Exploring HIFU: A Deep Dive into the Popular Aesthetic Procedure

Thanks in part to the amount of beauty treatments I get to review for living, I’ve generally been pretty satisfied with the condition of my skin.  Or at least I was. Until around 18 months ago, when my agonising jaw pain (triggered by an immense amount of clenching), convinced me to indulged in some masseter botox.

Whilst the botox did a fine job of reliving the pain, I hadn’t given much thought to the aesthetic results of the procedure. By reducing the size of my masseter mussels through the use of botox, my jawline suddenly wasn’t looking as snatched any more. Instead of a streamlined visage, I had suddenly become the “not so proud owner” of a brand new set jowls. To say I was horrified was an understatement.

For the next few weeks I set about researching the best non-invasive treatments to restore my jawline to it’s former incarnation. One treatment that seemed to stand head and shoulders above the rest was HIFU.

Taking full advantage of my position as a beauty editor I touched base with the pr team for Lynton Lasers, the company behind Focus Duel HIFU, and before I new it, I was booked in for my first session at the acclaimed D.Thomas Clinic in London.

Founded by award-winning skin and laser expert Debbie Thomas, the D.Thomas Clinic is renowned for it’s holistic approach to advanced technology treatments. Ok, so HIFU may not be a laser (it’s a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) but if I was going to get results, Debbie and her team were the ones to do it.

What is HIFU?

As we age, facial volume loss, particularly in the mid and lower face can become more and more prominent. At the same time skin starts to loose it’s elasticity and firmness, meaning it’s less able to snap back into place. This becomes most obvious around the jawline and chin, creating the look of jowls and a less snatched appearance.

The HIFU Focus Dual woks by stimulating both the deeper SMAS layer (a tissue sheet of collagen and elastin fibers, and fat cells), the same layer targeted by surgical facelifts, and the dermal layers of skin.

Penetrating heat deep within the skin cells to create localised damage, it triggers the skin to heals its self, producing more collagen to thicken, tighten and lift the skin.

Another reason Focus Dual HIFU stands out from other high intensity focused ultrasound devices is the way practitioners are able to target exactly where they wants to promote the healing response and by how much, allowing them to avoid unwanted areas and tailor the treatment to the clients individual needs.

What does the treatment involve?

As with all treatments the session begins with a full cleanse before the practitioner marks out (using a white pencil) exactly what areas she is going to target with the HIFU and where she will avoid. A cool conductive gel is then smoothed over the area (in my case it was the face and neck), before the hand held device stars to glide across the grid like pattern, emitting bursts of ultrasound waves beneath the skins surface.

Depending on your personal setting the bursts of energy range from slightly uncomfortable to jaw clinchingly painful (literally). Thankfully the most painful moments are relatively swift and tend to be localised around the bony areas.

I believe the pain does also vary from person to person. I personally found the neck to comparatively bearable, where as I am told others find this the most painful area. My advice is to take some inspiration from hypno-birthing and breath through it.

IS THERE ANY DOWNTIMe?

The whole session takes around 45 minutes and then I am free to go. Other than a slightly pink tinge to my skin and a little more of a lift, no-one would be able to guess I had anything done. The true essence of a lunchtime facelift.

Over the next few days, I experience some mild swelling and tenderness but nothing that a couple of paracetamol couldn’t deal with and certainly not something that was noticeable by sight.

I continued with the recommend three sessions, each spread an average of 6 weeks apart and each post treatment experience was pretty much a carbon copy of the first.

Can anyone have HIFU

Although in theory any adult could have HIFU, this isn’t a machine designed for younger skin. In fact the D.Thomas clinic recommends the treatment for those in their forties and upwards, as this is when skin naturally begins to lose its elasticity and firmness. Another reason being, that HIFU works best by tightening lax skin, so those who are younger with a still-firm complexion may not see such obvious results.

“The older you are, the more noticeable the effects of HIFU will be, particularly in terms of lift and tightness” explains the team at D.Thomas. Its an expensive treatment, so If you don’t have the skin for it, you may just end up feeling like you’ve wasted your money. Yet another example of why its’ so important to go to a trusted clinic, who aren’t going to try and sell you everything on the treatment list .

Is HIFU worth it?

In short yes. Though the results from HIFU aren’t as extreme as an actual facelift, they are more than impressive. The key is to remain patient and not expect results overnight. Building all that lovely plumping lifting collagen takes times and it can take up to 3 months post treatment to see the full effect, with results being accumulative with each session.

Admittedly it may not be the most comfortable or even cheapest treatment on the market but it’s a hell of a lot less painful (and expensive) than going under the knife, no to mention safer. If that’s not enough, HIFU also works to slow down the overall ageing process of the skin, preserving and renewing its elasticity in the long-term. Meaning you may never need that visit to the surgeon in the first place.

Which brings me back to the reason I looked into HIFU to begin with… my jowls.  Three sessions in and my jawline has returned to its pre-masseter botox state and dare I say it, even a be little more snatched than it was to begin with.

HIFU Full face: Starting from £950 per session

HIFU Full face and neck: Starting from £1250 per session

To book your HIFU consultation visit dthomas.com