"Ultherapy does not work - in my case it caused evident skin laxity - save your money" - Los Angeles, CA

Today I had full face and neck Ultherapy. After months of research I chose the facility in Los Angeles for two reasons - 1/ price and 2/ the Doctor supervises the procedure himself very closely. I paid $2500 - a lot of money to me, but that is about half the average price I was quoted everywhere else. Clinics quote prices from $3200 to $5000, but even that top price does not include the full neck (to Clavicle) , which is what I got included in the package I bought. I can't speak to results yet - it takes three months for the collagen to rebuild and tighten. But for those wondering - full face and Neck takes at least three hours. They said it went fast with me because I didn't stop for breaks. The last patient my tech did took 9 hours because she could not handle the pain. Yes, it is very painful - no matter how you slice and dice it, this takes real tenacity, and yes, - the machine was the latest on the market with all the upgrades and the Amplify method - but still, it was extremely hard to bear. Some Docs inject local like the dentist and I think that is a very smart way to go. me, I used two non narcotic painkillers - Meloxicam - and then in the middle I took a 2mg Valium - and still it was hard to bear. Why did I put myself through that - I think this is going to work. It's the day of but I feel the deep tissue all fired up, tingling, wondering what happened to it. I get the science, I'm optimistic. I have a few welts on my face and forehead - nothing too bad - and the redness went away fast so yes, you can actually go back to your life fast. I actually look good because my face is a little swollen in all the right places. I will come back in 2 months after my check up and report.

Am almost 3 months post treatment and can say for certain that Ultherapy did what it promised to do - tighten up the skin on my face and neck. But, the effect is subtle, very subtle. No one else notices, but I can tell because I was working to hide the sag under my chin, and the loss of jawline that was creeping in (not much, but enough to make me feel older than I want to). Now I don;t have to so it seems like Ultherapy has turned the clock back on that by a couple of years - not five but maybe two or three - so, like I said, subtle.

The side effects are tolerable, but need to be forewarned against. The tenderness continues for about 10 to 12 weeks - which is good because it means the healing process is in action which is how the tightening occurs. The tingling continues even longer and is very weird. It's not a constant but every now and again I experience a really sharp jolt on my chin or cheek or neck and oddest of all, on the crown of my head. It's all quite disconcerting but, vain age-o-phobe that I am, I'd go again if money wasn't a constant concern. Actually money really sums up the essence of my review. If dropping 5-10k a year on your face is not a problem, then Ultherapy is well worth the spend. If money is a hardship, then I would say botox and filler gives more direct results for less money. For example, I could have had three years of a lot of well placed Botox for the $2,500 I spent on Ultherapy. Still, I am very glad I got the Ultherapy because I look like me, about three years ago, before my face started to collapse : )

Whatever difference I imagined I saw from the Ultherapy may have been positive thinking. Without a doubt, less than one year later - all symptoms are completely gone and there have been no benefits whatsoever. During the healing time of four to five months the subtle swelling created a subtle illusion of change - but now the tissue all around my lower face and neck is actually thinner making the appearance of laxity and the lack of definition worse. Save your money. Don't do it. It doesn't work.