The Ultherapy skin tightening treatment is a highly advanced cosmetic procedure, so much so that it doesn’t require you to undergo surgery or receive injections to achieve a younger look. This it does by taking advantage of one of the body’s natural processes—the production of collagen.
But what, exactly, is collagen? And how does Ultherapy skin tightening use collagen to restore youth to your aging facial skin?
Ultherapy skin tightening: the procedure
Ultherapy skin tightening is an FDA-approved non-invasive, non-surgical procedure designed to rejuvenate aging tissue on the upper chest, neck, chin, face, and brow. It uses a device that delivers high-intensity ultrasound energy to target areas, which stimulates collagen production in said areas.
The role of collagen
Collagen is a strong, fibrous, flexible, and insoluble protein that the human body produces in abundance when you are young but slows as you age. It is made from 3 specific amino acids (proteins) in a specific arrangement. In fact, it makes up a third of the body’s protein content.
Most collagen molecules form long fibrils that act as anchors between cells. As such, collagen functions like a glue that holds our cells together, thereby playing a vital role in the building and repair of tissue. If we’re talking about the skin specifically, collagen keeps the skin strong and elastic, and replaces and restores dead skin cells.
In short, the skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones depend on collagen to stay in good condition.
There are a minimum of 16 collagen types. However, between 80% and 90% belong to the three most significant types that are instrumental in providing structure to tissue such as skin and bone.
Unfortunately, as the body ages, it produces less collagen. Collagen quality also declines. This is why the body deteriorates—and our skin becomes wrinkly and saggy—as we grow older.
By heating deep layers of tissue beneath aging skin, Ultherapy skin tightening reinvigorates said tissue’s collagen production capacity. The new supply of collagen created then goes on to do what it does best: the revitalization of tissue, resulting in smoother, firmer skin. This can also be combined with a collagen supplement that includes a highly absorbable hydrolyzed collagen to help build the skin to improve the skin texture and elasticity.
It’s important to note that collagen can also be damaged by UV rays, smoking, and a poor diet heavy on refined carbs and sugar. This is why your doctor will strongly encourage you to take better care of your body after your Ultherapy skin tightening session.
If you’d like to know more about the Ultherapy skin tightening treatment, our Rejuvé blog is an excellent source of information on all sorts of advanced, non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Please call us at (408) 740-5320 if you have any questions.