Glad I Tried It - Practitioner Used "Amplify" Tip -Phoenix, AZ

I am 41, fair skin tone and I had Ultherapy done about 10 days ago. I wanted something non-invasive to tighten my jawline and neck. I am thin and enjoy working out, but this has also effected the volume in my face. I also wanted a lift at my eyebrows. I don't write many reviews. I have decided to do so with this because it is a relatively new technology that has continued to progress and reviews have helped me greatly when something is new or changed.

I think I notice a difference around my jawline already - although I know you are not really supposed to notice a difference for a month or two or even three. It took a lot for me to take the Ultherapy plunge (I had had various laser treatments before so was not exactly new to getting facial treatments). I felt cautious of this because it is expensive, had heard it was very painful and because it was relatively new.

Few things of note...
For me it was not painful. Yes, there was definitely some discomfort and some occasional zingers, but I would not consider it nearly as bad as a laser treatment. The only pain med I used was 800mg of Ibuprofen and nothing topical (except the gel they use for conducting the ultrasound). The technician, Stacy, explained this is due to the new tip (hand device) they use at NVPS called Amplify. Apparently using this tip causes the patient to experience much less pain than the older tip that was originally used with the machine.

Second thing: She did two passes... One at a deeper depth over the treatment areas, then one at a shallower depth over the same areas. I think I notice results around the jaw area already. I feels tighter and looks more defined. Noticable results I have been told generally take quite a bit longer. I will be updating this review as time goes on and I see more results.

Three: My technician (who had done previous laser treatments with me so I already had a level of comfort with her) explained everything about Ultherapy with me before I laid down for the treatment. This is very important to me that the technician patiently answer any questions I may have and generally I have quite a few because I tend to do a good deal of research ahead of time. I would suggest to anyone to always make sure your technician intimately knows the treatment she is doing. She explained and showed me charts of where she could treat because if she went outside of those treatment areas, I could get temporary nerve damage (yes temporary, but still not fun to have a sagging lip or something!) She explained the depths of the concentrated ultrasound frequency and what she is looking for on the screen to make sure each pulse is delivered at the correct depth to the correct location. The Ulthera treatment imprint is similar to a fractional laser imprint, but fractional is on the skin, the ultrasound is beneath the skin).

Four: I felt muscle soreness (particularly under my jaw) after the treatment until the last couple days. It is still there to some degree, but almost gone. I was told to expect this (so I was not worried, otherwise I might have wondered what was going on).

Five: There, for me, really was NO downtime. I had no increased redness or any marks. Perhaps there may have been some very slight swelling, but it was not noticeable to anyone. Yes, I did have that muscle soreness, but no one could see it, it was just something I felt.

Like I said earlier, I will continue to update as I see further results. I hope to see further results like what happens with laser treatments... It was explained to me that there will be gradual results that will continue over the next 3 to even 6 months. I know with lasers, it takes three months or so to see the true benefit. I love these treatments because you stay looking like you, only refreshed and 10 years younger. I am patient and I find the wait worth it.

So, I promised to come back after fourth of July.... A little tardy with that! Anyway, glad I waited to post a follow up review because I have continued to see results with each month. I have read that you can continue to see results for six months afterward. I go to the office in a couple days to have 3 month post treatment photos taken and I am interested to see the difference. I notice the improvement most in my jowl/neck area and nasolabial folds (although the treatment is not done directly on the nasolabials, I notice they are not as deep). If I am allowed a copy of the before and after photos, I will try to post them.

Ok, so there were a couple areas that needed to be touched up a little bit... North Valley Plastic Surgery was exemplary in their handling of this. Kendal (esthetician there) was in charge of doing the touch ups. She did a phenomenal job. Her touch up results are amazing - you can tell she is very skilled, experienced, and professional. She uses a bit of a different technique and I love the results. I have also had Kendal do two photofacial treatments on me now too, both with better results than any other esthetician who has done photofacials on me. Like I said earlier in my review - it is the technician handling the machine that makes all the difference in your results. Good places, like NVPS, make the difference in standing behind their reputation by hiring good people to do good work.