APEX Profound Beauty – ULTHERA – Non-Surgical Facelift
If in the run up to this holiday season you are feeling a little on the baggy, saggy or wrinkly side of the mirror, then hold on to your crow’s feet and pin back your jowls, as you are about to discover something new and exciting. You’ll be looking taut, firm and more youthful in no time.
There have been very few significant breakthrough technologies in truly effective, lasting rejuvenation therapies in recent years. Not since the introduction of Thermage, about seven years ago, have aestheticians gotten so animated about lifting and tightening.
It would seem that legitimate hope is on the horizon in the shape of Ulthera, also known as ‘Ultherapy’. This is a non-surgical method, using ultrasound technology, to lift and tighten skin, in one easy treatment that can last up to two years. The revolutionary science behind Ulthera, simply put, is that it is the first lifting treatment to employ ultrasound, which penetrates much deeper than the usual skin and fat layers. Instead, Ulthera reaches right down to the SMAS (Sub-Muscular Aponeurotic System), responsible for the shape of your skin, in a non-invasive manner, meaning no need to go under the knife.
Imagine a thousand virtual stitches counteracting the ravages of time and gravity on your skin. Ulthera promotes the body’s own regenerative powers of healing to slowly and safely improve the skin’s ‘memory’, working from below right up to the surface. The growth of collagen is stimulated and the tightening, lifting effect is gradual, so you will not walk out of the skin clinic with an overly surprised look on your face. The process is much more natural and the effects happen over time, yet still in one treatment only.
If our faces are the canvas upon which our life experience is painted, then Ulthera helps refit the canvas to the frame and touch up the scenes which depict ‘tired’ and ‘aging’. So where do we sign up? One name that is already a dab hand at this, with apparently the most treatments of this procedure in Southeast Asia, is APEX Profound Beauty. With 16 branches throughout Thailand, they were also the first to introduce this treatment to the country and are most often the frontrunners in all things new for award-winning skin and beauty technologies, having been in business for around 15 years.
Nantapat Supapannachart MD FAAD, affectionately known as Dr. Nan by her staff, colleagues and patients at APEX Profound Beauty, is one of the regional aesthetic experts in this field, incredibly excited by Ulthera. She is highly qualified both in terms of practical professional application and research in determatalogical arenas. Dr Nan, with her effervescent personality, enthuse: “Ulthera can make your eyes appear wider, your face fresher and your jawline more defined. You will also achieve an overall rejuvenating effect.” Also noteworthy is the fact that this is the first and only US FDA approved treatment for browlifting. “Not only can we firm the face, but Ulthera can also obtain results with the post-pregnancy mummy tummy, and we have had success with sagging underarm skin too,” assures Dr. Nan. The results speak for themselves as you marvel at how her almost 30years of experience leave little trace on her visage.
The ultrasound images and treats the skin with exacting precision, and is virtually painless, much less so than Thermage, so that pain medication is generally not necessary. Comfort levels however will vary, depending on the patient. There may be a moment of heat and a prickling sensation, which passes as the ultrasound is delivered to the tissue. Any residual redness or puffiness dissipates quickly and there is no downtime with Ulthera. Some fine lines may have immediate reduction, but the full effects will be visible over a span of up to three months or so. Ulthera will have no affect on skin pigmentation, but an overall brightening may occur as rejuvenation sets in.
Prepare to lift that brow, open up the eyes, soften and smooth wrinkles, reduce jowls, achieve a more oval, defined shape and create the appearance of a more youthful, toned look. In short, turn back the clock, by sitting still for just 30minutes to 1 hour, as Dr Nan works her magic.
“This is not just something for the ladies,” she advises “I treat an increasing number of male patients and they find this ideal. Little downtime, and since results are gradual noone will know for sure they have been to the skin clinic! If need be, patients can also combine Ulthera with other treatments, to achieve even greater results.”
Ulthera treatment costs can range from 30,000-100,000 Baht, depending on the area treated and degree of lifting required.
