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Thermage® Body

Thermage® Description

Welcome to the new age of plastic surgery. Thermage® is a non-invasive device that tightens body tissue by targeting the collagen in the deep dermis of the skin. While many patients think that this treatment is a laser, they are mistaken. Lasers are light-based, exemplified by the breakdown of the word laser (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation). Thermage® uses radio waves, and as such, is not a laser. By combining the radio waves into a concentrated beam, Thermage® heats a deeper portion of the dermis, previously unreachable by non-invasive treatments.

Other non-invasive laser treatments have been only able to penetrate half as deep as Thermage®. The reason for this is that laser light can only penetrate so deep before the light is absorbed in the area under the skin. Thermage® was designed to provide a surgical result without exposure to the risks, downtime, or costs associated with surgery.

By heating the collagen in the dermis (where it resides), Thermage® causes two effects. The first effect is an immediate shrinkage of the collagen from the heat. This is called the "shrink-wrap" effect and can be seen by patients immediately after the procedure. This heat-induced change to the collagen, which causes the initial shrinkage, does not go away. By causing damage to the collagen with heat, the body then sends out collagen-producing cells, called fibroblasts, to replace the recently damaged collagen. This is what causes the second long term effect, the replacement of weakened and poorly tightened collagen (damaged by the heat) with new, strong, and tight collagen strands. This process can last up to six months, and is responsible for the continued tightening affect.

Thermage® is able to penetrate deep enough into the skin to target fat cells, and results should last for at least five to ten years. Thermage® is particularly helpful where patients have accrued excess skin from aging changes or weight loss. The procedure can produce a "tummy tuck" effect for patients with excessive skin after pregnancy. Thermage® is FDA approved for all indications.

Thermage® Procedure

Patients are asked to come into the office approximately 30 to 45 minutes before their planned procedure. Depending on a patient's discussion with Dr. Bassin, and the areas targeted for treatment, patients will either have topical anesthetic ointment applied or be given an oral pain pill. Dr. Bassin then applies a grid to the targeted treatment area, which is easily washed off after the procedure. The treatment is then started and can last up to one hour. Patients should expect to have some redness after the procedure which if not resolved by the time you leave the office, will be gone by the time you have driven yourself home. Patients do not need more than one treatment and can go about their daily activities uninhibited after the procedure. Patients do not feel any pain after the procedure, although a feeling of tightness has been cited.