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Today, often using a combination of different noninvasive methods, skin tightening can be achieved without surgery. Non-invasive, no-downtime procedures are becoming more effective and affordable, making them a popular choice for patients looking to improve their appearance. These no-downtime procedures apply heat created by lasers, radio waves (High Frequency Sound Waves, RadioFrequency (RF), Ultrasonic Waves, et al) or infrared heat energy or a combination of these to heat different layers of the skin. The heat that is generated regardless of the vehicle used to create the heat, causes the connective tissue between the cells to shrink. This shrink-wrap effect can effectively tighten skin non-surgically over time. Because the skin does not tighten as we heat (except for CO2 Laser) the amount of tightening can not be predicted and varies between patients.

When opting for non-surgical skin tightening there will be different options for the face and the body. When applying heat to the skin three distinct layers can be targeted. The skin is divided into: Top, Middle and Bottom Layers. The more layers that are targeted by the heat the more tightening is achieved.

Top of the Skin:

Typically, the devices that target the top of the skin are LASERS. These devices produce different amounts of heat and these differences account for the different results. The more heat that is generated, the more results are achieved and the longer the recovery. These Lasers resurface the Top of the skin and improve surface imperfections such as wrinkles, texture, color, pigment, elasticity, pore size, acnes scars, scars et al, as well as non-surgically tightening the skin. These devices are:

CO2 (Face only)
Pearl (Face Only)
CO2 Repair
Fraxel
Clear and Brilliant
Laser Genesis

Middle of the Skin:

The devices that target the middle layers of the skin use Sound waves (Radio Frequency, Ultrasound, High Frequency Sound Waves, etc.) to produce vibrations of the atoms that then create heat. This heat then can tighten the middle layers of the skin. These devices are:

Ultherapy
Thermage
Venus Legacy

Bottom of the Skin:

Smartlipo MPX (Laser Lipo) uses a very small tube (2-3 mm in diameter) that contains a fiber optic laser filament which is inserted under the skin through small puncture holes. Amplified light energy is emitted from the laser at the tip while the filament is moved gently under the skin to vaporize fat cells, heat the undersurface of the skin, and generate a shrink wrap effect. The laser evens out uneven fat globules (cellulite), divides uneven septa (another cause of cellulite) and the heat generated causes a skin tightening effect. These Devices are:

Smart Lipo MPX

When multiple layers are heated around the same time a heightened non-surgical skin tightening occurs.