With the current trend of non-surgical skin treatments, Botox and the Fraxel laser are bringing doctors and medi spas millions of new patients and dollars. One of the newer procedures,  Radiage, is currently being preformed to treat the aging eye area. Radiage is a non-ablative, non-surgical skin tightening treatment that uses radio waves to gently heat up the skin, stimulate collagen and tighten baggy eyes, crow's feet and loose pockets of skin. The treatment can also be applied to firm up other parts of the body, such as the legs and abdomen.

How it works: A gel is applied to the area to cool the outer surface. A radiage 'wand' is then applied to heat the site which affects the soft tissue beneath the skin, causing the collagen to contract and tighten. There is minimal pain during the procedure, but typically patients are told to take a oral pain medication before the session.

Who is it for: It's suitable for all most types since there are no incisions and no lasers that can effect darker pigmented skin.

Side effects: Expect a slight reddening of the skin for about an hour after the procedure.

Costs: About $400 per treatment, but multiple treatments are usually required, usually 4 or 5, administered about three weeks apart.

Results: Most patients see some results immediately, however, optimal results will be gradual over a three to six month period as the skin tightens and more new collagen is formed. Results last from 12 to 16 months.

At a certain point, we will all have to face the issue of sagging skin. Whether it's sagging skin on our faces due to age, sagging skin on our bodies due to weight loss, or premature sagging skin due to genetics. Thankfully, due to modern technology there are many ways to treat sagging skin. In sever cases, such as drastic weight loss, there is no other option than surgery. A surgery would be performed to cut away the sagging skin, but this is only for extreme cases. For most of us, laser therapy can treat sagging skin on our faces and body.

Lasers are becoming increasingly popular due to their amazing results and the fact that they are non-invasive and require very little down time, especially when compared to surgery. Laser treatments work by helping to stimulate the development of new collagen and by getting heat deeply into the skin to help tighten fibrous bands. The combination of ample collagen and strong fibrous bands are what keeps skin firm.

Currently there are three systems that use lasers to tighten skin. They are Palomar Lux Deep IR, Cutera Titan, and CoolTouch. These treatments can be pricey, especially if you'll need several sessions, but the results are visible and impressive.

The Palomar Lux Deep IR Fractional Handpiece sends infrared light pulses deep into the dermis, where it creates a carefully controlled area of elevated temperature. These areas of elevated temperature cause soft tissue coagulation, which can lead to collagen remodeling in the deep dermis. Remodeled collagen can tighten sagging skin. Deep heating with infrared light can also stimulate increased collagen production, to create long term results. In addition, subsequent regrowth of cells and new collagen expression from neighboring healthy tissue during the healing process provides a quicker remodeling process, with little to no downtime for the client. Costs are between $700 and $1,000 per treatment.

Here are a couple of Palomar Lux Deep IR before and after photos.

Cutera Titan works in the same way as Palomar Lux Deep. The treatment can be used as a no-downtime procedure for skin tightening. It is particularly useful for creeping skin around the eyes, but can work on many areas on the body where skin is lax. Loose skin on the abdomen, back of the upper arm, along the jaw line and under the chin have responded particularly well to the procedure. Depending on the extent of the skin damage, treatments range anywhere from $500 to $2500.

Here are some Cutera Titan before and after photos.

Cool Touch also works the same way as the above systems, with no real difference. The costs are between $700 and $1,000 per treatment depending on how many treatments you will need.

There aren't many before and after pictures available for the Cool Touch skin tightening. Here is one, and the results aren't nearly as good as with the other two systems.