This article is sponsored by SomaCell.
I’ve been thinking a lot about facelifts lately.
And, well, can you blame me? Some of the biggest stars of my millennial youth, like Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera, suddenly and inexplicably look better now than they did in their 20s. Thanks to my busy work and social schedule — plus the stress of the current news cycle — I feel like I look more tired than ever these days. And when I turn 38 next month, I’ll be just 10 years younger than Catt Sadler (one of my career idols) was when she booked a facelift, which makes me wonder if I start saving now for the incredibly pricey procedure.
To be clear, while I’m happy to experiment with non-invasive anti-aging treatments for the sake of beauty journalism — including salmon sperm facials and masks made from powdered bird poop — I’m nowhere near ready to get nipped and tucked just yet.
So when I was recently invited to try SomaCell, a groundbreaking new FDA-cleared treatment that promises to take years off your face sans pain or downtime, I jumped at the opportunity.
“SomaCell is the first novel technology to enter the US facial medical aesthetic market since Ultherapy in 2008,” founder Kim Laudati tells me, referring to the popular skin tightening treatment powered by micro-focused ultrasound.
Unlike controlled wounding therapies like lasers, chemical peels, microneedling and, yes, ultrasound — all of which “injure” the skin in order to stimulate regrowth and rejuvenation — SomaCell harnesses the power of acoustic wave therapy to trigger angiogenesis, or the process of creating new blood vessels (and, in turn, new cells) that naturally declines as we age.
“SomaCell stands out for its unique ability to treat and enhance all structural layers, not just the skin,” Laudati says of the benefits.
“It refines, lifts and smooths fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, droopy jowls and overall facial laxity while boosting the health and vitality of the entire facial structure, from the foundational layers to the visible surface.”
What’s more, with controlled wounding taken out of the equation, there’s zero risk of infection or scarring, and the treatment’s suitable for patients of any age or skin type or color.
It seemed almost too good to be true — especially when I arrived at Laudati’s NYC practice, IT Intelligent Treatment, and was informed I wouldn’t need any sort of topical numbing agent before getting started.
“SomaCell feels like a massage,” the medical aesthetic expert assured me, adding that some patients even nod off mid-session.
I didn’t quite drift off to sleep on Laudati’s table, as the procedure’s fairly noisy — “I joke that the first part sounds kind of like a jackhammer, and the second like a helicopter,” she said – but as promised, it wasn’t painful at any point. (“‘No bruising, no pain, no nothing,’ to quote one of my patients,” she’d told me.)
Starting under my chin and then moving slowly up my entire face, Laudati treated each area with two different SomaCell attachments, both of which felt like a massage gun. She spent a little extra time around my eyebrows and jawline (“to lift and sculpt”) as well as over my laugh lines and other areas more prone to visible signs of aging. Only when she moved the tools over bony prominences, like my cheekbones, orbitals and forehead, did I experience some (totally tolerable) sensitivity alongside the machine’s percussive thrum.
It’s important to note that SomaCell utilizes lower-level acoustic wave therapy as opposed to focused shockwave therapy, the latter of which is commonly used to treat cellulite and “must never be used on the face,” according to Laudati.
“Semi-permanent to permanent damage can be done, for example, to the nervous system, optical nerves and facial structure,” warned the pro, who’s extensively studied both types of treatment. (In other words: Kids, don’t try this at home.)
Following my first 45-minute treatment, my face looked glowy and refreshed, without any of the redness or irritation I’d come to expect from an in-office treatment. Laudati told me I could immediately wear makeup if desired, and didn’t need to avoid the sun (so long as I was wearing SPF, of course).
It wasn’t until I saw my before and after photos following two more SomaCell sessions that I realized just how much better my skin was looking, particularly around my eyes. My dark circles had noticeably improved and my brows were subtly lifted, opening up my entire eye area. The fine lines around my mouth, too, had softened, and the overall glow was undeniable.
“You don’t have to wait two, four or even six months for the visual results to begin being noticeable — they happen per treatment and keep getting better,” says Laudati, who recommends a series of six sessions scheduled once per week or even multiple times per week.
At $900 per treatment, that’s a total of $5,400 — an investment, to be sure, but a fraction of the price of a traditional facelift, which can cost around $50,000 (or much more) in NYC.
Now three treatments into my series — and armed with my before and afters as evidence of my progress — I’m excited to continue my SomaCell journey. If it means I can wait years longer before actually going under the knife, it’s well worth it in my book.
