What Is HIFU? Introducing The Non-Invasive Skin Tightening Treatment
Living in 2021 means there are constant skin treatments and procedures out there that promise that you’ll look tighter, firmer, more youthful, and with a glowing complexion most commonly seen on Hollywood royalty.
One trend that has risen in popularity over the last few years has been HIFU – otherwise known as high-intensity focused ultrasound. Popular with everyone from Jennifer Aniston to the Kardashians, HIFU is a skin tightening treatment that promises results with the benefit of it being safe, non-invasive, and with little downtime and recovery.
Now I’m the first to admit, the older I get, the more I get sucked into new beauty fads and crazes. A new facial to try? Check. Skin needling? Sign me up. Any skincare that promises to be anti-ageing and nourishing for your skin? I need it.
But as someone who has noticed ageing but doesn’t want to walk down the Botox path just yet, what does that leave me with?
After a skin consult in 2020, the specialist noticed I age lower in my face and that the older I get, the more pronounced my jowls would become. She suggested fixing it up with filler, but at hundreds of dollars per pop with results lasting anywhere between six to 12 months, filler isn’t always a viable option.
Enter HIFU.
Once I started reading more about it, the more intrigued I got. After a friend told me of her experience sculpting her face and stomach, I decided to go figure out what HIFI was all about.
I paid a visit to Lana at Results Body & Skin Clinic in Bondi Junction to see what the craze was all about. Immediately she made me feel right at home and welcome. When you’re going in to discuss issues and worries with your face, you need someone who has your best interests at heart and isn’t there to take advantage of you.
Lana explained HIFU could give me great results around my jaw and chin line, and on the deeper lines around my mouth (who else is guilty of sleeping on their side and giving themselves some permanent lines?!). Lana also explained to me that because I have quite a small, thin face, the procedure wouldn’t be necessary for all over and that it was only necessary to treat the area around my jawline to give me some more definition again.
View this post on Instagram
Here’s what happened when I got HIFU at Results Skin & Body Clinic.
What exactly is HIFU?
As Lana explained to me, HIFU is a totally natural way to treat anti-ageing and sculpt your body. Micro-shots of high intensity focused ultrasound energy are beamed into the surface of the skin, stimulating new collagen. At the same time, the micro-shots tighten muscles, improve your skin texture, and reduce wrinkles to give you a lifted look naturally.
Image via Results Body & Skin Clinic.
What does HIFU feel like?
Getting the procedure done wasn’t overly painful. Lana walked me through what the sensation would feel like so I was prepared, and was sure to check in on me to make sure I wasn’t feeling any discomfort.
Now I’ll be the first to note, I have a relatively good pain threshold, so to me the treatment felt like warm zaps on my skin – sometimes feeling slightly more uncomfortable around the bonier parts of my face. If you’ve survived a procedure like skin needling before, you can absolutely survive HIFU without having any worries!
For a few days afterwards, the treated area may feel a little sore. It’s not anything that will impact your every day at all, it’s only tender if you touch the area. I barely noticed my jaw aching at all, unless I went to put my head in my hands and even then it only felt like a slight bruise.
What are the benefits of HIFU?
HIFU is great for someone who isn’t wanting to do Botox or fillers to achieve a more natural, youthful appearance. There’s no potential for scarring when it comes to doing HIFU and there’s absolutely no downtime. You can do it during your lunch break and return to work. I asked Lana after my session whether I should avoid the gym or alcohol for any amount of time, and she waved me off with a laugh – so not only are you getting an advanced skin treatment, the fact you can go straight back into your life like nothing has happened is an added bonus!
Of course, maybe the best thing about HIFU is the fact only one treatment is necessary and results can last up to two or three years.
What does a before and after of HIFU look like?
The best part about HIFU is that it’s working while you don’t even realise it’s working. You’re not going into work the next day with a drastically changed look. Results may take 8-12 weeks to fully show, but it’s worth it when you get to see the before and after pictures.
For me, I went into a mild panic when I sent my sister a photo six months ago showing her what shirt I had borrowed from her. It was one of those moments where you take an innocent photo and then be like, “oh shit, is that how I look right now?!”
Now when I compare that photo to how my lower face looks post-HIFU, I’m pretty bloody stoked.
While I still will age predominantly faster in my lower face, thanks to Lana’s guidance and sculpting, you can see my jawline looks more defined which has given my chin some more shape. The HIFU has also helped tighten the skin under my chin and jawline, while the lines around my mouth are definitely not as deep. I’ve also noticed when I put makeup on now, I nearly look like I can achieve cheekbones, which is huge for someone a little more jowl-heavy like me.
To get another look at a before and after shot from side-on, here’s one straight from Results Skin & Body Clinic’s website.
Apart from the face, what else is HIFU good for?
While it’s obviously great for jawlines and face contouring, Lana states on the Results website that HIFU is also great for arms, elbows, stomach, inner thighs and knees. We also had a chat when I was in the clinic about the results of HIFU vs. something like fat-freezing (a procedure that’s popping up in a LOT of skin clinics these days), with Lana saying HIFU delivers much better results.
Prices vary depending on what areas you’re looking to target, so the best way to find out how much it may set you back is reaching out to your clinic of choice.
So if you do decide to get it, make sure you trust the skin consultant you’re seeing and then go on and live your best life with a radiant new look, with zero downtime or stress!
_
Please note the HIFU procedure conducted by Results Skin & Body clinic was offered to us free of charge. Results Skin & Body Clinic operates in both Sydney and Melbourne and believe in restoring skin to its optimal condition. Find out more about their treatments on their website.