By Ho Lian-Yi
ULTRASOUND is best known for providing images of the foetus during pregnancy. But a new machine is using the same technology to lift, firm and smoothen facial skin, without surgery, injections or downtime.
The procedure is called Ultherapy. Dr Randall E Miller, 58, vice-president of clinical and regulatory affairs at Ulthera Inc, the producers of the machine, said: "What it does is deliver energy to a pre-determined depth in the tissue."
The technology, called DeepSee, creates "hot spots", deep under the skin, using focused ultrasound waves.
They induce the body to start its repair process, creating new collagen that produces the tightening and lifting effect.
Ultrasound is basically sound waves with a frequency higher than what human scan hear. The Ulthera system focuses acoustic energy at a particular spot in the skin, causing the soft tissue there to heat up.
The intervening tissue is unaffected.
"When it passes through the upper layers of skin, it's just like a diagnostic ultrasound," he said.
Ultherapy is not the first non-surgical form of facelifts.
Others already in the market include laser facelift and Thermage, a system that uses radio frequency to heat the deep layers of skin while cooling the surface to keep it intact during the procedure .
But Dr Miller argued that ultrasound can be better. "We can be more selective in the area where we deposit the energy," he said.
Other technologies, he said, are either working only at the surface of the skin, or using "bulk energy" to get into the region.
Using a laser, for example, is "literally burning holes into the skin", which results in downtime as the patient has to wait for the skin to recover.
Dr Colin Tham,director of aesthetics at AHP Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, is one of the first practitioners of Ultherapy here. He said he has used the system on about 20 patients since July. "Compared to Thermage, I get a much more profound lift," he said.
Both Dr Miller and Dr Tham admitted that the results are less dramatic than a normal, surgical facelift. But Dr Tham said the people who go for non-surgical procedures aren't looking for results that are obvious.
Dr Miller said the results last for 10 to 12 months.
More than 1,100 Ultherapies have been performed worldwide since it was launched last year in Europe.
Each machine is being sold here for about $105,000.
The Ulthera device has been approved by the US Food And Drug Administration.
Redness and swelling
But there are some risks.
There can be redness of skin following the treatment, which usually disappears after 30 to 60 minutes. There can be swelling that may take three to four days to dissipate.
And in a small percentage of people, there can be bruising after treatment.
Both doctors have undergone the treatment themselves. Dr Miller said it feels like "a series of tiny pinpricks". There is no need for anaesthesia.
One patient, a 51-year-old freelance saleswoman who wanted to be known only as Alice, said she had Ultherapy performed on her on 2 Sep.
"I look okay for my age, but when you reach a certain age and reach menopause, you lose collagen. So your skin is a bit loose," she said.
She had wanted to remove her eye bags, but she was scared of going for surgery. "I'm afraid if you go for surgery, your looks will change; you will look artificial," she said. So after speaking to friends, she went to Dr Tham, who advised her to try the new procedure.
She said it took one to two hours. A month on, she says she feels like her skin is less wrinkled and tighter, though the change is hardly noticeable.
"Only my younger daughter says, mum, you look well-rested," she said.
The estimated cost of treatment is about $1,500 for a small area, to $7,000 for a full facelift. Dr Tham will be conducting a forum called What If Deep Lifting Was Visible at the Asia Health Partners clinic in Lucky Plazaon24 Oct, at 2.15pm.
The registration fee is $5.
Contact Asia Health Partners at [email protected] or 6235 8411 to register. [email protected]
This article was first published in The New Paper.
