncommon and have resolved over the time of a few days to weeks in the cases I've heard about. As in surgery, nerves that get pulled or injured with electrocautery usually recover over a few weeks and at times longer (months). In the same manner, sensory nerves thought to trigger the onset of migraines can as well be irritated during treatment possibly causing the potential onset of a headache. Migraine patients should bring their meds just in case to their treatment.

Numbness following Ultherapy treatment is not unusual. The symptoms that you are experiencing are not from the nerve block, since this will typically resolve in a few hours. It is not uncommon following Ulthera to experience some temporary numbness or tingling. In my practice, we have not had any patients that have any permanent numbness I have had the procedure twice, and both time had more tingling than numbness. With nerve blocks, there is always the possibility of nerve injury, which is uncommon. If your numbness persists more than 7-10 days, you should see the physician where your procedure was performed. Good luck.

There is possibly a side effect of numbness following an Ulthera procedure, however the percentage is very low.  If this was a side effect from Ulthera for you, the effects should subside before 3 weeks.

Ultherapy is ultrasound which goes to a depth of 1.5-4.5 mm.  This energy may also hit cutaneous nerves and cause temporary numbness.  This is normal and will resolve.This should return to normal in about a week or less.

Cases of numbness of which I've heard have all been transient for a few days to weeks and have resolved by themselves.  The fine nerve endings may respond to the ultrasound heat from Ultherapy by not conducting their normal impulses until they heal. See your doctor discuss your situation.

Numbness after Ultherapy treatment is a well recognzied side effect.  It is generally temporary, and usually wears off after several weeks.  There is no specific treatment to help it resolve more quickly.  Do not be concerned about this.

Thank you for your question. Yes, numbness is a very common side effect. The
Ultrasound therapy treats 3-4 mm down below the skin’s surface which then will
trigger neocollagenesis, our bodys’ own healing response to trigger collagen
stimulation. There can be some temporary numbness and tingling associated with Ultherapy, usually lasting a couple of days up to a couple weeks post procedure.

I have never used a nerve block for Ultherapy and don't believe it is necessary for this procedure. I do know that it should wear out after 12 - 24 hours. You should contact the physician who administered the procedure.I like treatment without a block because if the patient has sensations of too much pain or tingling over an area that I am treating, I stop and reduce the energy level or use transducers that are less deep (1.5 mm versus 3 and 4.5 mm). This prevents unnecessary and avoidable injury to things like the marginal mandibular nerve near the jaw treatment lines. 

Without knowing exactly where the nerve block was done, it is difficult to determine whether the numbness is from the Ulthera or the nerve block.  There can be some temporary numbness and tingling associated with Ulthera, however all incidences have been temporary - usually lasting a couple of days up to a couple weeks.

The symptoms that you are experiencing are not from the nerve block.  It is not uncommon in the period following Ulthera that you may experience transient numbness.  In our practice we have not had any patients that had the symptoms persist for more than two weeks.  Having had the procedure myself, I had a single area on my forehead that did affect the sensory nerve over a small portion and it was about 10 days before it resolved.