This is an extremely safe FDA approved non-surgical method for tightening skin of the face and neck. Now offered in 50 countries, it has been showcased numerous times by Oprah Winfrey. Mere radio-frequency waves applied for an hour and a half tighten the deep collagen layers that support the skin. Results are seen in months and last for years. Experience is important towards optimal results and no one performs more Thermage in northern Nevada than Dr. Degnan.

Thermage tightens the most important supportive layer of the skin, known as the collagen layer, using mere radio-frequency waves. It is now FDA approved to be used on numerous areas of the body, but Dr. Degnan mainly uses it to tighten the skin of the face and the neck where the machine works best and the results will be most appreciated.

When this device was first FDA approved the better part of a decade ago, the procedure took over 2 hours to properly complete the face and the neck, and there were complications reported comprised of superficial burns and "melting" of fat under the skin. Because the procedure was uncomfortable, patients required pain pills administered just prior to the treatment (necessitating them to arrange for a driver to safely get them home). Also, about a fourth of patients were not getting adequate results.

Over the recent years since Dr. Degnan started offering the procedure in Palm Desert and Lake Tahoe, Thermage has fortunately undergone several major generational improvements. In a large study performed on almost 6,000 patients that was recently published in the prestigious Dermatological Surgery journal (see link to study), it was proven that using the latest new treatment tip (that part of the machine that touches the patent's skin) and a newer "multiple pass" technique (running the tip not just once, but up to 10 times) over the skin, Thermage was able to deliver a 94% patient satisfaction rating. Whereas in the past, it was typical for a patient to have to wait 2-3 months to see results, now 87% of patients reported appreciating results immediately upon completion of the procedure. Furthermore, the new treatment tip is twice as big so the procedure can now be completed in only one hour. Also, the new tip is far more comfortable and very few patients are now asking for a pain pill, thus obviating the need a driver when returning home.

With the latest Thermage tip, we are seeing immediate skin tightening and overall volume reduction. Thermage will also raise the brow which moderately lifts the upper eyelids. The tightening of the skin lasts as long with Thermage as it does with other methods of skin tightening including surgery. In other words the tightening does not "undo" over time, but rather the sagging process marches on. While individuals vary, in general the patient will probably gain the same amount of sagging they had before the treatment within a matter of about 3-5 years. Most patients seem to want to repeat the procedure in about 1-2 years. Many in the Hollywood crowd undergo Thermage 2-3 times per year since they can financially afford it and it is a fact that Thermage not only tightens sagging skin, but it also thickens it. Thick skin is preferable as it ages better (thus the old adage of male skin aging more gracefully than female skin).

Thermage has joined other numerous devices on the market as an approved means of treating cellulite or fat beneath the skin. While Dr. Degnan looks to future research to develop better machines for sculpting away fat non-surgically, he feels the current devices, including Thermage, do not work well-enough or in a high-enough percentage of patients to justify the cost.

Dr. Degnan's office has performed over 300 Thermages at his Lake Tahoe clinic alone over the last two and one-half years. No office in northern Nevada has performed more Thermage treatments during that period. This is important because as with most medical procedures, there is no substitute for experience and technique. Both our technicians have been trained and licensed by the Thermage company.

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