It's a fact of life that over the years, collagen breaks down and skin begins to sag. What's great is that it's treatable. Thermage CPT uses radio frequency (RF) to deliver energy to the skin to stimulate the growth of new collagen. New collagen is tighter and lifts the skin back up to where it once was.
"I've been familiar with Thermage for more than 8 years and there have been many upgrades along the line," says Dr. Janee Steinberg, a dermatologist in Boca Raton, FL. "The new CPT is pretty exciting. It distracts the patient from any kind of discomfort that they may have during the procedure. It also enables us to be able to turn the energy up higher for a faster more effective treatment."
The new system offers a vibration that adds comfort for the patient. In a study of 40 patients who tried treatment both with and without the vibration, the manufacturer found that patients preferred the vibrating hand piece every time. The RF pulse is combined with cooling bursts which disrupt the brain's neural response to the pain. Also, the heat is now more concentrated directly into the tissue being treated, thereby reducing the spillage onto the edges of the tip, eliminating that "pinch" at the end of the energy pulse.
Actual Thermage Results of Dr. Janee Steinberg
A new method of heating the skin allows the physician to heat a greater amount of tissue to the target temperature evenly. Therefore, more tightening can be achieved in a quicker time. According to the manufacturer, clinical studies demonstrate that the Thermage CPT system heats four times more tissue to therapeutic temperatures than current technologies.
Patients typically only need one treatment to see significant improvement, but it takes about 3-6 months to see final results. Additional treatments are possible at that time if the patient desires. Dr. Steinberg says, "Some patients really love their results and decide to go even further so they have a second procedure in six months or even a year. Results are supposed to last approximately two years - that's what I say to patients because about every year and three quarters to two years, my Thermage patients come back for another Thermage treatment. We do have a lot of repeat Thermage patients that are very happy with their results."
