HIFU Face Lifting
High-intensity focused ultrasound that reaches the SMAS, the support layer beneath the skin, and asks the body to build new collagen. The result is built gradually, not on the same day.
What focused ultrasound is
HIFU stands for high-intensity focused ultrasound. The handpiece does not work at the surface; it concentrates the energy at a predetermined depth beneath the skin, the way a magnifying glass concentrates light on a single point.
Microscopic points of controlled heating are created there. The epidermis above stays intact, which is why there is no incision, no suture and no recovery period.
Why we keep talking about the SMAS
The SMAS is the musculo-aponeurotic layer that holds the tissues of the face lifted. It is the same layer the surgeon takes hold of in a face lift.
Focused ultrasound reaches it with energy instead of a scalpel. The heating contracts the existing collagen fibres and prompts the fibroblasts to produce new ones over the following months. That second part is the one that counts.
When you will see the difference
- In the first few days
Usually almost nothing shows. If you do see something, it is a mild tightening from the contraction of the existing collagen.
- In the first month
The production of new collagen has started, but the eye can barely pick it up yet.
- At 2 to 3 months
This is where the treatment is judged. The contours look cleaner and the skin firmer.
- After a year
As a rule we repeat one session, because the natural loss of collagen does not stop.
Who it suits
Focused ultrasound works on what is already there. The more support your skin still has, the greater the margin.
- ✓Mild to moderate laxity — this is where it performs best, particularly along the jawline and on the neck.
- ✓Prevention — on skin that is only starting to slacken, a session preserves more of what you already have.
- ✓No interruption to your life — there is no recovery; you go back to your own routine straight afterwards.
- ✓Mild tenderness — you may feel the area tight or tender for a few days. It settles on its own.
What HIFU does not do
We would rather you heard it before you book an appointment, not three months later.
Its limits, without embellishment
It does not replace a surgical face lift. The surgeon removes excess skin; ultrasound removes nothing, it stimulates. These are two different jobs and they are not comparable.
With advanced laxity the margins are limited. If the tissues have descended a long way, the result will be subtle — and we will tell you so at the first conversation instead of booking you a session.
It is not a slimming method and it does not change your features. It improves the support of the skin, nothing more.
It is not immediate. If you are looking for a result for an event next week, HIFU is not the answer.
Questions & Answers
What most people ask, answered briefly and clearly.
Does it hurt?
You feel heat and, at intervals, a deep prickling that is stronger where the bone is close to the surface. It is tolerable and it stops the moment the handpiece moves on. Tell us straight away if anything bothers you, because the intensity can be adjusted.
How long will I wait to see a result?
Two to three months. New collagen is not made within a week. Anyone promising an immediate lift from ultrasound is describing something else.
How often is it repeated?
As a rule, one session a year. The body keeps losing collagen, so the repeat preserves what you have gained.
Does it replace a surgical face lift?
No. Surgery removes skin; ultrasound stimulates collagen production. If the laxity is advanced, the honest answer is that HIFU will give little.
Do I need time off afterwards?
No. There is no wound and no recovery. You may feel the area tender for a few days, nothing that will stop you.
How will I know whether it suits me?
By an examination in person. We look at how much support your skin still has and tell you realistically what margin there is. If there is none, you will hear it from us.
Ready to start?
Book a free consultation — we go through your history together and plan your programme, with no commitment.
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