The Real Skinny on HIFU and Fillers

Sofwave Ultrasound Treatment and Fillers – Perfect Together

Soft tissue fillers – a next-generation ultrasound anti-aging treatment can pack a one-two punch against fine lines, wrinkles, and other visible signs of aging on your face.

HIFU versus fillers

What is HIFU?

HIFU or high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a medical procedure that uses ultrasound waves to destroy diseased tissue. During the procedure, a transducer uses focused ultrasound waves to generate heat at a single point within the body and destroy the target tissue, like collagen. The benefit of focused ultrasound is that it has the ability to reach deeper tissues.

How do fillers work?

Fillers are injectable agents that may be used to volumize wrinkles, filling them in from the inside out. Many popular fillers are comprised of hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in almost every cell in our body, including skin cells. Hyaluronic acid holds moisture in to keep skin plump, soft, and dewy. Our supply of HA dwindles with age, which accounts for skin aging, and the formation of lines and wrinkles.

Other types of fillers are made with calcium hydroxylapatite, a known collagen stimulator. These injections fill deep folds and wrinkles from the inside out and outside in. Others are dermal fillers comprised of polylactic acid, which also boosts collagen under the surface in addition to filling in wrinkles and folds. Fat injections take fat from an area in your body where it is plentiful and inject it back into an area that needs volume. Since the fat is taken from your own body, this is considered a “natural approach” compared to “off-the-shelf” soft tissue fillers.

In contrast, Sofwave uses Intense Ultrasound Beam™ (IUB) proprietary technology to boost two other components of healthy youthful skin: collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are the two main structural proteins that are responsible for the skin’s elastic and youthful qualities. Like hyaluronic acid, our collagen and elastin stores also decrease as we age.

Can you really reverse wrinkles?

There are several ways to minimize the appearance of wrinkles and even remove them.

Dr. Mary Beth Mudd

According to Dr. Mary Beth Mudd of the New You Center for Advanced Medical Aesthetics in Columbus, OH, “The short answer is yes, but it won’t be a complete elimination since your skin will continue to age over time and more wrinkles will naturally form. Some of the reasons that we form wrinkles can be controlled like sun exposure, smoking, and excessive drinking. Unfortunately, other reasons you cannot control, such as genetics and skin type. However, today we are able to treat the skin to reverse the appearance of wrinkles. These include soft tissue fillers, topical agents like retinoids, as well as non-invasive energy-based devices like the new Sofwave ultrasound treatment.”
Wrinkle removal process with Sofwave treatments

Your doctor can start your wrinkle removal process with Sofwave treatments. This non-invasive treatment takes only 30-45 minutes. You can go back to your life immediately afterward and no one will know that you have had any anti-aging treatments done. Most patients report significant improvements in lines and wrinkles after just one treatment.  Typically, two treatments with Sofwave are needed to achieve maximum age-reversing results.

How soon after a Sofwave treatment can you get fillers?

Dr. Mudd

“Dermal fillers can be injected up to 48 hours before or 48 hours after your Sofwave treatment,” says Dr. Mudd.

There is some confusion between HIFU and the Sofwave ultrasound treatment. The proprietary Intense Ultrasound Beam™ (IUB) technology with integrated cooling that is unique to Sofwave, performs treatments in the mid-dermis while ensuring no damage to the epidermis or deeper structures beneath the dermis. Patients can get right back to normal life immediately following treatment. The treatment is non-invasive.

While the combination of fillers and Sofwave can produce aesthetically pleasing results, many individuals are happy with the results of Sofwave alone. In fact, studies show that a high percentage of patients were “improved” or “significantly improved” 12 weeks after a single Sofwave treatment, and 86 percent of the subjects demonstrated improvement in wrinkle appearance of at least one Elastosis Score, while the blinded reviewers identified correctly the pre and post-treatment photographs for 78% of the treated subjects. The elastosis score is a scale that researchers use to measure wrinkle appearance.

Lastly, plastic surgery to remove wrinkles is not the right choice for many people. Whereas a facelift or eyelift may remove excess skin and fat, and tighten lax muscles, this cosmetic surgery procedure does not rejuvenate the skin’s surface.

Get started on the road to reverse your wrinkles now. Find a Sofwave provider near you.

References:

  • "High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Prostate Cancer", Cleveland Clinic
  • "7 Surprising Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid", Healthline

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