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A 59-year-old male asked:

Md writes that ultherapy treats the same foundation layer that facelift surgery does without the risk, recovery & downtime. true? new gold standard?

8 doctor answers20 doctors weighed in
Dr. Otto Placik
Surgery - Plastics 36 years experience
I'm sorry, not true!: I am not sure who wrote that but I am sure it is someone who owns and is paying the lease on an ultherapy machine. This is not a substitute for a facelift, most current facelift techniques treat the deeper layers of thef face called the smas. Ultherapy is unlikely to truly tighten the smas. It may supplement the results but is far different in results from a facelift.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Barry Press
Plastic Surgery 46 years experience
Not really: A facelift will reposition the soft tissues of the face to a more youthful position. The current emphasis is much more on fat repositioning than fat removal. A facelift will not treat fine wrinkles in the skin. Surface treatments such as skin care, peels, and laser treatments will do this, but will do nothing about sagging soft tissues like a surgical facelift. They are not the same.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Thomas Fiala
Plastic Surgery 35 years experience
Not even in the same league as a facelift.
Jul 5, 2013
Dr. David Sherris
Facial Plastic Surgery 35 years experience
No: In a facelift the anatomical layers that loosen are lift, tightened, trimmed and replaced. Over the healing phase they then get held into place by new collagen formation. Nothing else does what a facelift does.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Tanveer Janjua
Facial Plastic Surgery 32 years experience
Ultherapy : No, it is not the new gold standard. It is good for patients with only mild laxity of skin. For an aging face that has jowl formation, loose neck skin, the gold standard is a facelift.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Matthew Schulman
Surgery - Plastics 23 years experience
No way: The gold standard for facial rejuvenation is a facelift. Period. Non-invasive treatments like ulthera are sexy and appealing but certainly not gold standard...Or even bronze standard. Don't believe the hype.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Barry Cohen
36 years experience
No: No magic. Limited effectiveness on tightening tissues. Not even in same league as surgery.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Maurice Sherman
Plastic Surgery 56 years experience
Not True !!: Since I have an Ulthera but also perform facelifts, I speak honestly when I say that the Ulthera does not replace the facelift. Ulthera penetrates only 4.5 mm deep, and lasts only 1 to 1and1/2 years. A facelift effect can last for 10 to 12 years and effects tissue much deeper than Ulthera. Newer facelift techniques are safer, with faster recovery times (less than a week) & look perfectly natural.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Joseph Campanelli
Facial Plastic Surgery 31 years experience
I agree, having used Ultherapy, it is not by any means an equivalent to a facelift. For the person looking for a freshen up or mild improvement, Ultherapy may be the way to go. My recommendation, if you are interested is to go somewhere that offers both a facelift and Ultherapy and they can help you decide which is best for you.
Aug 31, 2014
Dr. Otto Placik
Dr. Otto Placik commented
Surgery - Plastics 36 years experience
Ditto
Dec 21, 2014
Dr. Suzanne Galli
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 26 years experience
Facelift: while ultgerapy may result in some "tightening" it cannot replicate the effects of a facelift. Surgery remains the gold standard.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Jon Perlman
Dr. Jon Perlman commented
Plastic Surgery 50 years experience
If you've developed jowls and droopy neck skin with muscle bands then the best long term improvement is from a face and neck lift. Non-surgical treatments are at best temporary but okay if your "aging" is mild. For those who truly need a face lift, it's the best way to look 10-15 years younger. The average face lift lasts for 10-12 years (or more) before needing to be redone.
Oct 15, 2014
Last updated Mar 25, 2023

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