Dr. Buckingham’s Q&A

T,

It is certainly possible that your friend did have a result from Thermage.  It could also be possible that the result is from the addition of good skin care; hard to tell which.  The problem I have seen in the Thermage results is that in some patients there is a real difference and in others there is not any.  I have been told that even in patients who get a result, they do not last, but again I do not have any personal experience with the procedure.  The healing process only lasts about 3 months, in my opinion, so I wouldn’t expect the results to get any better after that amount of time.  As for whether the price was worth it only she can answer that question.  If she has seen a real result and is happy with the improvement then I would say she received a fair value.  I prefer to utilize procedures that produce reliable results in every patient.  Therefore I do not offer Thermage.

Ed Buckingham

Racine,

Thermage is radiofrequency tissue heating.  It is suppose to heat the dermal layer of the skin and cause tightening and therefore cosmetic improvement.  Initially they thought that thermage was going to be able to be done in the office, but the pain of the procedure proved too much.  They began increasing the energy levels then in an attempt to get better results, but unfortunately that didn’t work either.  I have personally never done thermage because I have never been able to see results.  The information I have received from attending meetings and listening to talks on the technology is that it is painful and that the results are limited.  Some patients see a result although it is short-lived and others see no result at all.  I do not recommend the procedure.  The company is trying to improve the procedure, but I am not hopeful.

Ed Buckingham