TORONTO -- The expense, pain and recovery time are just a few reasons why some people shy away from getting a facelift. But what if you could turn back the clock without going under the knife? With promises of a tighter, more youthful appearance, the latest weapon in age-defying -- known as Thermage, ThermaLift or ThermaCool -- is being used by plastic surgeons and dermatologists across the country.
Cleared for use earlier this year by Health Canada, the technique uses heat from radio frequencies to reconfigure the collagen that lies under the skin in order to tighten or lift. It can be used on the forehead, cheeks and jawline.
While not meant to replace the traditional nip and tuck, Thermage can be used as a precursor to a facelift.
Such a device has been "a missing weapon in the arsenal of anti-aging procedures," said Dr. Stephen Mulholland, surgical director of SpaMedica, a cosmetic surgery and laser dermatology clinic in Toronto.
"It's not going to last forever, but if you have a focused, pre-emptive strike approach to your face, you can often delay surgery indefinitely."
Julie Khanna, a plastic surgeon at the Institute of Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in Oakville, agrees.
"This can buy you a little time," said Khanna, who would sometimes see a patient come in to talk about getting a facelift. She would look at the patient and think a facelift wasn't needed, but that the person might benefit from non-surgical procedures. This is where Thermage comes in.
"Let's do the Thermage to lift things a little, Botox to erase any lines and (intense light therapy) to help even out skin colouring," said Khanna. "And then in a few years we can talk facelift."
Thermage is aimed at people 35-55 who don't want any recovery time. As Khanna's colleague at the institute, Dr. Sheetal Sapra, said: "This is perfect for people -- men -- who are wimps" and don't want to go under the knife.
After a grid is drawn on the face to ensure every spot is treated, doctors use a device that sends out a cooling spray to protect the outer layer of the skin at the same time radio frequency energy generates heat in the lower layer of skin. In time, the skin's natural collagen contracts. Results are not immediate and it may take weeks or months before patients notice a change.
Side-effects reported in three per cent of clinical trial patients included temporary redness, swelling and superficial blistering.
Joanna Bujouves felt social pressure to look young and that was enough to make her want to try the new procedure. The 45-year-old piano teacher, already an avid user of Botox, took part in a ThermaCool demonstration earlier this year at SpaMedica.
"I felt no pain at all," she said later. "A little prickling, perhaps, but there was no discomfort."
While the demonstration didn't yield the results she wanted, Bujouves has scheduled a full ThermaCool treatment in June. "I can't see much of a difference, but I still want to find that fountain of youth," she said.
Demonstrations are usually done at a low power where no anesthetic is needed or as Sapra demonstrated on Carol Wood, an employee at the Oakville institute, a topical freezing cream is applied to the area before the procedure.
When the procedure is done at a higher energy, the patient needs to be sedated.
"I'm turning up the energy and I'm saying this is going to hurt and it's going to feel uncomfortable and I'm going to give you some sedation so you find this tolerable," said Mulholland. "I'm warming the dermis to a higher degree because you get a better tightening effect."
The procedure, which treats approximately one-third of the face, can range from $750-$1,500 depending on the clinic, -- much less than a facelift.
The higher the temperature, the better the results. If a patient doesn't want to be anesthetized, the procedure can be done at a lower setting for less pronounced results.
