At ENRICH, we offer a wide range of skin tightening technologies including lasers and skin needling in our one on one Skin Tightening Treatment plans. We have treatments at our Melbourne clinic that focus on hydration, volume, elasticity and lift.
One of the main concerns many of us have about ageing is skin laxity. Not only do we see a decrease in volume due to loss of bone, fat, water and collagen, but we also lose elasticity. The results are sagging and the formation of creases, lines, folds and hollows.
To address this, we have treatments at our Melbourne clinic that focus on the various mechanisms: hydration, volume, elasticity and lift.
Our range of technologies include:
Contact our Melbourne clinic for more information on a tailored Skin Tightening treatment plan .
*Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
What can I expect from skin tightening procedures?
We aim to get your skin – depending on our starting point – smoother and tighter. Each of you will have a starting point from which we have to work, so if your skin is young and supple, tightening may not even be appropriate or it can be a minor procedure. If your skin is less elastic and gravity is making itself apparent, then chances are we can make a big difference.
Skin tightening is a procedure we need to repeat because we are non-surgically tightening. This process means your skin cells are doing all the work in producing extra collagen. Once the stimulating effect on the cell starts to diminish, so will the effects of tightening, despite this being overall quite a long-lasting strategy.
We recommend a starting point of several strategies (about six) to kick start your regime. Your dermatologist will inform you of the frequency required to keep your skin looking beautiful as you age.
Why does our skin stop producing as much collagen and elastin?
As we age, our cells start to lose their former prowess. Skin cells produce much less collagen and elastin, hydration starts to wane, and our special hydrating molecule content drops. This loss results in fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging, which can appear anywhere on the body. Any stretching or trauma to the skin can also have this effect, for example, the tummy after a pregnancy, or extra skin after losing weight.
The benefits of tightening treatments:
- More youthful-looking skin
- Greater elasticity and strength
- Extra collagen production
- Smoothing out of fine lines and wrinkles
- Reducing folds
- Plump up sallow skin
- Promote radiance
Skin tightening treatment areas
There are a few key areas we commonly treat, including:
- Buttocks
- Tummy/abdomen
- Arms
- Face
- Legs
Tightening treatment plans
Everyone will have a different schedule, depending on their needs. Your dermatologist, specialist doctor or nurse will advise, however generally you could expect to have 4-6 procedures, about 2-6 weeks apart. This scheduling allows the cells to ramp up their activity so we can capitalise on their collagen production with the next treatment.
Surgery-free tightening
We can now tighten without a single cut. New wave-based technology means we use different systems for rejuvenating and tightening including laser, skin needling and radiofrequency.
These techniques and equipment mean we can achieve results faster, more efficiently, and overall more comfortably. There are also treatments that can reduce smaller fatty deposits without surgery.
Laser tightening
Laser tightening is a form of tightening using heat to not only stimulate cells but to retract the skin slightly, firming it instantly. With laser tightening, we see improvements to blood flow and lymphatics so the area looks and feels healthier.
Lasers are one way we tighten skin. We find that lasers are effective with short recovery periods, and are popular with our clients. Newer technologies like the ThermiTight, however, are coming up a close second as tightening and fat-deposit removers of choice.
Tightening procedures can manage:
- Wrinkles
- Fine lines
- Fatty deposits
- Cellulite
- Stretched-out skin
- Sallowness
- Loss of volume
- Dehydration
- Poor texture
- Large pores
- Sagging
- Drooping
Recovery from energy-based skin tightening
Recovery is quick for most of these procedures with minimal downtime. You can go back to your normal activities immediately, though you’ll likely have some redness in the area. Redness will dissipate quickly.
Your treatments will usually take between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on the treatment area (speak to your dermatologist about how long to leave for your appointment).
What you can expect to see after RF and lasers
After your procedures, you can expect to see instant skin tightening. The real beauty of these treatments is that the effect increases over time as the cells regenerate and produce more collagen. Tightening can sometimes be profound, but it will depend on the elasticity of the skin to begin with and what treatment number we are on.
Fine lines and wrinkles will start to diminish from day one, with elasticity and tautness improving over the coming weeks. Tone is improved over time as the cells produce increasing amounts of collagen.
These procedures are very comfortable. The FDA and TGA approve our equipment in Australia for skin tightening, and we train our staff extensively.
