Titan

'Titan' – Skin Tight - in a New Light
by Loreen Berlin

The new "Titan" – Skin Tight - in a New Light is an ideal solution to eliminating unwanted sagging in the face, neck, stomach, arms and legs, with results lasting for several years, according to Thomas Simerson, M.D. Simerson recently appeared as a guest on the Los Alamitos TV3 Cable Station on the "Wellness and Rejuvenation" show produced by Lorraine Urbina, D.C., Registered Trigenics Physician, and Licensed Aesthetician. He is the first doctor to bring Titan to Los Alamitos. Simerson is a member of the medical team at Suddenly Younger & Slimmer Wellness Spa in Los Alamitos. Simerson has been board certified in internal medicine for 35 years and has practiced internal medicine for 17 years. He switched to the emergency room and worked full-time for 15 years, until approximately three years ago when he said, "I saw the light and started to practice just cosmetic medicine."

Simerson provides Botox, dermal fillers, laser hair removal, intense light treatments of the face called "Photo Facials" and now the new technology the Titan, which is a skin tightener. "It’s basically considered a mini face lift," he said, noting that if a person needs aface lift for a "lot" of severe problems with sagging skin in the face, they still need a regular face lift. "Titan is for mild-to-moderate sagging of the skin and wrinkles in the face or neck," he said. The technique is infrared and what it does is heat up the lower dermis, causing the collagen to contract, thus tightening the skin, Simerson said. "The technique simultaneously cools the surface of the skin. If you warm the lower part of the skin without cooling the surface of the skin, you could get blisters and burns," he said. It is recommended that a person have two-to-four treatments, which should last several years.

The machine that delivers the energy has a computer screen for controlling the energy levels and the number of pulses. "The main work is done by a wand that has cooling in the surface and is directed by light. There is a light that comes on and lasts approximately six seconds and then goes away; that's when the energy is being delivered and at the same time, there’s cooling by part of the wand," he said. The wand can be placed in certain sections of the face, or another technique is to slide the wand along the face. More professionals are now sliding the wand, as it can deliver a higher energy in a more comfortable setting.

Titan is very new. A similar technique called Thermage has been around longer; it’s a different technique in that the energy is in the form of radio frequency, where as this is infrared, said Simerson. "Titan is the more comfortable procedure of the two." How does Titan compare with the laser radio wave treatment? The Titan is not really a laser. It delivers energy over a range of wave lengths, where as laser is a very specific wave length, Simerson said. “Safety is the other big factor; there are no side effects if the technique is done properly," he said, but if not administered properly, there is the potential for blistering. Simerson said any person in California who runs the Titan machine has to be either a Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician’s Assistant, or a Physician.

With the Titan, you see immediate results and continue to see improved results for a period of four-to-six months. "The experience is gradual improvement – with tightening of the collagen of the dermis of the skin; when the second treatment is done, which is recommended in four-to-six weeks, many people notice improvement by the time they leave the office, but the actual progression appears over the next four-to-six months," Simerson said. Titan is good for sagging under the neck and chin, jowls, and around the mouth. Titan is not for everyone. "If they have a ‘lot’ of sagging, the surgical face lift is still the gold standard, but Titan is a technique that can be done to put off the face lift for five-10-or possibly 15 years if a person keeps up with the techniques that have been developed in the last few years," Simerson said.

With Titan, there are no knives, no surgery, no down time, no recovery time, and no pain for a patient to tighten the neck and jaw-line. For severe wrinkles and deep furrows, a surgical face lift is still the best, but for mild-to-moderate wrinkles, Titan is the treatment, before things get that bad, Simerson said. "And sometimes for the person who has had a face lift (face lifts don’t last forever either – they last for six-to-10 years), and there is sagginess again, rather than have another surgical procedure, they can have the Titan procedure without surgery,” Simerson said. Having another option to a surgical face lift is nice because the Titan is much more comfortable and easier – you can have the treatment and then go out to dinner. “There is no down time and that is definitely a big bonus," said Simerson.

Titan is not to reduce weight, but in some conditions where people have lost weight and have saggy skin because they’ve lost the weight, this is a good time to consider the Titan procedure, Simerson said. "Many women don’t like saggy skin on the back of their arms, and inner thighs, they like a reduction there and this procedure can be done on those areas." The nasal labial folds can be softened, as a part of making ourselves feel better, Simerson said. We all want to look and feel better because looking better makes us feel better whether it’s a new outfit, hair style or softening our wrinkles. Eighty percent of the people who are doing the procedure are women. Those 18-90 years are eligible, though usually 18-year-olds don’t have wrinkles. The eyes are covered for protection; it’s a very simple procedure.

Like in all procedures, women who are pregnant are advised to wait until they deliver, as to not take chances even though the procedure is safe. People in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s have the conditions for the Titan procedure. Younger people want to use it to beat aging to the punch, Simerson said. "Fillers, Botox, Photo Facials are good procedures for younger people with minor wrinkling because it smoothes the surface of the skin and takes away sun spots, aging spots, roscea, which is tiny blood vessels that make the cheeks blush red – that’s the best treatment for those items," Simerson said.

Three years ago, to show people the results of a Photo Facial, Simerson had the Photo Facial done on one of his hands, which made the skin look younger and took away the sun/brown spots. The Photo Facial is commonly done on the face and neck. "Patients can do Titan and then do a Photo Facial as a Combination," he said.

Simerson said that fillers have done quite an evolution, beginning with simple collagen. "Most of the filler’s in use today have a limitation of four-to-six months before they dissolve back into the body’s system," he said. Products that last up to two years are gradually being introduced into the market and are safe according to Simerson. Titan is FDA approved. Simerson said the government not only checks out drugs for safety, but medical devices are also given the stamp of approval by the FDA which means they are safe and effective. "Titan is 85 percent effective – meaning that not everyone gets the same results," he said.

The procedure takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes, and that includes going over the forms that patients sign as in any normal procedure. There is no prep time. You can walk in from work, wash off your makeup and have the procedure. Professional treatments along with home care are a good suggestion.

Before and after results: