THERMAGE PROCEDURE

BEFORE THE PROCEDURE

CONSULTATION

The objective of the consultation is to carefully assess your skin and medical condition. Consultation is carried on by our Cosmetic Physician in a relaxing, pleasant atmosphere. All your questions are answered. The most important question for you and for us is to determine whether you are a good candidate for Thermage® and if you will benefit from this procedure.

After the consultation and scheduling you for a procedure, a set of detailed photographs of your face or other body area is taken. For out of town Clients, we can do special arrangements so the procedure can be done on the same day should they be suitable for Thermage®.

PROCEDURE – PREPARATION OF THE SKIN The Therma TIP™ piece delivers radiofrequency energy to the skin. In order to place the tip on the skin in an orderly fashion, an operator needs to have reference grid. A special removable grid-like tattoo is placed on freshly cleansed skin over the treated area as shown here (courtesy of the Thermage Corporation). APPLICATION OF THE GRID This is a removable tatoo like grid that assists the physician during treatment to assure the proper areas are being treated. The grid can easily be removed post-treatment.

ABOUT THE PROCEDURE

During a single procedure (one session), the revolutionary Thermage® apparatus (called ThermaCool™) is operated by a Skin Care Therapist who works with a hand piece connected to the ThermaCool™ machine. Thermage® procedure is performed in our Clinic exclusively by a Cosmetic Physician or similarly experienced R.N. We have a great experience with Thermage® - being very busy we delivered several hundred of these procedures in 2006. There is an obvious benefit from receiving your Thermage in our busy clinic – our level of experience and results.

ThermaCool™ Apparatus

Hand Piece with a ThermaTip™

The special tip, called THERMA-TIP™, upon touching the skin cools its surface and then delivers a controlled burst of energy using radiofrequency. Then, the skin is cooled again to complete the treatment and to prevent skin damage. All of this lasts a brief moment, less than 10 second per a tiny treatment area marked on the skin. The operator moves the Therma-TIP™ element site by site encompassing the entire treatment area.

When skin tightening is completed over the entire treatment area, a second pass is made. In all, several passes are done during a single procedure. The results obtained by following a new treatment protocol with new THERMA-TIP are superior to that from the past.

The procedure for skin lifting and tightening of the face takes about 30-90 minutes. The procedure called Eyes by Thermage™ to tighten the sagging eye lids and lift the dropping eye brows is only 60 minutes long, whereas the skin tightening on the tummy or other body parts takes 60-120 minutes. Of course, some our patients go ahead with tightening of their skin on several body parts (E.g., Face & Neck, Eye lids, Tummy) during a single appointment, so the treatment is longer (up to three and half hours including skin pre).

After the procedure is completed, your skin is gently cleansed, a special face mask applied, and you will experience some moments in our spa that make your day memorable. Before you leave, the ‘After’ photos are taken, and your follow up appointment is made.

It has to be stressed out that the Thermage® procedure is not painful under the new protocol that includes taking several passes over the treatment area. As a matter of fact, we have reports of Clients who stated that they experienced no pain at all. Our Medical Director and most of the staff had Thermage® procedures performed on themselves, and all reported that there is a mild level of discomfort due to a brief heat sensation in short pulses.  As the intensity of radiofrequency energy delivered to the skin is adjustable, during your treatment session our Cosmetic Physician and R.N. will be getting your feedback and if needed they will adjust the treatment settings.

Please browse through the photo collection to appreciate the results some clients experience with time.

SELECTION OF THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THERMAGE®

Thermage® can benefit most people with a sagging face and/or neck and skin laxity but the best results will be seen in Clients with:

• Moderate or mild face/neck sagging and skin laxity
• Not having very full face (moon like) from being largely overweight
• Thin or average skin thickness
• Absence of severe sun damage
• Realistic expectations

The latter criterion is important because some Clients may develop expectation that the Thermage® will literally bring back their youthful appearance of the face from many years earlier or that they will get a lift of the skin as tight as tightly they can pull the skin on their face back with their hands! For carefully selected Clients the Thermage offers unsurpassed results but you need to be realistic. During your consultation with our Physician, you will be presented with predicted results and discuss the expected outcome.

For the improvement of the skin laxity on other body parts like tummy or thighs, we have good results and we are confident that we can help many, many Clients. Some people may require a procedure to be repeated for more skin tightening but many people benefit from a single procedure.

Please review the following few photographs to see how look the faces and body of people who benefited from Thermage® - CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR ENLARGEMENT.

		Sagging Face
Lower Face & Neck Treatment

Tummy