Traditional facelifts require you to undergo a surgical procedure to remove excess skin from various areas of the face and neck. People who have saggy skin under their chin or excessive wrinkles on their cheeks and forehead may elect to get a surgical facelift procedure done. It is meant to help your skin look younger and smoother.

However, some people don’t feel comfortable with the invasive nature of a traditional facelift. They would rather pursue a non-invasive method that does not require surgery or incisions. This is understandable because regular facelifts do come with more risks and can possibly leave minor scarring.

Fortunately, a noninvasive facelift procedure does exist, and it is called a HIFU facelift. This stands for “high-intensity focused ultrasound” facelift, and it is designed to tighten the skin without any invasive surgery needed. In fact, the patient does not even need an anesthetic because it is a completely painless procedure. HIFU is normally used as a treatment method for battling cancerous tumors. Since 2008, HIFU has been used as a cosmetic treatment too.

A HIFU facelift utilizes ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen production in the skin. As you may know, collagen is a vital protein that the skin needs to stay strong and firm. Once your skin starts to produce less collagen, that is when wrinkles and sagginess start to form on it. The aging process naturally causes your skin to produce less collagen. But with the help of a HIFU facelift, it’ll give a significant boost to the collagen production in your skin.

Once the procedure is over, you can expect to see reduced wrinkles, less saggy skin around the neck, improved definition of the jawline, lifted cheeks, lifted eyelids, lifted, eyebrows, and smooth skin.

How it Works

To produce more collagen, the layers underneath the surface of the skin need to get heated up quickly. This can be done through the use of ultrasound energy without having to cut the surface. The idea is to damage the underlying skin cells with heat in order to encourage the skin to produce more collagen. This is a natural reaction in the skin which occurs whenever skin cells are damaged. HIFU is basically tricking the skin into producing more collagen by damaging these cells with ultrasound energy.

The cosmetic practitioner directs the ultrasound energy toward specific layers of skin tissue. It is not a comprehensive procedure that targets all the cells in the face. Since the ultrasound beams use a high-frequency, it must target a smaller select area below the surface of the facial skin. When the procedure is over, you won’t see any damage, scars, or marks on the upper skin layers.

HIFU facelifts are recommended for people who have low to medium skin laxity on their face. This would generally be people who are in their 30s and 40s. Anyone older than 55 may not find much benefit from getting a HIFU facelift because their skin laxity is likely at a more severe level.

In that case, they may need a facelift surgery if they want to achieve positive results. But, then again, facelift surgery always comes with more risks too. That is why it is better to get any facelift procedure as soon as you notice wrinkles and sagginess on your facial skin. HIFU facelifts cannot do much to reverse photodamaged skin or severely saggy or loose skin.

Also, if you have any kind of skin infection or lesion on your facial skin, then you will not be eligible to receive the HIFU treatment.

Save Money

There are many reasons why it is a good idea to get a HIFU facelift rather than a surgical facelift. HIFU facelifts are not painful and don’t require any incisions into the skin. But what you may also find appealing is the price difference between the two facelift procedures. A surgical facelift costs about $7,600 on average, while a HIFU facelift only costs between $1,500 and $2,000.

Of course, there are several factors which determine the exact costs, such as the location of the affected area and the number of sessions required to treat it successfully. Don’t expect your health insurance provider to cover these costs because it is a cosmetic procedure. Therefore, it is even more imperative to get the HIFU facelift while you’re still healthy and young enough to be eligible for it.

Aftermath

When the HIFU facelift procedure is over, you can go home immediately. There is no recovery time or downtime like there is with a surgical facelift. You can even resume your ordinary everyday activities too. The only possible side effects include a small amount of swelling, redness, and a small tingling sensation. These side effects should go away after a couple of weeks. Your doctor can recommend simple topical treatments to help your skin heal faster.