Should I Stop Taking Supplements (Eg. Fish Oil, Ubiquinol) After Ultherapy?

I encourage patients to take Vitamin C supplements after their Ultherapy to encourage collagen formation.  We have seen excellent results with Ulthera in our Los Angeles office. 

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD FACS

I am not aware of any studies investigating antioxidants as having a negative effect on the collagen production after Ultherapy non invasive facial skin tightening. Many of our patients take such antioxidants and we have seen very good results from Ultherapy regardless.

You will still see the benefits of Ultherapy regardless of if you've taken anti-inflammatory supplements. You should have no issues continuing as you have been.

It is common for cosmetic providers to recommend discontinuation of all supplements prior to invasive and non invasive procedures. However, I don't think that it is necessary to stop those before Ultherapy. The most likley areas of bruising are near the corners of the mouth and even if bruising occurs, it goes away within a week. The prudent thing to do is to stop aspirin, plavix and coumadin (warfarin) before Ultherapy. 

There are no studies to suggest that anti inflammatories decrease the effect of Ulthera but some docs suggest not taking them after the procedure. The risk they say is that the healing process is subdued and therefore you are not getting the full effect of the treatment. I think this idea started with Thermage as an excuse when they weren't seeing results. I don't tell my patients to stop these supplements. 

Dietary supplements in genreal can make you bleed or bruise more frequently with surgery and minor procedures.  However, it depends on how much and how frquently and what you are taking.  In general, the fish oil, vitamin E type supplements are best stopped 2 weeks prior to minor procedures to prevent excess bruising, but there are no studies to prove that it will or will not make a difference.

Antioxydants  are known to reduceinflammation.                                                           Ultherapy heats the tissues (Collagen fibers, Elastic fibers and  superficial Muscle fibers).                                                                                                                             Healing , with production of new, thicker fibers, is preceded by inflammation. In theory, if inflammation is reduced, the healing will also be reduced, consequentlky with less thick fibers.                                                                                                                                       It is unlikely that this can be proven, because nobody will suggest to a patient to have biopsies of treated versus unteated areas.                                                                     However, based on the experience with wound healing always being preceded by inflammation, we advise our patients to avoid all antioxidants for 4 weeks following the Ulthera procedure.                                                                                                        Eugene Mandrea M D