For many of us, free sagging skin on the face, stomach, arms, and other areas is very troubling. Free skin or skin (skin is the medical term for skin) makes us look old and out of shape, no matter how hard we work and try to stay in shape. In the past, effective skin tightening required plastic surgical procedures, such as a face lift and a tummy tuck. However, over the past few years, many new methods of surgical and laser skin tightening have been developed. The new technology of skin tightening is steadily improving as the machines improve, and as doctors learn how to maximize the results achieved.
Today, often using a combination of different methods, it is possible to achieve a significant tightening of the skin without surgery, unlike 3-4 years ago, when Thermage, Titan, Refirme and LuxIR Deep were introduced. There are many ways to smooth the skin that can be misleading, so you really need to be an informed consumer and understand the technology if you are going to achieve the desired result. Below I will explain how the new technology of tightening the skin works and which methods are the best.
How non-surgical skin tightening works
Tight, durable skin requires good elasticity. Elasticity means the ability of a skin or skin to snap or tighten after it has been displaced or dropped from a body. Good elasticity depends on the healthy fibers of collagen and elastin, which lie very deep, near the bottom of the dermis, the deep layer of our skin under the surface. Collagen and elastin fibers act as small rubber bands that hold the skin around our body and pull loose tissue back when it stretches or folds.
Aging, sun damage from ultraviolet (UV) light, smoking, stress, excessive alcohol and unhealthy diet and lifestyle destroy collagen and elastin in the dermis and cause weakening and sagging of the skin. Stretching caused by pregnancy or rapid weight loss after a diet or gastric bypass surgery also destroys collagen and elastin in the dermis and leads to sagging and loss of tone.
All laser and non-surgical methods of tightening the skin work by stimulating the growth of new collagen and elastin in the dermis. When you heat the collagen and elastin to 66 degrees Celsius, the collagen and elastin fibers shrink or tighten and are reconstructed with the new formation of collagen and elastin. The effect of this tightening of the skin and the new formation of collagen and elastin is that the deep dermis shrinks and becomes firmer, and the loose tissue is tightened.
Elastin and collagen lie very deep in the dermis, and the main task is to obtain a sufficient amount of heat in the depth of the dermis for the remodeling of elastin and collagen without burning the surface of the skin, as heat passes through more superficial layers.
This was achieved through the use of very efficient cooling devices that cool the surface, and thermal energy passes through the surface on the way to the deep dermis. The machines with this ability are Palomar LuxIR Deep, Thermage, titan and Refirme, to name a few.
The newer method applies heat to the deep layers below. New laser liposuction technology, such as SlimLipo, uses a small laser cannula that benefits the skin to melt fat. Heat also causes compression and shortening of the overlying loose tissue. This method was very effective for a tummy, neck or double chin.
Laser Skin Tightening
The old use of CO2 and erbium laser grinding effectively tightened loose fabrics. However, the recovery was very difficult with a long healing time, prolonged redness and hypopigmentation or loss of color after the procedure. These methods are no longer practiced widely.
New methods of fractional laser polishing have improved significantly. By fractionating or breaking the laser into many small rays, the untreated areas are left to speed healing, and complications are less common. New methods of fractional resale can also penetrate deeper into the dermis to strengthen the defective layers of collagen and elastin. Fractional laser grinders include the Starlux 1540 and 2940, Fraxel, ActiveFX, DeepFX, Refractional and Affirm machines.
These methods of tightening the skin can be used and are most effective on the face. Because integumentary healing is required, these fractional grinding techniques are less effective in other areas, such as the neck, stomach, and hands.
Lasers are not suitable for the treatment of sagging and weakness of the neck, abdomen and arms. These areas require more heat energy, which can be delivered only by infrared and radio frequency machines.
Infrared and radio frequency skin tightening
Today, the most effective surface-lifting machines for skin tightening use either radio frequency or infrared thermal energy for strong and sagging tissue on the neck, arms and abdomen. These machines have sophisticated cooling parts to prevent burns.
These machines can penetrate deep into the dermis, up to 2000 microns, where elastin fibers are most numerous. These deep procedures are necessary for maximum strengthening and tightening of the skin. The most commonly available machines are Palomar® LuxIR Deep, Thermage, Titan and Refirme, among many others.
Understand that 4 procedures are usually required to achieve the best result on most machines. New collagen and elastin production will not occur until 6 months after your last treatment, so it takes time to see your final result.
In my opinion, the best results are an improvement of 20-30%. Even better results are possible when using higher energies using LuxIR Deep, which has an excellent new cooling system, which allows us to more than double the energy we use. The new LuxIR Deep cooling with increased energy supply also shortens the processing time.
However, infrared and radiofrequency machines still cannot achieve the same results that I can achieve with the help of a facelift, tummy tuck or arm lift.
Laser liposuction
Recently, a new laser liposuction technology, called SlimLipo, has caused a noticeable strengthening of loose skin and fat during the fat dissolving process. Because the SlimLipo laser fiber is placed in favor of the skin, the laser beam has more direct and direct access to the subcutaneous elastin fibers.
Laser liposuction has been successfully used to strengthen the loose abdomen, loose hands, loose neck and strengthen the hips and thighs. This new laser liposuction method will be very important in the coming years.
Which method of tightening the skin is best for you?
Your choice of strengthening method will depend on what kind of loose skin you have and where your loose skin is. If you have wrinkles, sun damage and slight weakness around the cheeks and mouth, then your best option is fractional laser skin resurfacing using the Starlux 1540 and 2940 combined lasers.
If you have good skin and weak or moderate weakness of the skin of your knees, neck, abdomen or hands, infrared or radiofrequency skin tightening will give you a result of 20-30%. I use LuxIR Deep skin skin tightening made by Palomar.
If you have oily and loose skin on your stomach, arms, neck, double chin, thighs, or thighs, then laser liposuction is your best choice for skin tightening. I use laser liposuction SlimLipo, made by Palomar.
How to find a doctor
The plan-certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists are laser experts, but all certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists in lasers have no experience.
So you have to do your homework and ask the doctors if they have experience with lasers and laser surgery. It is very important to consult an expert. Although a nurse or medical aestheticist can do a strengthening of infrared or radio frequency cover, the physician who controls the treatment must understand lasers and light technologies. Laser liposuction and laser resurfacing must be performed by an experienced physician.
Today there are many non-plastic surgeons and dermatologists who advertise laser and lighting services that are not experts in these methods. You really need to ask the right questions and investigate. These new technologies can be dangerous and harmful in inexperienced hands.
Good places to view are the sites of the following organizations:
American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS)
Visit these websites and find certified plastic surgeons in your area. Visit their sites and see if the doctor offers laser and non-surgical procedures to strengthen the skin. Consult with at least two doctors and ask them to see photos of the results of their patients. Do not apply for skin in health resorts that do not have a certified plastic surgery specialist or a dermatologist with experience in laser surgery who is present on site.
