The A List Antiaging Secret — The UltraLift

Thanks to a steady diet of lasers, lights, RF, and needles, middle-aged celebs have been defying aging with legitimate denials of surgical interventions.  How do they stay so youthful and fresh beyond their years is not a big SECRET anymore — Forget diamonds a dermatologist is a celeb’s best friend these days!

Talking about secrets — minimally invasive, no downtime, lunch-time procedures are what A-list celebs are relaying on these days to maintain their youthful image and skin. These are real exciting times for anti-aging medicine, the modern day anti-aging experts are armed, ready, and able to deliver revolutionary yet natural results — knives are being shelved and instead cutting edge devices are emerging as new youth dispensing heros. One such technology generating the loudest buzz in A-List anti-aging circles is: high intensity focused Ultrasound waves (HIFU to be more precise) — sound waves whispering youth into the aging skin (literally).

Yup, ultrasound facials my youthistas are the latest trend in lunch-hour high-tech treatments., these sessions comes with a solemn promise (backed by medical studies) to wipe years off of any visage with zero down time. The unique Ultralift (ultrasound assisted facelift) tightens the skin as well as the deeper support layer below it, without cutting or disrupting the surface of the skin. Rumored to be a favorite of Courtney Cox this technology holds the strongest promise yet to reduce fine lines, firm sagging skin and tackle open pores and pigmentation marks.

Let’s You Up Close & Personal With The UltraLift

The UltraLift is a non-surgical face, neck and body treatment that uses ultrasound to actually lift and tone loose skin without any downtime. It is a truly revolutionary treatment that can specifically target the SMAS; the deep foundation below the skin that is addressed during facelift surgery without cutting or disrupting the surface of the skin. 

Here are some questions that most people want to know about this latest nonsurgical facelift, before they consider test-driving the procedure personally.

How is The UltraLift different from Lasers and Radiofrequency technologies?

Lasers and RF technologies typically address issues in the superficial layers of the skin (e.g. fine lines, wrinkles, pigment changes). The focused ultrasound technology can address the skin as well as the deeper layer called SMAS, which makes the foundational muscle layer that drapes and lends support to the skin. The UltraLift therefore can provide more powerful lifting effect when compared to other technologies. Lasers in particular target pigment tissue of skin making some treatments in skin of color a little risky. Ultrasound on the other hand is not absorbed by the pigment elements of skin allowing treatments for even darker skin types more safely without any pigmentation related side effects

Who is a good candidate for The UltraLift?

A good candidate for The UltraLift is someone with early to medium signs of aging someone with skin that feels less firm and looks sagging. A lowered brow line or sagging skin on the eyelids, for instance, is often the first sign of "aging", ill-defined jaw-line with hanging jowls, deepening marionette lines and laugh lines and sagging cheeks can all be addressed with Ultralift. While The Ultralift is not a replacement for surgery, there are many people who want some lifting but are not ready for surgery either mentally, financially or logistically.

What To Expect After The UltraLift Treatment?

Immediately after the procedure there is mild redness and swelling which subsides in few hours. Most people enjoy this edema as an initial lifting effect, but the ultimate lifting and toning takes place over the next 2-3 months, as tired and damaged collagen is renewed and replaced with new and stronger collagen. When eye area is treated it takes 3-7 days for the swelling to subside.

Is there any downtime with The UltraLift treatment?

With UltraLift, there is no downtime, most people are able to return to their normal activities right away, and no special measures are needed. It also can be carried out at any time of the year with no restrictions, with regard to sun exposure.

Will I feel the ultrasound during the treatment?

Yes. What you are feeling during the treatment is actually tiny amounts of concentrated ultrasound energy (micro coagulation zones) being deposited below the surface of the skin. While treating bony areas (jawline, cheek bones, bony area above eyes) there can be some discomfort while the energy is being delivered, but it is temporary and a positive signal that the collagen-building process has been initiated.

Remembering Thermage — Is The UtraLift painful?

Usually a numbing cream is applied half an hour before the procedure, which makes the procedure relatively painless. Some people feel no discomfort at all, on the other hand some people who are more sensitive with very low pain threshold feel the procedure is uncomfortable but tolerable. In such sensitive cases oral ibuprofen or a nerve block might be used to make the procedure more acceptable. My personal experience — patients typically leave comfortable and excited about the benefits to come.

Are there any side effects?

There may be slight redness for up to an hour or so following the treatment, and a small percentage of people may have slight swelling, tingling or tenderness to touch, but these are mild and temporary in nature. There is always the possibility for other less common post-procedural effects, which your doctor will review with you in detail before the procedure.

How long does it take to perform The UltraLift?

A full face-and-neck treatment takes approximately 60 minutes, and a partial face treatment can take around 30-minutes.

What will my skin feel like after the procedure?

