It’s the lightweight gas that allows blimps to float in the sky, helps divers explore the depths of the ocean and lifts party balloons into the air.
Now, helium is a special ingredient helping doctors lift and tighten skin.
J-Plasma in the trendy new alternative to a face-lift. The technology combines radio frequency energy to heat the skin and underlying tissue, and helium gas to quickly cool it.
“These two together form a plasma,” said Dr. Daniel Man, whose offices are in Boca Raton, Florida. “The plasma is what causes the changes.”
Those were changes 57-year-old Sally Groves was looking for.
“I didn’t like the sagging skin around my face and neck,” Groves said. “I felt like I looked older than I felt inside.”
Groves’ before and after pictures showed a dramatic difference, but she wasn’t done yet.
Groves also firmed her arms using J-Plasma, with the wand working on the surface of the skin and through tiny incisions.
“The whole thing is about an hour under local anesthesia with minimal downtime,” Groves said. “To me, there really was no recovery. I went home and relaxed and the next day I was up and doing laundry and normal activities.”
A demonstration on an egg showed that the heat doesn’t break the yoke, thanks to the work of the helium.
“Results are so good without cutting,” Man said. “Patients go home with results. You don’t need a lot of sutures removed.”
Doctors admit the technology is new and that there is little research to assess its long-term effectiveness.
Still, whether helium is used superficially to erase lines and wrinkles, or under the skin to tighten loose flesh, Grove is glad there is a new weapon in the anti-aging battle.
“I just wanted to look good for 57,” she said. “I want people to say ‘Wow, you look good for your age.’ I don’t want to change my appearance, just look as good as I can for my age.”
The J-Plasma technology was approved about one year ago. The cost for the helium face-lift starts at around $5,000. Doctors said the procedure can also work on loose belly skin and love handles.