POSTED UNDER Ultherapy REVIEWS
What a Waste - Ultherapy - Barrington, IL
ORIGINAL POST
Very painful treatment + NO results after 2.5...
Lindsey112September 30, 2013
$3,500
Very painful treatment + NO results after 2.5 months + $3500 = a huge waste. My neck still hurts. I'll give it a few more month and if still no photographable results I'll be reporting to the Better Business Bureau, AMA, etc. Also worry about the effects of the inflammation on overall health. A clinical trial (by Ultherapy not an unbiased third party) on efficacy was completed a year ago but no results yet published.
Lindsey112's provider
Replies (6)
October 15, 2013
It always amazes me when people threaten to a "report" to various overseeing bodies. Unless you were lied to and deliberately deceived there is really no recourse. I'm sure you signed a consent form listing all of the potential side effects. All are transient. There are currently 15 peer reviewed studies (not sponsored by Ultherapy) supporting the efficacy.
November 2, 2013
There is always recourse. Especially when the FDA documents 284 adverse events reported. (See link in comment below) It's been 4 months and my side effecst are not yet "transient".
January 5, 2014
the Ulthera marketing brochure's buzz words---"no downtime" and "non-invasive" are, in fact, lies. the testimonials of welts, burns, swelling, nerve damage, volume loss et al. goes on and on. even if for the lucky those are transient, being in pain for weeks on end is, in fact, downtime. and having welts down the inside of your throat is terribly invasive. and no, i wasn't informed about any of it, but was told that there was no risk at all. See Dr. Maerks on this site about having to put women's faces back together after Ulthera.
UPDATED FROM Lindsey112
4 months post
3.5 Month Mark Ultheraphy - Still NO results except damage
Lindsey112November 2, 2013
Had my second follow-up post-Ultherapy. My practitioner could not document any positive results from my Ultherapy treatment nearly 4 months ago. I still have burning pain and red marks on either side of my neck, numbness in my jaw area and occasional, sharp "pin-prick" feelings on both sides of my face. I'm in the process of obtaining my before and after photos from my doctor's office. They're mine, right? Just like x-rays?
Replies (13)
January 5, 2014
my experience was a nightmare too. when you find out that "stimulating collagen" means burning up to 900 holes in layers of the skin that have never been exposed to anything, let alone high heat, it's not surprising there are problems.
two things have helped me:
1) castor oil---i lathered it on nightly. it helps tremendously with wound healing and skin generally.
2) a potent herb called gotu kola---i am still taking it 4x/day in liquid form. it helps with wounds, and scarring, and also stimulates collagen production. it's also an anti-anxiety.
good luck--
January 5, 2014
It's not 900 "holes" it's 15,000 TCP's or thermo coagulation points. It is non invasive (understand the term) and there is no downtime. Most issues that arise are a result of operator error and administering the treatment recklessly. Welts, bruises etc ate not the normal outcome. I would look long and hard at the provider before deciding to have any aesthetic treatment. Just because it's being performed by a doctor doesn't mean it's being done correctly. All Ultherapy providers are initially trceive extensive training and them have the option to undergo advanced training. A manufacturer isn't responsible for how it's product gets used after the training. So to say the marketing "buzzwords" are lies is just an emotional response and not one based in any kind of fact.
January 5, 2014
The first term you use is scientific euphemism for burns in the skin. It is the extensive scarring resulting from the "zaps" or burns that, eventually, in some people, pulls the skin tighter as scar tissue itself is tighter, and less flexible, than normal skin. This was the explanation a plastic surgeon who was trained in the technique gave to me. "Non-invasive" is a technical surgical term that is so widely divergent from the actual experience of the women who undergo the experience that it exposes the term as a carefully chosen marketing tool rather than information. Intense internal pain caused by an external agent is, for the practical purposes of those who purchase the treatment, highly invasive.
January 5, 2014
What the plastic surgeon failed to explain is that the TCP's are focused and delivered 4.5mm bow the skin not at the surface level on the epidermis but rather in the SMAS. If there are "burns" on the skin they are a result of improper technique.
January 6, 2014
January 6, 2014
August 12, 2015
Just burns in your muscles. Ultherapy is a really bad fad. My eyes changed color as with dozens of women. There are no real scientific evidence of double blind studies. Putting heat that close to the eye is insane.
February 1, 2016
Wow, this is so frightening. My eyes have also changed color after Ultherapy. Have your eyes healed at all, or reversed to their prior state?
January 5, 2014
January 5, 2014
yet if there are so many people looking for a place to voice their anger, their outrage, and their disgust at being robbed. . . .
January 5, 2014
January 6, 2014
for most people, having their face mangled evokes an "emotional" response.
I got every penny back.
February 11, 2015
Sorry for noticing this conversation late. I am stepping in here to make it very clear that RealSelf is a safe community where people are encouraged to openly express their feelings and share their experiences to receive the support they need as they move through their journey. Per RealSelf Community Guidelines unsupportive comments are not tolerated and are removed.
I'm so sorry to hear you are feeling like this might have been a waste for you. :( Fingers crossed that doesn't turn out to be the case.
You had mentioned a clinical trial you were aware of, how were you aware of it? I'd love to hear more details.