The desire to maintain a youthful appearance without the need for invasive plastic surgery has long been an ideal for aging patients. Over the past year, the likes of Oprah, Good Morning America and countless other television news specials have highlighted the potential benefits of non-surgical skin tightening or lifting using radiofrequency. It doesn't produce the dramatic effects of a face lift, but allows patients with mild to moderate wrinkles and laxity (sagging) to look younger without downtime. Now this technology is available at LaserMed. The device, usually referred to as Thermage or ThermaCool, uses radiofrequency to deliver high doses of energy to heat tissue at the deep dermal and subdermal layers without damaging the surface of the skin. The concept is actually simple: radiofrequency energy is delivered into the dermis and even below the dermis. Doctors know that by heating the native collagen to 60 degrees Celsius, there is an immediate collagen denaturation which causes collagen fibers to shrink and tighten. This heating also stimulates your body to produce more collagen and elastin, functions that decrease as we age. "This effect doesn't happen overnight. We know that this dermal collagen neogenesis can take several months", explains Dr. Jean Chapman. "In fact, studies have shown that improvement in the dermal collagen continues up to six months following treatment". One of the more obvious effects of radiofrequency use is to provide a tightening and lifting effect around the eyes and forehead, but the degree of improvement varies from individual to individual. At LaserMed, radiofrequency tightening can be accomplished with the use of the Thermage system or the newly FDA approved Polaris system, depending upon which device Dr. Chapman deems necessary. The idea of offering effective and safe tightening of facial and other body tissue is no longer a dream. With the use of radiofrequency, laser and injectables, it is now possible to offer improvements with no downtime or scars. Your friends won't realize a procedure has been performed, but will notice a more youthful appearance. Refirme is a sensational and comforting treatment with a device that uses infrared light and radiofrequency technology by Syneron. It gives immediate tightening and lifting of the treated area with no discomfort or downtime. The immediate results last a few months. However repeated treatments give accumulative lasting results. Refirme will not work for sun spots or redness in the face but it firms the skin texture as well as increasing collagen and elastin giving tightening as well. Treatments take about 45 minutes on the average and do not require any anesthesia nor aftercare. Please contact us for a consultation with Dr. Chapman to find out if you might benefit from Thermage or another skin-enhancing treatment.