Ultherapy on The Dr. Oz Show

Dr. Oz: Today on the Dr. Oz Show, I've got an exciting show for you — get comfortable, today it's one of your favorite topics. I'm revealing how you can look 10 years younger in less than 30 minutes. I've got two cutting-edge plastic surgery procedures, and the results are going to blow you away. Up first, a revolutionary non-surgical facelift. We're going to get rid of one viewer's sagging neck live on this stage. But first, take a look at how this breakthrough technology can help you defy gravity without ever undergoing the knife.

Narrator: Every woman's fix-it list: what can I do to get rid of this? If you're over 40, you know what we're talking about — and you dread it. That unsightly flap of skin dangling underneath your neck, caused by excess fat, loose skin, and weak muscles. The solution, until now, was expensive and invasive surgery. But finally, there's a new groundbreaking lunchtime procedure to turn back the clock. It's a revolutionary technique that draws on an age-old technology you probably know best from prenatal exams, body scans, and physical therapy. Called Ultherapy, it uses focused ultrasound to lift and tighten sagging skin in just 30 minutes. And because it utilizes only sound waves, it is completely non-invasive, requires no recovery time, and can take just one treatment. Could a 50-year-old medical technology be the cutting-edge answer to your aging neck?

Dr. Oz: New York plastic surgeon Dr. Haideh Hirmand is here. She serves on the New Technologies Task Force of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dr. Hirmand, do you see these new technologies actually changing how we age?

Dr. Hirmand: Absolutely. And it does it by slowing down the aging process. This technology, by regenerating collagen, actually slows down the aging — puts us on a different track.

Dr. Oz: There's a therapy you've talked about called Ultherapy, which I had not heard of before. I'd love for you to give me a little overview of how it differs from other skin-tightening procedures.

Dr. Hirmand: Absolutely. It's totally different from lasers and other cosmetic procedures we have. First of all, it's ultrasound — a first for us in the aesthetic domain. There's no downtime, no scars, no anesthesia — that's important for my patients. It's really cool. It's really sci-fi meets beauty. And remember, we can see what we're doing. We've never had this before. It's the first time, honestly, as a surgeon, that I'm really excited about a technology that's non-invasive.

Dr. Oz: Before we do this live on the stage, I want to show you with a little animation what's going on. Dr. Hirmand is talking about a therapy that goes not just on the skin, but deep under the skin. Let's take the neck as the example, because that's what we're going to deal with today. When the ultrasound touches the skin, it can fire down deep. There's the deep muscle of the neck. It's firing in and affecting the tissues just above the muscle and on the muscle. Then it can target areas that are just beneath the skin. What's going on? It's hitting and taking these collagen rubber bands that are lying there — the elastin — these things give you the bounciness — and it's getting them to regenerate, so there's more of them to do what they're supposed to do, which is to make your skin bouncy. So once you've done the process, you are able actually to reconfigure the skin — the tightening ends up pulling out the wrinkles, but you haven't cut the skin at all.

Dr. Hirmand: That's the hope.

Dr. Oz: And now we're going to find out if it works. Dr. Hirmand is about to take one of our audience members into her operating room. We're going to look at the sagging neck the audience member has been complaining about, and live on this stage we're going to try to do this. Carol, welcome. Thank you for volunteering. So why does this bother you a lot?

Carol: It does. Every time I look at a photograph of myself, my eyes go right to my turkey neck. And I feel like I look a lot older than I feel.

Dr. Oz: Well, tell me honestly if it hurts you.

Carol: I will.

Dr. Oz: Good, then we're going to take care of you. How old are you?

Carol: 51.

Dr. Oz: 51 years old. And we're going to go through this procedure. I know a lot of folks are interested in seeing how it works. Dr. Hirmand, can anyone have this procedure? What are the indications for it?

Dr. Hirmand: Well, actually, Carol is a good candidate. If you have loose skin that's moderate looseness, you're a good candidate. If it's too loose, it's not going to replace surgery. But remember, even if it's a little bit more than this, it's still a great alternative — if someone can't have surgery, doesn't want surgery, is not ready for surgery, or even after surgery to maintain results. So let's put your head back here now.

Dr. Oz: Dr. Hirmand, can you show us how this works? There's the device, obviously.

Dr. Hirmand: Okay, and this is the handpiece. I put on the ultrasound gel that ensures a good seal with the skin. And there — you can see it perfectly. Here's the skin that I showed you on the animation. This muscle down here is right there — you all see that? And that muscle is deep, deep in there.

Dr. Oz: So Dr. Hirmand is able to engage that entire area. Now you turn it on, is that right?

Dr. Hirmand: You're going to put your chin up a little bit further. Are you ready?

Carol: I'm ready.

Dr. Hirmand: I'm going to treat. Tell me if it hurts.

Carol: I will let you know... I honestly couldn't feel anything.

Dr. Hirmand: Okay, I'm going to move down just a little bit and treat again. Are you ready?

Carol: I'm ready... It's great.

Dr. Oz: So you can see that green line is fairly deep under the skin. I'm surprised it isn't hurting you — that's good, though. Does it usually create very little discomfort? Is that normal?

Dr. Hirmand: The sensation varies, of course, from person to person, but this is typical — tingling, pins and needles. It really doesn't need any anesthesia. It's really mild.

Dr. Oz: And what other parts of the body can you treat besides under the neck?

Dr. Hirmand: Well, you can treat the face and the neck. It's cleared by the FDA, and it also has a specific indication for brow lifting.

Dr. Oz: And cost — a rough idea?

Dr. Hirmand: Starts at about $1,000 and goes up from there, depending on what areas are treated.

Dr. Oz: Now, it takes several months to see the results. Since we can't wait to see everyone's on stage here, there are a couple of images I want to show you. Dr. Hirmand, would you walk us through?

Dr. Hirmand: Absolutely. Here you see the pre. In this person, there is laxity — looseness of the skin, of the jowls, of the neck. And if you see, after treatment, the neck is tighter, it's firmer, the skin is toned, the jawline is more defined. This is a good candidate. This is a typical result. And we have one more example, just in case you look like this — that's a more typical neckline.

Dr. Oz: Is that too much skin?

Dr. Hirmand: And you see, it's not 100 percent gone, so there is some skin.

Dr. Oz: It looks pretty good to me. It's a dramatic, dramatic result. And we've never been able to get that without surgery. I mean, it's pretty exciting. This is a cool device. So this procedure is going to take you about 20 minutes more, I gather. Dr. Hirmand has agreed to take you back to her office to complete it.

Carol: I'm so excited.

Dr. Oz: All right. Thank you very much. Congratulations. Next up, a cutting-edge, minimally invasive procedure that targets another area that women hate.