So you want to get rid of those fine lines and wrinkles, improve your complexion and take a few years off your face, but the thought of the pain, recovery time and general discomfort of going under the knife is not the most appealing idea. Well ThermaCool Thermage, the newest non-surgical face-lift procedure, may just be the solution to your troubles.

Also known as Thermage, ThermaCool is called the "lunchtime face lift." This is because it takes only about an hour to perform and requires no recovery downtime. FDA-approved, ThermaCool has many benefits including tightening of the skin, lifting of the face, brow and cheeks, improvement of acne, rosacea and broken blood vessels. Other benefits include the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.

ThermaCool will not fill in deep creases, eliminate acne and scarring entirely, or tighten the skin on the neck. Because the procedure works on healing the skin, results become significant in about three weeks, with increasing improvement noticed over several months.
Depending upon how you age, ThermaCool may or may not be the procedure for you. Most people age in one of two ways, either they notice fine lines and wrinkles around the lips, eyes and cheeks, or they notice that their face begins to sag creating a square jaw line, fat pads under the eyes, and a general falling of the face. ThermaCool is best suited for the latter. Of course, the only way you can really know if ThermaCool is the best procedure for you is to talk to a professional.

Prior to treatment, the doctor applies a topical anesthetic cream to the patient’s skin. Using radio frequency energy, the deep dermis of the skin is heated. This causes an immediate collagen contraction, followed by gradual collagen tightening. To protect the skin’s epidermis, a cryogen spray cools the skin's surface before, during and after each radio frequency pulse. If you’re wondering if ThermaCool hurts, the answer varies. A number of factors determine a patient's experience during the procedure. These include how evenly the topical anesthetic is applied, whether the patient took any pain killers or mild sedatives prior to the procedure, as well as a patient's natural sensitivity to pain.

According to DocShop.com, the cost of Thermage treatment averages between $1000 and $5000.