feature skin Tighten skin on the face & body Thermage is a popular non-surgical way to restore youthful contours <strong>and</strong> tone the skin. Caitlin Bishop reports. 78 www.cosbeauty.com.au
skin Thermage is great for people who don’t have time, or the inclination, for multiple treatments <strong>and</strong> visits Where once your jawline was firm <strong>and</strong> defined, it may be now jowly <strong>and</strong> heavy, your eyelids may have started to droop, <strong>and</strong> your stomach mightn’t be as toned <strong>and</strong> tight as it used to be. While these are all signs that the process of ageing is beginning to take hold, they do not necessarily call for major surgical intervention. Thermage from iNova Aesthetics is a non-surgical <strong>and</strong> effective way to treat these problem areas <strong>and</strong> return youthfulness to both the face <strong>and</strong> body. ‘Thermage treatments are most commonly performed for firming the jawline, smoothing skin around the eyes <strong>and</strong> treating loose or crepey skin at the front of the neck,’ explains Melbourne plastic surgeon Dr Chris Moss, co-founder of Liberty Belle Skin Centre. ‘Thermage can also treat poor skin tone in many other areas, including the stomach after pregnancy <strong>and</strong> loose skin on the arms or legs.’ The different Thermage h<strong>and</strong>pieces can be used to address areas that are traditionally very difficult to treat – for example, rejuvenating the eyelids without surgery, or reducing the appearance of cellulite. ‘By far the most popular area to treat is the face,’ explains Danielle Ellett, a dermal clinician at the Melbourne Institute of Plastic <strong>Surgery</strong>. ‘Eyelids can be targeted for reduction of laxity <strong>and</strong> increased eyelid show. As well, skin tightening can be achieved on the legs, buttocks, arms <strong>and</strong> abdomen, with some degree of improvement with cellulite.’ The Thermage system uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to stimulate the production of new connective tissue in the dermis. This helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, smooth the skin’s surface <strong>and</strong> – quite literally – rebuild the skin from within. ‘One advantage of using RF to reduce wrinkles <strong>and</strong> tighten skin is that it is non-invasive, so doesn’t require needles like those used in injectable treatments; there isn’t the downtime that can occur with laser resurfacing; <strong>and</strong> it is great for people who don’t have time, or the inclination, for multiple treatments <strong>and</strong> visits,’ explains Perth plastic surgeon Dr Anh Nguyen. ‘There are minimal risks, <strong>and</strong> the results are gradual, natural-looking <strong>and</strong> subtle so others cannot pinpoint that treatment has been performed – a factor important to many patients.’ The system works by delivering RF energy to the skin’s deeper layers. This causes a thermal effect <strong>and</strong> triggers the process of coagulation – or tissue tightening – in the dermis. The heat also kick-starts the body’s natural healing processes, increasing blood flow <strong>and</strong> collagenases (the production of new collagen) at the site. Importantly, the heat energy is focused at a precise depth within the skin <strong>and</strong> cooling technology is used to protect the upper epidermal layers. ‘Thermage skin firming treatment is scientifically proven to work by heating the deeper layers of the skin to tighten <strong>and</strong> stimulate collagen,’ says Dr Moss. ‘Thermage effectively stimulates collagen <strong>and</strong> elastin levels in the skin to improve skin tone <strong>and</strong> elasticity without surgery, needles or downtime. It can deliver highly pleasing <strong>and</strong> lasting results.’ A key benefit of RF energy is that it can be used on all skin types without the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, which sometimes occurs in darker skin types following collagen-inducing treatments. ‘All skin colours can be treated with RF as Thermage is essentially “colourblind”,’ explains Ellett. ‘Because RF follows the path of least resistance, which is collagen <strong>and</strong> collagen-based structures, the whole dermis is heated. This triggers an inward pull to reduce areas of bulk, such as the jowl area. The only patients that cannot receive Thermage treatment are those with internal cardiac devices (ICDs) <strong>and</strong> we don’t treat pregnant patients.’ www.cosbeauty.com.au 79