HOUSTON – A nip here and a tuck there. For decades, achieving a younger look meant cosmetic surgery. Now there's a new way to do it without a single incision and the new technology that can get the same results with no down time.
"This has been one of the procedures that I've seen the highest happiness rate of the patient," said Florida-based dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby.
Allenby uses Ultherapy which utilizes ultrasound energy to tighten and lift sagging skin.
"This ultrasound energy that is going through the skin, through the fat, into the muscle, so when you're hitting the muscle and it's contracting, you're also hitting a little bit of the fat," she said.
Ultherapy was first FDA approved for tightening skin on the face and neck, but doctors have found more uses for it.
"We started using it on knees to make knees look tighter because I have a lot of people who are actually really thin who have loose skin around the knees," said Allenby. "Then, we're like well, okay, that got nicer, how about doing it a little bit in the buttocks area and it has been phenomenal."
Carla Busick underwent Ultherapy to tighten her arms.
"It was instant. They say it's supposed to take three months. It's instant," she said.
It may be instant but it can be expensive. Small areas around the eyes or forehead are about $1,000. Larger areas like the full face, thighs and arms, can cost around $3,000. People with heavy sun exposure may see less improvement, but the treatments can last up to two years.
This story came to us from our sister station, WPLG-TV, in Miami, Florida.