Skin Tighteners

What Are Skin Tighteners

A noninvasive doctor-administered procedure, skin tighteners employ radio frequency (RF), ultrasound energy or infrared light to tighten the skin below the surface. By heating the dermis, new collagen growth is stimulated (by the activity of fibroblasts, the cells that create collagen) and produced.

Skin tighteners are good for firming up minimally loose skin and can even get rid of small, unwanted areas of fat in some patients.

For the lucky few who just need a minor bit of tweaking, a skin-tightening treatment can help. “To non-surgically treat loose skin, we can use a combination of methods like a prescription-strength retinol cream, to produce collagen, followed by lasers that help build collagen,” says New York dermatologist Jody Levine, MD.

Here are some top skin tightener device brand names to look for:

• Accent Your Body
• Thermage
• Ulthera

On average, the results from skin tighteners are not permanent. Maintenance sessions need to be done about once a year and results are not predictable since not everybody responds to skin tightening. Also, if you have excessively loose skin you may not see much of a change in how the skin looks.