The honest answer: 12 to 18 months on average. But this number varies considerably based on age, lifestyle, skin care and stress level. With the right strategy you can extend the effect to 24 months. With bad habits, you may only see 10 months. This guide explains what factors influence and how to maximize duration.
Standard Duration: Month by Month
- Month 0 (session day): slight initial tightening visible.
- Months 1-3: active neocollagenesis. Result accelerates.
- Month 3-6: peak result. The most evident lifting.
- Month 6-12: stable result. The lifting is maintained.
- Month 12-15: result begins to gradually decrease.
- Month 18: approximately 70-80% of the result is maintained.
- Month 24: approximately 40-50% of the result is maintained (without maintenance).
Factors That Influence Duration
- Patient age: the younger, more lasting (better natural collagen response).
- Skin quality: healthy skin maintains result longer.
- Genetics: some patients have natural skin "memory."
- Sun exposure: sun degrades existing and new collagen.
- Smoking: reduces dermal blood flow, shortens results 30-40%.
- Diet: protein and antioxidant deficiency reduces fibroblast response.
- Stress: chronic cortisol degrades collagen.
- Sleep: sleeping less than 6h chronically affects regeneration.
How to Extend the Effect
- Religious sun protection: SPF 50+ daily, also indoors near windows.
- Topical retinol: from week 3, apply 3-4 nights/week.
- Topical vitamin C: daily mornings.
- Adequate protein diet: 1g/kg body weight daily for collagen substrate.
- Oral antioxidants: vitamin C, E, polyphenols.
- Quality sleep: 7-9 hours consistently.
- Cardiovascular exercise: improves dermal blood flow.
- Stress management: meditation, yoga, regulated lifestyle.
Patients with these habits regularly extend the result to 18-24 months.
What Shortens the Effect (Avoid)
- Smoking: the worst enemy of collagen. Can reduce duration by 40%.
- Excessive alcohol: dehydrates and inflames the dermis.
- Chronic unprotected sun exposure: destroys new collagen.
- Crash diets: nutritional deficiency affects regeneration.
- Chronic stress: elevated cortisol degrades collagen.
- Insufficient sleep (less than 6h chronically): reduces nightly skin repair.
- Aggressive cosmetic products without medical supervision: can damage the dermis.
Annual Maintenance Strategy
The smartest strategy is annual maintenance, not waiting for the result to disappear:
- Year 1: first complete session.
- Year 2: maintenance session at month 12-15 (renews before significant loss).
- Year 3+: annual sessions at the same point.
This protocol allows accumulating a "collagen base" that progressively improves, instead of doing reactive corrections every 2 years.
Plan your annual maintenance protocol
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Book free consultationFrequently asked questions
Exactly how long does the effect last?
12-18 months average. With healthy lifestyle 18-24 months. Smokers 10-12 months.
What happens after 18 months?
Result fades gradually. Annual maintenance recommended.
Can I extend the effect?
Yes. Daily SPF 50+, retinol, antioxidants, no smoking, quality sleep.