Facetite
FaceTite Treatment in Atlanta, GA
We all want to look our best and put our best face forward to the world—to our partners, friends, colleagues, and social contacts. As medical knowledge and aesthetic technology continue to evolve, more and more doctors and patients seek advanced treatments to address aesthetic concerns and stave off the signs of aging. At Aviva Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics, our Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Inessa Fishman, specializes in a treatment called FaceTite for face, neck, and tissue contouring and skin tightening. FaceTite is an advanced contraction and contouring system, and is the next best alternative to a facelift and neck lift without invasive surgery.
Today more than ever, men and women are looking for minimally invasive, maximally beneficial treatments without the requirements for anesthesia or prolonged recovery time. While our patients want to look energetic and vibrant, they often have busy careers and many family and social commitments, making a prolonged treatment recovery difficult or impossible. Furthermore, a significant number of patients that come to our practice are often younger and may not be great candidates for surgery—but still want to look their best. FaceTite, a radiofrequency (RF) treatment which boasts minimal downtime, no scars, and impressive tissue contouring results, allows Dr. Fishman to provide beautiful and natural improvements in the contours of the face and body without the commitment of surgery.
What Are the Benefits of FaceTite?
The main benefit of FaceTite is the ability to turn back the clock without surgery. FaceTite avoids the need for general anesthesia, long incisions and scars, and weeks of swelling and recovery. With FaceTite treatment, Dr. Fishman can treat both younger patients wanting to get rid of excess fat, such as unwanted fullness under the chin, and more mature patients who want to get rid of jowls and tighten loosening skin along the lower face and neck. The minimally-invasive nature of the FaceTite treatment allows for little downtime for the majority of patients. An added benefit of FaceTite is Dr. Fishman’s ability to combine this treatment with other procedures, such as liposuction and Morpheus radiofrequency microneeding for greater tissue contouring and tightening.
Dr. Inessa Fishman is excellent. My FaceTite procedure went very well and I am very content with my results. I will be referring my friends to her.
How Does FaceTite Work?
FaceTite is an FDA-approved radiofrequency tissue heating treatment which works by delivering controlled and precise heating to tissues under the skin. When performing a FaceTite treatment, Dr. Fishman uses the slim FaceTite probe to access and heat the fat and connective collagen bundles under the skin—the tissues that pad and hold the skin onto the body. With the FaceTite treatment, Dr. Fishman melts excess fat and contracts the collagen attachments of the skin, essentially shrink-wrapping the tissues under and at the skin level, and providing a smoother, more toned and youthful contour to the face, neck, and body (see video below). This helps Dr. Fishman lift up developing jowls and tighten excess skin along the lower face, jawline, chin, neck, and elsewhere—without cutting or removing tissue.
Am I a Good Candidate for FaceTite Treatment?
Most men and women in good health who want tighter, more youthful contours to the face and neck may be good candidates for FaceTite treatment. Dr. Fishman uses FaceTite to treat jowls and drooping tissues along the jawline and under the chin and neck. Other areas that can be treated with FaceTite include bra rolls, small fatty deposits along the armpits, arms, back, and abdomen, and loose, bothersome skin above the knees. Best candidates for FaceTite treatment have good skin quality, and are able to regenerate collagen well—as the FaceTite treatment is dependent on the ability to form collagen and elastic, two proteins important for healthy skin. Dr. Fishman thoroughly evaluates her patients prior to making a recommendation regarding FaceTite or other appropriate treatments.
What Is the Recovery After FaceTite Treatment?
Immediately after treatment, most patients note swelling and numbness within the treated areas. Dr. Fishman places a compression garment onto the areas of treatment (like a supportive chin strap over the lower face and neck), and recommends compression for a few days post-treatment and every night for approximately 2 weeks. Discomfort after FaceTite treatments tends to be mild, and is usually well-controlled with gentle compression and Tylenol. Patients are cleared to bathe and shower—and wet the treatment areas—at approximately 24 hours after FaceTite treatment. While side-effects like bruising and redness can happen, they are not common. The majority of patients return to work and social activities within 2-4 days after treatment.
FaceTite FAQs at Aviva Plastic Surgery
Most FaceTite procedures performed at our practices are comfortably carried with a combination of laughing gas (ProNox) and injectable numbing or freezing medication. Most patients are comfortable and awake during the FaceTite procedure and can drive themselves home after treatment. We sometimes supplement the pre-treatment regimen with relaxing medications by mouth, such as Valium or Xanax; patients who receive these medications are relaxed and awake during treatment, and must arrange for transportation home after treatment. Occasionally, Dr. Fishman combines FaceTite treatment with other procedures, such as blepharoplasty or surgical face lifting. In these cases, FaceTite treatments are performed under general anesthesia if the patient is already undergoing a treatment requiring a general anesthetic.
Depending on the areas treated, a FaceTite procedure can take 1-3 hours in the office. Treatment time involves discussing pre-treatment questions, going over consent for treatment, taking pre-procedure photographs, and ensuring comfort with numbing medications and ProNox (relaxing laughing gas). Sometimes, Dr. Fishman combines FaceTite with liposuction and/ or the Morpheus radiofrequency heating microneedling procedure, which may extend total treatment time.
During FaceTite treatment, Dr. Fishman uses a small needle to create a tiny opening in the skin; this allows for placement of the slim FaceTite probe (the diameter of a spaghetti noodle), and is the only incision required for treatment. Unlike a surgical facelift or neck lift, FaceTite does not involve long incisions or excision of skin; for this reason, FaceTite treatment does not leave long or visible scars.
The injection of the numbing or freezing medication prior to the FaceTite treatment produces a stinging sensation, which is uncomfortable. To minimize this discomfort, we provide ProNox (relaxing laughing gas) and/or pre-treatment relaxing medications such as Valium or Xanax before the numbing medicine. Most of Dr. Fishman’s FaceTite patients describe a bruised, sore sensation or tight sensation and patchy numbness after treatment, with most discomfort fading away after 1-3 days. Some patients may develop mild bruising after surgery, which usually resolves over 3-5+ days. Temporary numbness and itching in and around the treated area are very common, and resolve over the course of several weeks in the vast majority of patients.
FaceTite treatment uses radiofrequency-generated heat to contract tissues and melt excess fat. Because of this, some of the benefits of FaceTite treatment are apparent immediately after the procedure. The vast majority of improvement takes longer to appear, however. This is because the majority of the FaceTite’s benefits appear after the patient has had a chance to generate new collagen and elastin, two proteins important for the health and elasticity of skin and tissues. This collagen regeneration process takes several weeks, and the majority of FaceTite’s improvement is apparent between 4 and 6 months, with tissue and skin contraction continuing to take place for approximately a year after treatment.