Micro-focused Ultrasound Skin Lifting

 How does ultrasound technology is offering non invasive surgical facelift results?

How it works:

Micro-focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy to create an interaction with tissue. This causes tissue to reflect, scatter and be absorbed. The reflective and scatter effects enables an ultrasound imaging to be created which then the energy is focused and absorbed in the tissue. A transducer is used to visualise the treatment area so when treating it will target focused areas and deliver the energy below the skin. This will also help to avoid treating unwanted areas for example bone and blood vessels.  

The tissue is heated to about 60-70 degrees, coagulating tissue and denaturing collagen. The coagulation of tissue occurs in evenly spaced thermal coagulation points surrounding by healthy tissue which promotes immediate tissue tightening, neocollagenesis and the wound healing process. 

Figure 1.1 

Wound Healing Phases

Inflammatory phase - The heating of tissue at 60-70 degrees will denature and coagulate tissue causing thermal coagulation points which is an injury or controlled wound. This will then stimulate an expected natural wound healing process to take place. During this phase  the uninjured healthy surrounding the thermal coagulation points will help to speed up the inflammatory period. 

Proliferative phase- During this phase the deposition of new collagen is formed by a process called neocollagenesis 

Remodelling phase- As new healthy and organised collagen fibres are deposited this results in lifting and rejuvenation of the skin.

Structure in Facial Tissues with Ultrasound visualisation

It is very important to understand the structure of the facial tissue to find a treatment that can deliver results at the depth required. For effective results energy must be deposited a specific depths below the surface of the skin. Because of ultrasound's mechanical properties, it is able to be micro-focused below the skin's surface at any depth without causing injury to competing chromophores or the surface of the skin. 

Figure 1.2

Depth of energy delivery 

Figure 1.3

There are many treatment options available, this is not to say other treatments don't work or don't offer similar results. This is new and inviting technology with promising studies and results. I haven't been paid by a company to write up about this, but I have been very interested in the studies and research I've found with ultrasound. Please let me know if you'd like to read some of the clinical papers I used to write up this post.