POSTED UNDER Ultherapy Reviews
Pretty Bad So Far but Hopeful - Missouri, MO
UPDATED FROM nola74
HI, it is now 3 months. I honestly don't notice...
HI, it is now 3 months. I honestly don't notice much difference, I have an appointment to go back in and do the after photos and hope I can see a difference in them. I will post my at home shots. Everything does feel back to normal my mouth doesn't feel crooked anymore etc. I still see the forehead marks but less. My skin does still feel dry/tight almost like I have a tiny sunburn.
UPDATED FROM nola74
I am at my 2 month mark. I feel like I am pretty...
I am at my 2 month mark. I feel like I am pretty much back to normal. Although I am going to sound like negative Nelly because I still want to say ...I still have the spots on my forehead that I will have to ask them about if they don't go away at the end of 3 months because they don't seem to be fading. I am not sure if they are burn marks or scars from welts or what. My mouth is still crooked but I can drink out of a straw so I feel like it is getting better. Again my skin feels very dry almost like it could crack but I wonder if this is the tight feeling others talk about and I just don't think of it the same. (I know when I was pregnant it took me a long time to figure out that feeling was the baby kicking and not just food digesting feelings so maybe my brain doesn't associate feelings as well as other people) The way I would describe the feeling is when I first started using Differin and my skin got sensitive and flaky. It doesn't look tighter to me but again maybe when you look at yourself everyday you don't notice the subtle changes. The only part I still feel swollen is right under my chin, when I look down I feel like it makes a double chin area that if I had before I really don't remember. Almost all the pain and tingling is gone. And again I am going to wait to reserve my judgement until the 3 months have past. I will add new photos even though I think they will all just look the same. I am updating now mostly for myself because I want to remember how long things took.
Replies (5)
April 9, 2013
Thanks for posting the 2 month pictures. I don't think your jowls look droopy at all Looking at your 4 week pictures and comparing, they look tighter.
April 10, 2013
I really appreciate this review, great pictures and information and responses. It is so helpful. Thanks
April 11, 2013
Can I ask for those those of you that had bruising were you taking any type of aspirin etc that would make you more prone to bruising? I intentionally didn't take any over the counter pain relievers a week before my ultherapy as I likely would have bruised. Thank you for all the postings.. Glad to know I'm not alone in the pain I experienced.
April 11, 2013
No, I did not take any type of Ibuprofen. I do bruise easily when getting fillers or occasionally Botox. But I never expected or was warned about bruising with this.
May 9, 2013
I was not taking aspirin or anything like that but I do think I bruise easily normally.
April 12, 2013
April 12, 2013
Glad a provider responded as I had emphatically stated over a month ago that the "issues" people are reporting are not common and/or in my opinion ok. I have had full face (excluding nose and eyelids) it twice and except for some very minor jawline tenderness the first time (2 to 3 of 10), no other post treatment discomfort. I was told to go off all pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements and drugs except Tylenol for two weeks prior. I was given one Percocet (I have a low pain tolerance - even with Novocaine -so picked up prior with a prescription as physician cannot dispense in ID office) and they gave me a sedative when I arrived (took both about 45 minutes before procedure). Again, while I am sure there are some good treatment providers that are not a doctor, I can't emphasize enough that I personally have only been willing to let a board certified surgeon do my treatments (and at the very least a physician should be physically in the office where one has it done - so many med spas have a "Dr. Director" but he or she is seldom there (which state laws should not permit).
April 13, 2013
I think the warnings from Meredithrn and about not taking anti-coagulating foods, supplements or drugs posted recently really nail the problem. I had a large area of very dark bruising within 12 hrs. and was taking aspirin and Celebrex prior to Ultherapy. If the procedure is based on "thermal coagulation" as stated by the company, it would make sense that anticoagulants or blood thinners should not be taken prior to or after the procedure. I was not warned and only at 2.5 weeks post is the bruise starting to fade. I hope that I do get a positive result after all of this! I am also impressed that one person even had her eyelids done! As with all things, some providers look at the patient as a whole system and want their patients to have a good result. Others just turn on the machine and move the wand. Thanks for both of the posts about this!
UPDATED FROM nola74
Well it has been 4 weeks now. I feel almost...
Well it has been 4 weeks now. I feel almost exactly like last week except all the bruising is gone. I still feel a bit swollen but not enough for anyone else to probably notice but I do, in the areas I wanted tightened they actually just seem puffier. My skin feels either tight or maybe just dry sometimes, I am not sure. It doesn't look tight. It is still very numb and a tiny bit sore. My mouth is still going crooked I tried to take a picture of that but it just looks weird. Also the area on my forehead where it had welted up is still slightly raised and bumpy almost like it caused clogged pores or something. Right now I really don't see any improvement but it is still early for what they say for noticing.
Replies (5)
March 9, 2013
I live in MO and am wanting to do some work on my face. The more I read about each option the more I am afraid to try any of them. Thank You for putting an honest post. It has been helpful.
March 9, 2013
Her outcome is NOT normal as I stated 3 weeks ago. I would have demanded the practice do something and/or called Ultherapy to complain the practitioner was incompetent (and uncaring after). Nola 74 does not give the providers name nor mention if it was a Dr. (let alone board certified).
