ULTHERAPY: Extreme Pain - Washington, DC

I had the procedure done on 11 Jun 2012, full face and neck, by a cosmetic surgeon (Dr. Walker). I was not prepared for the extreme pain during the procedure - and when I say extreme I mean I was in HORRENDOUS PAIN! The doctor gave me a few injections of licodaine and over the counter tylenol and ibruprofen tablets and while the medications did numb the areas of my face and neck for a while they absolutely did nothing to alleviate the pain during the procedure! In fact, the procedure was so painful that I considered not completing it at all!

Besides the pain I had a pretty strong reaction to the procedure. The day after the procedure I had swelling all over my face, welts on several areas of my face and neck, and swollen lumps/bumps in a few areas of my face. I knew there would be a little swelling following the procedure as I had read about this while researching the procedure but I had no idea that I would have welts and purple swollen lumps/bumps on my face as well!

I first noticed a few welts on my face immediately following the procedure while I was still in the doctors office. Unfortunately by the time I noticed them the doctor had moved on to another patient; she didn't wait to talk to me following the procedure, which surprised me. Once I washed my face and put my clothes on I went back into the room expecting to talk to the doctor. To my surprise the doctor had moved on to another patient and was not available to respond to my questions or provide me with aftercare instructions. I asked the doctors receptionist about the welts that had begun to form on my face and she indicated that the welts would probably disappear in a few hours or so. (To say that I was more than a little disappointed that the doctor did not stay around to discuss the aftercare with me would be an understatement.) Today, 12 June I woke up to find that my entire face had completely swollen and the welts were more prominent. I also noticed that I had swollen purple lumps or bumps in a few areas of my face. Luckily I had nowhere to go today so I've been applying ice to my face all day and the welts have gone done a bit but the swelling and the purple lumps are still there. If the swelling, welts and purple lumps don't disappear by the end of the week I will make an appointment to see a dermatologist (I like Dr. Tandi). I don't believe I'll be going back to Dr. Walker again.

I would highly recommend that patients be put to sleep during this procedure or given stronger pain medication. I would also recommend that the doctors delivering the procedure inform their patients about what to expect both during and following it...and I would recommend that they be as forthright as possible. Again, I had what I consider to be a strong reaction to the procedure...while I knew there would be a little swelling I was not prepared to have my entire face swell nor was I prepared for the welts and the purple lumps/bumps.

I do hope that all that I've had to endure with this procedure (the pain, the swelling, the welts, the lumps/bumps) will be worth it in the end. Right now I'm far too swollen to tell if the procedure had any effect or not. I understand it takes 1-3 months or so for tightening and lifting to occur so I'll check back then.

Pros: The price of the procedure was reasonable compared to other doctors in the DC area. Also, the doctor was nice prior to the procedure; I took issue with her behavior during and following the procedure.
Cons: The pain was unbearable. The doctor seemed rushed and didn't want to stop for a break during the procedure; the doctor was not available to see immediately following the procedure thus I did not receive aftercare instructions and no one (nurse, etc) was in the office to respond to the questions I had following the procedure except the receptionist.