When trying a new treatment—whether a medical-grade facial, neurotoxins or a full surgical facelift—you’re bound to have questions as you search for the right provider. While celebrities have gotten candid about their plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic treatments, widening the public’s understanding of in-office options today, the best way to ensure you get the results you want is to know exactly what questions to ask.
Skin-tightening procedures are some of the most popular in-office treatments for rejuvenating aging skin and providing a healthy, youthful appearance to the skin all over the body. While skin-tightening has become a rather buzzy topic and dozens of A-listers have made clear their recommendations for skin-tightening devices and treatments, it’s crucial to approach skin-tightening treatments with your questions in hand and expert advice in tow. If you’re looking to book a skin-tightening treatment soon, we tapped some of our top doctors to help you walk into your consult with questions prepared and leave your treatment with the best results possible.
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What Should You Ask Before You Get Skin Tightening?
Ask for your provider’s information and credentials
If you want to make sure your skin tightening treatment goes as smoothly as possible, Dr. Segal and Dr. Bomer both have advice for ensuring you’re well informed and in good hands before you make the jump. “It is important to know exactly who is performing your tightening procedure and if they’re qualified to do so,” Dr. Segal begins. Beyond booking a skin-tightening treatment at a reputable clinic, Dr. Segal urges patients to not only research where they’re getting their skin-tightening treatment done, but also who will be performing the treatment and exactly what the provider’s qualifications are. In essence, don’t be afraid to pry. “Skin-tightening treatments are all heat-based treatments that utilize controlled cellular injury to achieve the desired cosmetic result,” Dr. Segal adds. “As a result, in the hands of an inexperienced or under-qualified provider, complications certainly can occur as none of these treatments are without risk.”
Discuss downtime and pain level
When you’re in search of a non-invasive skin-rejuvenating procedure, the last thing you want is to be blindsided by the recovery time. So, Dr. Bomer recommends asking questions about what you can expect after your treatment. “It is important to ask about pain and downtime with swelling, redness or peeling,” she explains. “Having realistic expectations about the downtime from the procedure is always helpful. When tightening treatments are successful at building the natural collagen matrix within the skin, it will still take three to four months for the body to build after the treatment.”
Inquire about expectations and after care
With the sheer amount of before-and-after photos being thrown at us across social media and beyond, it can be easy to want to jump head first into a new procedure when the results are so incredible. While skin-tightening treatments are some of the most effective noninvasive options for enhancing skin tone and texture, Dr. Bomer recommends asking your provider exactly what you can expect before you dive in. “It’s always good to understand the advantages and limitations of the procedure, the number of treatments that are recommended and if there is medical-grade skin care that should accompany the treatment path for the best outcome,” she says. “In many situations if the skin laxity exceeds the limit of what the procedure can achieve with tightening alone, a hyaluronic acid-based liquid facelift along with medical-grade skin care, and the tightening procedure itself paired with bio-stimulatory PRF, would be a more effective option. Otherwise, if laxity is quite significant, a surgical facelift may be needed.”
