Jul 14
Ultherapy: What It Can (and Can't) Do for You
What Ultherapy Can Do
1. Lift and Tighten Mild levels Skin Laxity
Ultherapy uses focused ultrasound energy to stimulate your body’s natural collagen production deep within the skin. That collagen boost can lead to a visible lifting effect, especially along the jawline, brow, neck, and under the chin.
2. Enhance Facial Definition
By tightening loose skin, Ultherapy can sharpen contours and define features - think less sagging around the jaw, a more open-looking eye area, and a firmer neck. Many people describe it as looking “refreshed” or “well-rested,” without looking like they’ve had work done.
3. Provide Natural-Looking, Gradual Results
Unlike fillers or surgery, Ultherapy doesn’t change your facial structure, it simply works with your body to restore firmness and elasticity over the course of a few months. There’s no downtime, no incisions, and no synthetic substances involved.
4. Delay the Need for Surgery
For those in their late 30s to early 50s, Ultherapy can be a powerful tool to proactively address early aging signs, potentially postponing the need for more invasive procedures down the line.
5. Help keep you looking better after Surgery
Even after a face lift, your skin continues to lose collagen, so doing an Ultherapy every year or so keeps rebuilding collagen and helps maintain your surgical results even longer.
What Ultherapy Cannot Do
1. Replace a Facelift
Let’s be clear: Ultherapy is 100% not a surgical facelift. If you have moderate or advanced skin laxity (deep jowls, significant neck sagging, or heavy brows), Ultherapy won’t deliver the dramatic, immediate results that surgery can. It’s best for people with mild levels of skin laxity.
2. Fill in Volume Loss
Ultherapy tightens skin, but it doesn’t restore volume. If you’ve lost plumpness in your cheeks or under your eyes, you’ll need fillers or fat grafting to address that. Think of Ultherapy as skin tightening, not volume replacement.
3. Work Instantly
Ultherapy isn’t a quick fix. While some patients see subtle tightening early on, the real results take 2 to 3 months to fully develop as new collagen builds. If you're prepping for a big event, plan ahead, or pair it with more immediate treatments (with your provider’s guidance).
4. Be One-and-Done Forever
Results from Ultherapy can last 12 to 18 months, but aging doesn’t stop. Most people will need maintenance treatments every year or so, depending on their skin and goals.
The Bottom Line
Ultherapy is a powerful option for non-surgical skin tightening, especially if you’re looking for a subtle lift and long-term collagen support. But it’s not magic. It works best for those in the early stages of skin laxity, and it won’t replace procedures like facelifts or fillers for deeper concerns.
