02 Aug The Deciding Factors in Ultherapy vs. Thermage FLX
Congratulations—you’ve decided to get skin tightening without the risks, costs, and downtime associated with surgery. RefinedMD offers two of the best, most popular options for non-invasive skin tightening: Ultherapy and Thermage FLX. If you’ve done some preliminary research, you have probably heard about these two, but which one is right for you? Even though costs for both treatments are much lower than opting for a surgery like a facelift, this is still an investment in you and your skin. You want to make sure you’re paired upright, which is why complimentary consultations are available for select treatments in our clinic. Still, let’s take a look at what are typically the deciding factors (and differences) between Ultherapy and Thermage FLX.
Number of Sessions for Skin Tightening
The number of sessions a person needs for any procedure or treatment is a big determining factor. The majority of patients require just one Thermage or Ultherapy session to get optimal results. However, there is a very minor fraction of people who might need more than one Ultherapy session. This is rare, but worth considering. How do you know if you might need more than one Ultherapy treatment? Your provider will be able to estimate this during your consultation. If you are one of the few who might benefit from more than one Ultherapy treatment, there is cost and time to think about. However, before any consultation, you can assume that you will need just one treatment of either Thermage FLX or Ultherapy.
Treatment Areas for Skin Tightening
Treatment areas are a major determining factor when choosing between these treatments. Thermage FLX is known for treating larger areas, like the abs. Ultherapy was originally designed to treat the lower half of the face, neck, and smaller areas that require precision. This is how it earned the nickname of “alternative to the facelift.” However, today Ultherapy can treat areas beyond the initial designated area. Ultimately, if you want to treat a large area like your stomach, Thermage FLX is probably for you. If you are concerned about small areas like around the eyes, consider Ultherapy. If this particular scenario—stomach and around the eyes—describes you, you can mix and match! Thermage FLX on the stomach and Ultherapy around the eyes is one of many common combinations.
Type of Energy
Type of power used can be important to some clients. Ultherapy, like the name suggests, uses the power of ultrasound technology to heat up tissue at the deep layers and kick-start collagen production. It’s the same tech that’s used by OBGYNs for assessing the health of a fetus in pregnant people. Thermage FLX uses radiofrequency, or RF, to heat up the targeted tissue. They are both collagen induction therapies that heat up the skin, but just by different means. Also, don’t worry. While they do “heat” the lower layers of tissue, the top layer of the skin is largely undisturbed. You can expect some redness or pinkness for a day or two after your treatment, but that quickly goes away.
How Long Treatment Lasts
How long results last plays a big role in the modality that people choose. On average, Thermage results can last up to one year while Ultherapy lasts for two. The majority of people who opt for Thermage consider it an annual necessary treatment. No collagen induction therapy provides permanent results, as all collagen will eventually go away. This is true even of the collagen we naturally produce, which is why we lose that “good volume” and skin elasticity as we get older.
Cost of Skin Tightening
Cost is usually not a big factor for those comparing Ultherapy and Thermage FLX. The cost is determined by the treatment site, as of course the stomach is going to cost more than a smaller area. If you, for example, decided to treat just the neck, the cost would be quite similar. However, you might want to think about whether this will be an ongoing treatment for you—it is for many. This means it will be an annual or biannual cost to keep in mind.
Of course, the results are a huge factor when deciding. Unfortunately, we can’t help you there because the results from both Thermage FLX and Ultherapy are phenomenal. One is not better than the other when they are being used to treat the appropriate area for their technology. Dramatic yet natural results can be expected, and bear in mind that both treatments take time for final results to show. If you’re interested in learning more, contact RefinedMD today by calling the office or simply completing the online contact form.