With Thermage, how can I determine how many pulses would be good for the face or eyes?

Hi Dr Irwin, Love your website! Thank you! My question is about eyelid Thermage. I am considering eyelid Thermage for some early/mild skin laxity on my 40 year old, pale skin. In your 'Thermage Problems' page you advise that the 900 pulse tip should be used for the full face using the vector method. Is this the same for the eyes or is a different, lower pulse tip used? I was discussing Thermage with a clinician who mentioned they use a lower pulse tip on the eyes, is this what I should expect? If so, does a lower pulse tip also effect the outcome? I would love to know the right questions to ask (and answers to expect) Thank you

Thank you for writing!  First of all, my bad on the 900 (I miswrote that).  We use 600 pulses on the face and then add 300 for the neck as well so face and neck together would be 900.   The tip for the face and the tip for eyelids are different!  The eyelid tip is smaller because the skin is thinner and the area much less.  It has 225 pulses for each treatment (both eyes) so 125 pulses per eyelid.  The eyelid tip is FDA approved.   

Hope this helps,  Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

Ask me your skincare question!

Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
  • My medical office in Seattle has treated thousands of patients for 15+ years.
  • This site is not affiliated or financially tied to any product, treatment or device.
Ask Me Something
SkinTour Skincare
One of the best investments in your skin is your daily skincare. Why? Because you can prevent many problems with blotchy skin color, lack of glow, texture, some types of acne, and fine lines with good skincare products. You can also correct some of these problems with effective skincare products. Great skincare is often more expensive because quality ingredients are expensive. Some companies spend on research/development which benefits all of us and adds to the cost. Are they worth it? In general - yes! I have handpicked some of what I consider to be the best skin care products, and offer them for sale on SkinTour's shop. This is based on my team and I's testing and research at our clinic. Many of the products are in my own regimen. What could be better than using skin care products a dermatologist uses?!