By the doctor Nathalie Kitzinger
For people wanting to recover their skin’s lost youth and firmness, a monopolar radiofrequency treatment can “wake up” the skin to rejuvenate, densify and firm it up and achieve a real lifting effect. This regeneration makes the skin more receptive to subsequent treatments with filler products or collagen inducers.
A device that has evolved over the years
The Thermage medical device appeared on the market in 2002 and, over the years, its technology has evolved to improve its efficacy, safety and patient comfort. Thermage FLX reduces the session duration by 25% compared with the previous version. It treats the oval of the face and neck, and also the eyelids when using a specific tip, as well as various areas of the body such as the abdomen, arms and above the knees. With more than 50 clinical studies and 73 patents, Thermage is one of the safest and most effective technologies on the market, offering treatments that are well tolerated and require no downtime.
A unique treatment for the eyelids with no downtime
One of the advantages of Thermage is the comprehensive nature of its treatments. It can be used to treat the eyelids in order to achieve natural-looking results without the need for any filler products which, in some cases, are contraindicated. Aging in the eyelids leads to a domino effect of consequences that can complicate treatment. In some cases, we are unable to treat the forehead with botulinum toxin because the upper eyelids are heavy and stretched and, in this case, smoothing the forehead would close up the expression. The special tip designed for the upper and lower eyelids has a smaller sur- face, making the treatment easier to perform. As well as this tip, there is a special grid and settings. The patient keeps its eyes closed and the eyebrow is lifted as high as possible to stretch the eyelid and maximise the treatment surface area. The treatment gives excellent results on creases as it gradually and efficiently tightens up the skin for a duration of around two years. The skin retraction is immediate, and you can see a difference straight away. One single treatment is required and, unlike CO2 lasers for example, no downtime is required. The straightforward procedure and lower cost of the treatment compared with blepharoplasty are other advantages.
A treatment that adapts to each patient’s issues
First of all, the patient’s make-up is removed and the skin is cleansed. A grid is then marked out onto the skin by decal, which ensures the treatment is even by showing the path to follow, a bit like a road map. We pass across each square twice in the first part of the treatment. I start with the lower eyelid and go down to the oval, going over the area again to heat the tissues up to a constant 65°, which ensures the treatment’s efficacy. Then I do the same thing across the other half of the face. Next, if required, I treat the forehead or I focus on the oval and neck, going over the area under the chin and along the platysma cords. The protocol follows a path that is adapted to the patient’s requirements, following lines that correspond to the traction vectors. We can thus lift the jowls, expression lines, nasolabial folds and lower eyelids by following the trajectory of the under-eye area. A complete session to treat the face and neck takes between an hour and 90 minutes, depending on the surfaces treated and the number of impulses emitted.
Safety and precision for a powerful action and long-lasting results
Because we are able to measure the energy delivered in each shot and configure the system according to the indication, it makes this treatment even safer and more tailored. What I like is the efficacy of the cooling system: as soon as the tip is placed against the skin, the cold is triggered and, just afterwards, the pulsed energy is emitted. This comprehensive system also includes vibrations, which fool the nervous system into reducing sensitivity. This way, the treatment is more comfortable and the patients are calmer.
With Thermage FLX, the intensity of the energy delivered seems to achieve more intense results than other technologies or products. We stimulate the fibroblasts with heat, and we reboot collagen production. The first results start to appear after around 6 weeks in some patients, and a bit later in others. It is not a question of skin quality or thickness, or even age, it is simply one of the imponderable aspects of this type of medical device, as we can never know in advance how the patient’s skin will react.
By the doctor Nathalie Kitzinger
Doctor of medicine, graduated from the Paris 5 medical faculty.
Interuniversity degree in medical lasers. European interuniversity degree in Morphological and Anti-aging Medicine. Trainer for Sinclair Pharma laboratories.
LMT for Galderma laboratory.
More information on centre-medel.fr
