Cosmetic Treatments – On Trial

Double chins

Ultherapy – Nothing ages you more than a saggy jawline, and the dreaded chin droop can be a stubborn monster. So perhaps treat them both to some non-invasive Ultherapy. It’s been around a while, but this amazingly effective technology, which condenses ultrasound energy, to heat up the muscle like layer of tissue deep below the surface of the skin, is excellent at supporting the growth of new elastin and collagen. The promise is a tauter lower face – a lift of the chin without the surgery, and all in approximately 60 minutes. After applying topical numbing cream, a device (which looks like a supermarket barcode scanner) delivers a series of ultrasound waves to the cheeks, jaw and neck. These penetrate beneath the skin’s surface, up to 4.5mm, deeper than any other similar technology, so the results last much longer – well over a year, if all goes to plan.

PAIN FACTOR: Ultherapy is said to be excruciating, and on the under-chin area it lives up to its reputation (even the numbing cream is useless). But a distracting audiobook and a couple of ibuprofen lend itself to making it more bearable.

DOWNTIME: No recovery time required and no telling signs give the game away. You may, however, feel a bit spaced out when you leave the clinic.

RESULTS: Almost straight away, the jawline looks sharper and cheeks noticeably firmer. A month on, everything feels tighter even the chin wobble has gone. Things improve gradually, with the best results at about three months.