March 11, 2013
Weird I don't know if I should but I feel slightly defensive now. I had not realized I hadn't said before (I had in a private message on this site) on this page that it was preformed by an aesthetician working under a board certified dermatologist. I don't feel they were uncaring at all and I don't know if they were incompetent yet either, so far I don't think they were. I was told ahead of time all this could occur, I just usually think I am so blessed none of the crazy side effects would actually happen to me so was still not really expecting it even though I should have been. I feel like I need to wait the 3 months they said it would take to make any judgments on how great it works, I am hoping that the more it hurt the better it works and that I will have the best outcome anyone has ever had. I am not trying to sway anyone against having this done, I just want to post what I am going through.
March 11, 2013
And that is very much appreciated nola74. Each person's unique story is valuable information for others. Please keep sharing - we want to know the ups, the downs, the good and the bad. :)
May 14, 2013
Nola74, THANK YOU for such a full, honest, REAL review!!! That's why I keep coming back here, because I can hear the real story. And I never felt you were being babyish or discouraging others from a procedure in your review, btw. How is everything looking and feeling now, in any event?
June 3, 2013
Yep, good for you, don't do it,wait until its time,save money for facelift, THAT IS ONLY THING THAT WORKS!!!!
March 15, 2013
This is a great review, so detailed. Thanks. I was going to get this done, but I think I will pass. BTW, you still look very pretty.
March 19, 2013
As an Ultherapy provider in our office, I think you had a bad experience. This is not the normal outcome for this procedure. Your mouth drooping is the result of nerve swelling. It will return back to normal, but the person who did your treatment hit your marginal mandibular nerve, causing your tissue to swell around it, compressing the nerve. There is no permanent damage from Ulthearpy, even in the wrong hands, however, this sounds like an untrained provider. Ultherapy is a wonderful treatment. I hope this story doesn't scare anybody out of having the procedure! I am very sorry this happened to you!
March 20, 2013
Thank you for the information. It does seem to get better every week. I know they were trained because she talked about it and how they had just received more but I do not know how many procedures they had actually done. If I remember correctly I was told that recently they had all gotten more training and at it they were told told to turn the machine up (I'm sure they used more technical terms) to give better results and that the clients (like me) would see better results... Again, I also do not want anyone to not have it done because of me. I am still hoping for good results, if anything I would like to know your opinion on whether even if it was not done properly should I still get good results after 3 months?
March 21, 2013
In my research I’ve not come across any Ultherapy gone bad reports so I think you may be fine. If you were told you will have good results after 3 months then I would hold them to it. As the old saying goes "The squeaky wheel gets oiled." So maybe you can make it your business to allow them to focus on you as a customer and just trust if anything is not right they will fix. I certainly would lock their number in my phone and make them my phone buddy :) until I was satisfied or at least understood the why’s behind your experience, along with requesting an office visit for them to at least look at what you’re experiencing, if they haven’t already. Based on my wallet I will have the procedure done on my neck only, I am doing my due diligence first in an effort to be as prepared as possible. So, far research repeatedly tells me that there is no down time and it takes 3 month to see results. Your posts are very enlightening as they put the “real” in the hype. I really appreciate your integrity. Thank you so much and keep us updated.
June 19, 2013
I already paid to have mine done. Now I'm afraid, am scheduled for July 2nd 2013. I wanted to look refreshed for my daughters wedding on July 25th. It's a destination wedding to Hawaii. Should I wait until after the wedding?
March 23, 2013
Nola74 - I had the Ultherapy 2 days ago and I had a similar experience to you..my right jaw is severely swollen - looks like I had a root canal. My face is still swollen but I'm taking Bromelain, ibuprofen, icing and eating lots of pineapple (for the Bromelain which is a natural anti-inflammatory)..
In hindsight I should have taken the Bromelain 4-5 days before the procedure and during the procedure I should have taken Percocet or Vicodin..
It was so painful I cried and squirmed (more like thrashed) about..
If a nerve was hit it, which i think it was, it likely due to my inability to sit still due to the torture like pain..again, I had this procedure without any pain medication..
The pain was so bad during the procedure I kept thinking now I know what torture feels like..
Today is Saturday and I hope by Monday the swelling has gone down enough that it won't be noticeable at work..
I'm 46 and still looking forward to the results in a couple of months..
If I have positive results then I will definitely consider again down the road but with Bromelain before and pain medication during..
Good luck..
April 6, 2013
I had Ultherapy 4 days ago. And I look like hell! I think everyone is different and you shouldn't let anyone make you feel bad about posting an honest review.
I am super bruised on both sides of my face, swollen, and my forehead hurts.
I came on here to see if anyone had the same side effects I did.
Boy! I hope it was worth it!
April 7, 2013
Julie, I soaked my face in ice water multiple times daily for about a week after to help the swelling and drink lots of water. Also, take bromelain (a natural anti inflammatory)
Good luck..please be patient and you'll see positive results.
I did it 2 1/2 weeks ago and am just now seeing some positive results.
April 7, 2013
Julie, I had the same result as you when plus terrible, dark purple bruising and swelling on my jaws when I had Ultherapy two weeks ago. Now the bruising is getting better, but certainly not gone, the swelling is going down but my face is pitted. I took bromelain and used cool compresses too. My upper neck looked like someone strangled me. I sure hope the collagen comes along because I don't want to look like this. I wish they had warned me about how I would look. I had to cancel Easter plans because people were so shocked when they saw me. My face is still very tender to the touch.
April 9, 2013
Yep, I had no idea I would be so bruised. I expect it with needles, but not this.
April 11, 2013
Hi Carolina,
I'm glad we all have this forum to talk about experiences, because I think everyone needs to know, this is no easy walk in the park. I will probably post my own review when I have more time. I don't think the immediate results of bruising and pain would have stopped me from doing it, but if I don't have spectacular results I will not be doing it again.
Replies (5)