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Skin tightening is one of the most requested treatments we see at Bellissimo, and one of the most misunderstood. In simple terms, “skin tightening” means making the skin look and feel firmer, smoother, and more lifted, with less sagging or looseness. Patients throughout the greater Pittsburgh area ask for it without always knowing what it technically means for skin to tighten. Here, we will review what tightening technology does at the tissue level, what results you can realistically expect, and which treatments address which concerns.
As we age, changes occur not only in the skin but also in the subcutaneous tissue beneath it, sometimes all the way down to the muscle. That is why we treat aging in layers, using different devices for different depths, rather than expecting one treatment to do everything.
Everesse: Lifting and Plumping at the Subcutaneous Level
Everesse is a form of radiofrequency that targets the subcutaneous tissue directly. It not only lifts that tissue. It plumps it, restoring some of the soft tissue volume that thins with age. We often use it along the cheeks, jawline, and neck, and it has become one of the most requested treatments among our Pittsburgh and Monroeville patients.
Everesse typically requires two treatments spaced about six weeks apart, with maintenance sessions every six months to a year thereafter. Side effects are typically mild and may include temporary redness, swelling, or slight tenderness in the treated area, which usually resolve within a few hours to a day. There is no significant downtime, and most patients return to normal activities immediately. It has been one of our most consistently successful non-surgical treatments, and it is the right starting point for patients whose primary concern is subtle laxity and volume loss rather than fat or cellulite.
Onda Pro: Reaching Deeper, Down to the Fat Above the Muscle
Onda Pro is new to the United States, though it has been used successfully in Italy and Europe for the past two years, and Bellissimo is currently the only Pittsburgh-area practice offering it. Onda Pro uses a patented radiofrequency wavelength that bypasses the skin entirely and reaches deeper than Everesse, down to the subcutaneous fat layer just above the muscle.
What makes Onda Pro different is what it can treat. In a non-surgical procedure with no downtime, it targets unwanted fat and improves the appearance of cellulite, the dimpling that so many patients, especially women, notice on the front of the thighs, the arms, and the buttocks. This device has been the first to consistently work.
Introducing Luxe Lift: Onda Pro and Sultra, Together
This year, I started combining Onda Pro with Sultra, the 1570-nanometer setting on our Helix laser, into a protocol I call Luxe Lift. It is built for a concern I see constantly in our Pittsburgh practice: cellulite and a little excess adipose tissue, paired with crepey skin sitting over top of it. That combination shows up most often above the knees, on the upper and back of the arms, and along the décolleté, though I have also used it successfully on arms after significant weight loss, where the skin has lost tone but the surgery a patient wants is not yet the right step for them.
We do Onda Pro first, because it goes deeper. There is no numbing and no prepping involved. Patients describe it as feeling like a hot stone massage, warm and genuinely comfortable. Once that portion is finished, we apply a topical numbing cream for about twenty minutes, then follow with Sultra. I think of Sultra as a shrink-wrapping effect: it heats the dermis, tightening and rebuilding crepey, thin-feeling skin.
Each Luxe Lift session is same-day, with no real downtime. Most patients start with two treatments, spaced six to eight weeks apart. After that initial pair, we monitor how the skin responds, and depending on that response, some patients need one more follow-up treatment six months to a year later, then maintenance on roughly the same schedule going forward.
Luxe Lift is not a substitute for a brachioplasty, or arm lift, and it will not deliver the same result as surgery. What it can do is tighten lax tissue and improve the look and feel of crepey skin without leaving a scar or requiring surgery. For patients who understand that difference and want a non-surgical option first, it is genuinely effective.
Matching the Treatment to the Concern
Not every laxity concern calls for the same treatment. Here is how I generally think about it:
- Face, cheeks, and jawline laxity with volume loss: Everesse, for its ability to both lift and plump subcutaneous tissue.
- Cellulite and fat on the thighs, arms, or buttocks, without significant crepey skin: Onda Pro on its own.
- Cellulite, fat, and crepey skin together, most often above the knees, the arms, or the décolleté: Luxe Lift, combining Onda Pro with Sultra.
- Texture and resurfacing concerns, such as sun damage or fine lines: Quadessy or the Helix laser’s CO2 setting, used separately from the tightening protocols above.
The right combination depends on your anatomy, the tissue layers involved, and how quickly you want to see change.
What Non-Surgical Tightening Can't Do
I want to be honest about the limits here. Tightening treatments improve the quality of tissue still in place. They do not reposition tissue that has descended and are not a substitute for surgery when surgery is needed.
If you are noticing early laxity, mild sagging, or skin that has lost some firmness but has not shifted position, tightening treatments like Everesse or Luxe Lift are a legitimate, effective option. If you are noticing sagging of the jawline, neck banding, or excess skin significant enough that a device will not meaningfully change it, such as more advanced arm laxity that calls for a brachioplasty, that is a conversation for a surgical consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Non-Surgical Skin Tightening
What is the best non-surgical skin tightening treatment in Pittsburgh?
The right treatment depends on where you notice laxity and what causes it. Everesse works well for facial and neck laxity with volume loss. Onda Pro addresses cellulite and fat directly. Luxe Lift, combining Onda Pro and Sultra, treats cellulite, fat, and crepey skin, most often on the arms, above the knees, or along the décolleté.
Can skin tightening treat the arms?
How is Luxe Lift different from using Everesse alone?
Everesse targets subcutaneous tissue to lift and plump and is most often used on the face, cheeks, and jawline. Luxe Lift adds Onda Pro‘s fat- and cellulite-targeting radiofrequency to Sultra’s surface tightening and is built for body areas where cellulite and crepey skin appear together.
How long does a Luxe Lift session take, and how many do I need?
Does a board-certified plastic surgeon oversee these treatments?
Yes. All non-surgical treatments at Bellissimo, including Everesse, Onda Pro, and Luxe Lift, are performed or supervised by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Antimarino and our medical team.
Scheduling a Consultation in Pittsburgh
If you notice skin that has lost firmness and want to know what is realistically achievable without surgery, I would like to evaluate that with you directly. Patients across Pittsburgh and Monroeville rely on our team for an honest evaluation of their concerns and the available options to address them. Schedule a consultation to find out whether Everesse, Onda Pro, Luxe Lift, or a combination is the right fit for your goals.
