The Role of Collagen and Elastin in Your Skin

Do you remember how your skin looked when you were younger? Even if you had less-than-perfect skin, it probably looked plumper and wrinkle-free. That was due in large part to the presence of collagen and elastin, two key proteins that make up the building blocks of your skin.

As you get older, your body produces less collagen and elastin. This may make your skin — especially the skin on your face — appear less full and can make wrinkles appear more prominent. 

But our providers at eleven19 Medical + Weight Loss can help you to regain the youthfulness of your skin with a new technique called Ultherapy®.

What is Ultherapy?

Ultherapy is an advanced cosmetic procedure that, without surgery, can produce results similar to a facelift, but not as dramatic.

It’s an FDA-cleared way to stimulate your skin to produce more collagen and elastin. It uses high-frequency sound waves to target areas of your face where the effects of lost collagen and elastin may be most noticeable.

Some of the parts of your face that may benefit from Ultherapy include your neck, brow, and chin. Ultherapy lifts these parts of your face and smoothes out the appearance of wrinkles.

The results you can expect from Ultherapy

Ultherapy uses microfocused ultrasound to generate a thermal effect under your skin. That stimulates the production of collagen, which lifts the skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. It doesn’t require any needles or surgery.

It’s FDA-cleared for lifting your eyebrows, lifting the fat (called submental fat) under your chin, and treating the wrinkles and lines that may have developed in your decolletage area (the skin on your chest.)

The energy from the ultrasound goes deep into the skin to target wrinkles and sagging skin. 

You can eat, drink, and exercise normally before the procedure. You should remove any makeup and skin care products from the area to be treated before the appointment. If we suggest doing so, you may take over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen beforehand.

What you can expect from the procedure itself

When you get Ultherapy, you may wonder what to expect from the procedure itself. Fortunately, the procedure is not painful.

First, we clean the area(s) to be treated, then apply an ultrasound gel, which may feel slightly cold.

We place an ultrasound wand against your skin. You may experience quick, intermittent moments of heat and tingling.

The entire process takes about 30 minutes for your upper chest. It may take 60-90 minutes to treat areas on your face or neck.

What to expect after Ultherapy

You usually don’t have any downtime after Ultherapy, which is a welcome alternative to a surgical facelift, which usually has about 30 days of painful recovery.

You can resume your normal activities immediately after Ultherapy, including work, exercise, and social events. 

But you do need to wait for a few days to begin to see the results of the Ultherapy treatment, as your body produces the new collagen and elastin. Improvement continues gradually over the next few months.

If you’re interested in learning more about what Ultherapy can do for you, schedule a consultation today with us at eleven19 Medical + Weight Loss in Santa Ana, Fullerton, or Ontario, California.