Pain..no Gain - Portland, OR

Ok..so this is my first review ever..of anything. I am a very private person but decided to make myself write this review largely in part due to the huge waste of money that it was for me. I am aware that this was only my personal experience and that other people may have had fantastic results with Ultherapy...I hope someone has. I'm 44 and am beginning to see the signs of aging in my neck area/under chin and mild drooping in the jowl area. My main concern is my neck. I met with Dr. Magilke to discuss my options to improve this area. I specifically asked about Ultherapy because I had seen impressive before and after pictures on his website. He was very friendly and informative (I have no issue with any of the staff..they were all pleasant and professional). He said that it would not take it away completely but that there would be an improvement. I said I would be happy with even a 40% improvement (I have a small amount of loose skin..I would post pictures but I really don't want my ugly mug on display..sorry). I was told by Julie that I was a prime candidate for this procedure regarding my health, nonsmoker, first signs of aging, avoiding the sun, etc. I understand that they are unable to guarantee anything..but I was expecting SOME improvement at least..for 4500$ Why else would I do this?
Day of the procedure. I met with Julie, took some "before" pictures, received a pain med and something for anxiety. She did a great job with explaining what she would be doing(marking my face etc). She has a great sense of humor which(along with the anti-anxiety med) helped put me at ease and I was pretty relaxed when she began the Ultherapy on my face. The first ..pulse..I don't know if that is the right word for it and I thought to myself "oh this isn't so bad, what were all those people complaining about?" but it is continual without pausing and seems to build with intensity. I would describe the feeling for my face as very uncomfortable but manageable. I thought that I had a fairly high tolerance for pain (natural childbirth, no pain meds after certain surgeries) but I was not prepared for the torture of treating my neck. I'm using that word deliberately. They could use this machine as a torture device. I think I remember reading that in another review and thought they must be exaggerating. I was told that a lot of people have some amnesia (due to the meds) after ..I didn't forget any of it. I don't know if the pain is related to the amount of fat in the area (my neck has very little and my face has more)? I'm just guessing..but the increase in pain was...significant. Thinking back on all the weird things I was doing to keep myself in the chair as my brain was screaming RUN!!!!! I started off by trying the old pinch the web between thumb and forefinger(didn't work), squeezing rubber ball..nope. Clenching my thighs to the chair to keep myself from bolting progressed to rapidly wagging my feet from side to side in an attempt to trick my brain into believing I was actually removing myself from this situation. Embarrassing when I think back. Sadly, mentally repeating "I will look better, I will look better" was the thing that kept me in the chair. The feeling is kind of hard to describe..never felt anything like it..and when she was working on my neck the jolt would travel up to this spot under my chin that just made me want to squeal like a pig..thank God I didn't actually do that one.
Results at three months- went in for the pictures, compared them side by side...nothing. Started to get a bad feeling...but still hopeful.
Results at six months..compared photos side by side. Absolutely no change in my neck..nothing..zip. The most painful area and exactly the same as before..galling. Only by staring at the photos without blinking for several minutes could I pick out one area that had improved in one of my jowl areas..so minimal you could tell yourself it wasn't even there. Like I said I would post the pictures so you could see for yourself but it would be too humiliating for me..not photogenic at all. I didn't get angry with them (no point)...but decided I would do this honest review and share with others my experience. I wish I had put that money toward a neck lift...or anything else really ..totally wasted. I have learned my lesson and will go for the more invasive procedure. Dr. Magilke has some before and after photos of his Rapid Recovery/neck lift that look very nice...but then again so did the Ultherapy photos. I have read some wonderful reviews of his necklifts/facelifts ..I am not trying to give a negative review of his surgical skill at all...I am sure he is very talented.
If anyone has any positive reviews of a facial plastic surgeon in the Portland, OR area I would love a reply. Or possibly who to avoid. I plan on doing it next year..for now it's back to working overtime to save for the procedure.