What Is Hifu Treatment? | How it Works, Benefits, Costs

12th May 2022

HIFU treatments are a popular option for those seeking a non-surgical facelift to tighten their skin. We explore what it is, how it works, the benefits and the costs of HIFU.

A High Intensity Focused Ultrasound treatment, HIFU for short, is a non-invasive treatment used for anti-ageing. HIFU treatments are a popular option for those seeking a non-surgical facelift to tighten their skin.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound uses ultrasound energy to encourage collagen production to make skin firmer.

Clinical trials have found HIFU to be a safe and effective treatment for refining wrinkles and offering face lifting benefits. Results are seen within a few months after treatment and without the risks associated with facelift surgeries.

What is High Intensity Focused Ultrasound?

HIFU is a non-surgical treatment used to firm and tighten skin. It uses ultrasound energy below the surface of the skin to stimulate collagen production to help tighten, firm and lift skin.

What Are the Benefits of HIFU?

There are many skin tightening benefits of HIFU treatments. HIFU can be used to lift the eyebrow and forehead area, tighten and lift around the cheeks, sculpt and tighten the jawline, smooth fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth and reduce skin laxity on the face and body.

This means that the following skin concerns can be targeted by HIFU:

• Lifting drooping eyelids or eyebrows.
• Reducing the appearance of jowls.
• Smoothing wrinkles.
• Tightening neck skin and décolletage.

How Does HIFU Work?

HIFU uses focussed ultrasound energy to heat the skin at a deep level. At 60°C and 80°C, the targeted cells become damaged, which stimulates the body’s natural healing response, kickstarting a repair process that produces new collagen and elastin.

The natural production of collagen and elastin declines with age, leading to sagging skin, lines and wrinkles. By encouraging the production of new collagen and elastin, skin can become firmer and smoother, with wrinkles becoming less visible.

The HIFU energy is applied to a depth of 1.5-4.5mm in the skin, depending on the specific skin concern being treated. For example, a client with severe skin laxity may need a treatment at a deeper level.

HIFU cartridges to the depth of 1.5mm, 3.0mm, and 4.5mm are used during a typical facial tightening and contouring process.

What Is the Downtime for HIFU?

HIFU treatments are non-invasive, so there is virtually no downtime for this treatment. Known as the ‘lunchtime face lift’, you should be able to have a HIFU treatment and then carry on with your day as usual with no recovery measures required.

After a HIFU treatment, clients may experience redness, minor swelling, tenderness or mild tingling.

When Will You See Results From HIFU Treatments?

Initial improvements may be immediately obvious, but most clients will see lifting, tightening and firming two to three months after their treatment.

This is because the skin needs time to repair and produce new collagen and elastin, which won’t happen overnight! Your skin will continue to build up collagen, so further improvements may even be seen for up to six months past your final procedure.

How Often Can You Have HIFU Treatments?

HIFU treatments can be carried out every 4-6 weeks, but as it can take around 12 weeks from your treatment for the results to become noticeable, it is best to wait to ensure time for the results of the previous treatment to be seen before deciding whether to have more treatments or not. Further treatments can be helpful for further refining and lifting the face if required.

You can get top-up sessions for HIFU as needed, but once the desired result for your non-surgical facelift has been achieved, the treatment should last 1-2 years, depending on your age and lifestyle.

How Much Does HIFU Cost?

At Bristol Skin Clinic, HIFU treatment pricing starts from £650.

When you consider a surgical facelift will set you back thousands of pounds, plus a lot of downtime for surgery recovery, a HIFU treatment can be a much more desirable option.

Who Can Have HIFU Treatments?

HIFU treatments are suitable for all skin types, as it does not target pigmentation.

People with a higher level of loose or saggy skin, or sun-damaged skin, may need several treatments before seeing results.

Not sure if HIFU is the right treatment for your skin? Take a look at our post exploring the benefits of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound versus Ultherapy for skin tightening to see the difference between each of these treatments.

If you’d like more advice on whether HIFU would help your skin, please get in touch with our expert team and arrange a consultation today.