Immediately following the UltraLift procedure your skin should feel tighter, smoother and more youthful. Over time (2-3 months) you may notice additional tightening. The most frequently reported incidents are as follows and they all resolve within a few days of treatment:

·      Redness

·      Swelling

·      Tingling of the skin

·      Tenderness

·      Bruising

What areas can be treated with UltraLift?

The UltraLift is perfect for tightening and lifting the skin on the neck, under the chin, the jawline, the brow, around the eyes, and treating wrinkling and sagging on the décolletage and body (areas of which that can be targeted include: chest, arms, armpits, abdomen, flanks, thighs and lower legs).

How long before I can return to my normal activities?

Most people can return to their regular activities immediately following the UltraLift procedure. You should avoid exposing your skin to extremes of heat and cold and protect your skin with a sun block cream. Your normal makeup regime can be followed immediately.

Important Question Everyone Is Thinking About - Is The UltraLift safe?

After demonstrating safety in clinical studies, the device and the procedure have been cleared by the U.S FDA. Tens of thousands of treatments have been performed worldwide without any significant adverse events. In addition, ultrasound energy has a proven track record, with use in the field of medicine for more than 50 years, including pregnancy scans.

Chasing The Curse Of Sweaty Armpits

WE ALL sweat…. it is an essential process through which our body regulates temperature, but in certain genetically predisposed individuals (1-5% of population) perspiration can get so excessive that it cannot be controlled by even the strongest antiperspirants. In such cases that are sweating bullets constantly the drenched armpits exhibit the tell tale and embarrassing hallmark of “focal excessive sweating”. The prospect of ugly sweat patches appearing on clothes all the time can make any person very self-conscious and constantly battling with such a condition can eventually affect work as well as other social aspects of life. Today we’ll get you comfortable with the condition and introduce you to remedies that are available to function sweat free.

Hyperhidrosis is the medical name for such abnormally excessive sweating. It mostly affects the armpits, hands and feet.

Why I Sweat All The Time? It is thought that the nerves that trigger sweating malfunction causing the sweat glands to produce much more than required. What causes them to malfunction is not clear but up to two thirds of patients have a family history of the disorder suggesting, it may have a genetic cause and the trait usually appears after adolescence.

Secondary hyperhidrosis can also be triggered by some medications such as the antidepressant venlafaxine, the breast cancer treatment tamoxifen, and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists, a class of drugs used to treat fertility problems and prostate cancer.

Fighting Excessive Sweating

Standard Treatments include strong “prescription-only antiperspirants” and drugs such as propantheline or oxybutynin that work by blocking messages from the nerves that control the sweat glands. Unfortunately side effects of these medications can include a dry mouth, blurred vision, and problems with urination, hence they are not very popular for regular and long term use.

Iontophoresis works by sending low electronic waves through the skin passed through water or a wet pad, which helps to block the sweat glands. Mostly hands and feet are ideally treated by iontophoresis. Treating underarm hyperhidrosis with iontophoresis is not as common (although some people can have success with it) because the skin in the armpits is likely to be irritated by the process and because the physical structure of the underarms makes iontophoresis difficult to accomplish.

Sympathectomy Patients suffering from extreme sweating in some cases undergo an operation known as “Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy”, which involves cutting into both armpits and collapsing the patient’s lung in the process to destroy the nerves activating the sweat glands in the armpit region. This is no doubt a risky surgical procedure and that’s why a very few number of patients opt for such an extreme measure to zap sweating.

Botox Injections have transformed excessive sweat treatment options since the past few years. The procedure works and is quiet safe the only catch here is that the injections have to be repeated two to three times a year and the cost of the procedure is on the expensive side.

Laser Dry is a minimally invasive and relatively quick procedure, which has become quiet popular among hyperhydrosis patients since the past 3-5 years. It takes less than an hour or so to perform, a solution containing a local anesthetic is infused into the fat layer of the skin in the axillary (armpit) area where the sweat glands are located. This fluid numbs the area locally. Next, a laser cannula measuring 2mm in diameter is inserted under the skin. The laser heats and melts the sweat glands and the surrounding fat, permanently reducing the ability of the sweat glands to produce sweat. The recovery from this procedure is quick and post-operative pain minimal. After the procedure patient has to wear a compression garment for 3-4 weeks and exercise is off limited for one week.

MiraDry is a new and quick procedure (1 – 1.5 hours) performed in a medical clinics, and it doesn't involve any surgical incisions or cuts. MiraDry works by delivering precisely controlled electromagnetic energy to the underarm area, eliminating the underarm sweat glands. Following local anaesthetic cream, the glands are suctioned to the surface and then eliminated after being blasted with electromagnetic waves. Patients need one or a maximum of two sessions for sweating to be stopped almost completely for ever. Done under expert hands side effects from Miradry are limited but those undergoing treatment are likely to experience swelling for several days. Patients are advised to put ice packs under their arms and take ibuprofen for 2-3 days.