With impossibly youthful celebs flaunting their enviable skin at every turn, it’s no wonder that the latest beauty ideal isn’t so much anti-aging but reverse aging. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with coveting a bit of youth in your looks, especially if you are willing to pay the price that is. Unfortunately, many women draw the line at going under the scalpel.
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With a proliferation of different aesthetic technologies on the market, we go undercover to find out which ones work best, if they work at all on skin that’s past its prime. And if the elixir of youth is really found in the handpiece of an energy device.
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Thermage vs Ultherapy: which is better
The age old debate has Thermage pitted against Ultherapy, but the truth is that both treatments are slightly different as they target different layers of the skin. Understanding that may help you decide which treatment is better for you as the question is so much: which is better but which is better for your face type. Consider this: Thermage, as a monopolar radiofrequency, is great at smoothening our crepey skin, giving your face a smoother, tighter appearance. We liken it to an iron going over a creased shirt. It works superbly well all over the face, including the eyelids, which gives it an added advantage over Ultherapy that cannot be used for the eyes. So if hooding of the upper eyelids is your nemesis, then Thermage will be your answer.
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Ultherapy harnesses its power from microfocused ultrasound. It is capable of contracting facial tissues, giving it a more sculpted and defined look. Due to its deeper penetration, it cannot be done around the eyes, but on the flip side, it is superior in areas of heavy jowls and thick droopy skin such as the lower face. Even sagging double chins may succumb to its deep lifting prowess. It is also hailed as the only skin lifting system which is not done ‘blind’. What this means isn’t that your doctor is able-sighted, rather it means that your doctor is able to visualize through its uktrasound imaging capabilities exactly where he or she is treating under the skin. Presumably, this translates to a more accurate and targeted treatment and better outcomes.
Finally, with new standards skyrocketing, there is no saying that you can’t combine the two. In fact, doctors think that combining both therapies will have synergistic lifting effects as both the top and deeper layers of the skin are treated, gifting you long lasting lifting benefits over time.
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HIFU vs Ultherapy
There are many devices purported to be similar to Ultherapy but are not. While all may be ultrasound skin lifting devices, the difference lies in the depth of penetration of the ultrasound, the amount of energy delivered and therefore the final outcome. Having said that, Dr Low Chai Ling believes that the lower energy HIFU (high frequency ultrasound) devices may still serve a purpose in the anti-aging armamentarium of the modern woman. “Not all patients are willing to undergo a lengthier and somewhat costlier procedure such as Ultherapy” she says. “Or perhaps, they have already done their Ultherapy a few months ago and want to enhance or maintain their results”. This is where therapies employing HIFU such as Sygma lift come in. Completely painless, they are an upgrade to your usual spa facial as it provides more lifting benefits than a face mask. Like adding stretching to your long runs, these mini-lifts can help in the long run to maintain your anti-aging results. Just don’t get suckered into thinking they can replace the real thing.
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