Tissue tightening is a non-invasive procedures meant to tighten and/or lift lax, sagging or wrinkled skin. It is based on the fact that medium to deep heating of the skin can cause both immediate collagen contraction and new collagen production that occurs over a 4-6 month period.
The most common areas treated are the face and neck, resulting in firmer, tighter and slightly lifted jowls, cheeks, neck and forehead. Newer indications include the tightening of the eyelids, abdomen, arms, thighs and buttocks. Tissue tightening is not meant to replace surgical procedures such as face, eyelid and neck lifts, but it is a good option for people who have mild to moderate changes and who understand that the results are noticeable but modest. These procedures represent an important and recent advance allowing dermasurgeons to achieve 3-dimensional rejuvenation of the face and body without surgery.
These procedures can be somewhat uncomfortable during, but are not usually so after. Occasionally oral pain pre-medication may be taken for someone who is especially fearful or intolerant of discomfort. Tissue tightening procedures are “no down-time” procedures. This means that you should be able to come in for your treatment and go back to your activities of daily life the same day. Your skin may appear to be slightly red after the procedure, but makeup or sunscreen may be applied immediately. It may take from four to six months to get the final result, as it takes some time to build new collagen.
The most common complications after tissue tightening treatments is a little bit of redness of the skin, occasional swelling and some tenderness of the area for a couple of days. A burn or blister may occur and may create a scar or a depression in the skin. Experienced dermasurgeons will perform multiple passes at low to moderate settings, and keep the discomfort within a tolerable range. These precautions make these significant side effects extremely uncommon.
There are many different technologies that can be used now for this procedure, including light and radiofrequency, as well as combinations. Find out which your doctor uses and what the differences are. Make sure that they perform their tissue tightening procedures with multiple pass, moderate settings and find out if they ask for your input into discomfort and settings during the treatment. Ask them what to expect from a treatment so that your expectations are in line with the reality of what can be accomplished, and to avoid disappointment. Although it is common for dermasurgeons to delegate this procedure to other providers in the office, ask if the physician is on-site and guides the treatment program and how much experience the provider has in performing the procedure.
For more information on skin conditions and treatments, along with a list of ASDS members in your state, please visit the find a dermasurgeon section of our Web site.