All of our technologies are chemical-free. We can provide consistent, reliable results as part of your anti-aging strategy.
Surgical tightening as part of your plan
At ENRICH we do not perform facelift surgery. We do perform blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and skin resurfacing.
The laxity required to benefit from a facelift is reasonably significant compared with the gentle and lightweight nonsurgical variations, which can be done on much younger people. We can use the lighter-weight tools over a lifetime, rather than waiting until things are bad enough to warrant a facelift.
Plastic surgery is not an option for everyone. It can be expensive in time, money and healing time. Some people are not able to undergo surgery due to medical conditions. Suffering from these conditions doesn’t mean you don’t want to look good; thus, collagen-stimulating, low downtime, non-surgical procedures can be an effective alternative.
Comparison of different treatments
It can be difficult to know what you need, which is why your cosmetic dermatologist will explain – after listening carefully to your desires – what your options are. Here is a brief overview of the differences between treatments so you know what to expect.
Recovery (shortest to longest)
- Ultrasound
- Radiofrequency (mild redness)
- Laser (mild redness)
- ThermiTight radiofrequency
- Anti-wrinkle injections (possibly some mild bruising)
- Dermal filler injections (possibly some mild bruising or swelling)
- Thread lift (swelling and bruising for a week)
- CO2 laser (two weeks recovery at home, significant downtime)
How much does skin-tightening cost? (lowest to highest)
- Skin Needling RF
- Anti-wrinkle injections/dermal fillers/
- Ultraformer
- Portrait / CO2 Laser
- ThermiTight radiofrequency
- Thread lift/ Suture Lift
Non-surgical RF and laser skin tightening is the new kid on the block
Skin tightening used to be the domain of the surgical facelift, but we now have such a great range of high-tech devices that do the hard work for us, no scalpels in sight. We use heat and light waves to stimulate cells, to the energy factory of each cell, the mitochondria. The mitochondria then kickstart the cell into action, so it performs at a higher level.
Ultrasound or radiofrequency or light/heat beams from a laser can penetrate where nothing else can without piercing the skin. Now we can get deep without causing damage.
Adjuncts we might use in your tightening regime
- Anti-wrinkle injections
- Dermal filler injections
- Threadlift
- Peels
Anti-wrinkle injections as part of your tightening plan
Anti-wrinkle injections are muscle relaxant injections that can help stop wrinkles from forming or depending but can also be used to create lift. One facial muscle lifts the face up, while another pulls it down à la frowning versus smiling. We can selectively moderate the action of the downward-pulling muscles, causing the upward-pulling muscles to become stronger. This tweak creates a natural-looking lift.
We can use anti-wrinkle injections to great effect under the brows to create a brow lift, or at the sides of the mouth to help bring the ‘sad-face’ upwards. The neck, jowls, jaw and cheeks can also be lifted.
Anti-wrinkle injections may be part of an anti-aging strategy that your dermatologist puts into place for you. Skin that moves more often tends to get saggier quicker, so immobilising some small muscles (without ruining your ability to express yourself of course!) is useful for future-proofing your face to a certain degree.
Dermal filler injections as part of your tightening plan
Dermal fillers are a range of collagen-stimulating substances that are injected into the dermal layers to stimulate collagen and provide hydration. We tend to use dermal fillers here at ENRICH Clinic with a substance naturally found in your connective tissue. This magical little molecule holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it one of the biggest contributors to anti-ageing ever discovered.
Dermal filler injections can provide much-needed volume in a face or neck that is starting to see the effects of gravity. We can arrest sagging and wrinkling using volume and collagen-stimulators, while other anti-ageing and skin-tightening procedures can be applied.
Laser resurfacing as part of your tightening plan
Laser resurfacing, as the name suggests, takes off the top layer or layers of skin using a specific technique and one of our excellent skin resurfacing lasers. But that’s not all it does. Laser resurfacing stimulates the skin cells to bump up their collagen production, to firm and rejuvenate your skin. Laser resurfacing is not for everyone, but it can be a very useful adjunct in skin-tightening anti-ageing plans.
A thread lift as part of your skin tightening plan
A thread lift is a gentle variation of a nonsurgical facelift using – you guessed it – threads. The thread is strategically placed with tiny hooks to lift the facial skin. We make no cuts and we can remove the threads any time. Skin is pulled backwards and upwards, with the threads invisible.
Further reading
Skin tightening FAQs
