Ulthera

Ulthera delivers heat inside the skin to tighten tissue and help new collagen form. Changes usually appear gradually over 2–3 months and may continue until about 6 months. Rather than a dramatic change like surgery, it suits mild sagging and loss of elasticity. The degree of change and how long it lasts vary with age, skin thickness, and degree of sagging.

When the ultrasound focuses, you may feel heat or a sharp tingling inside the skin, and it may be felt more near bone, such as the cheekbones, jawline, and forehead. Usually, numbing cream is applied and left for 30–60 min before treatment. Pain is reported to average about 5 on a 10-point scale and varies from person to person. If it hurts too much, tell us right away during treatment.

Ulthera treatment takes 30–90 min, and the larger the treatment area, the longer it takes. This does not include the 30–60 min for applying numbing cream and waiting. We tell you the total time, including consultation, the imaging check and mapping, and soothing, after an examination.

Redness usually settles in about an hour, and swelling within a few days. You can generally wear makeup and go about daily life from the day of treatment. However, avoid saunas and showers on the day of treatment, and wash your face gently in the way we explain at your examination. Avoid smoking and alcohol for 1 week. Soreness when pressed may last up to about 1 month, and bruising, if it occurs, usually fades within 2 weeks.

Ulthera is usually done once, and progress is checked at 2–3 months. The next treatment is often discussed again after 6–12 months, depending on the degree of sagging and the pace of aging. How long results last differs from person to person, so we cannot promise a set duration.

Ulthera uses focused ultrasound to create small thermal coagulation points in the dermis and near the fascia layer (SMAS). Thermage FLX delivers radiofrequency heat to the dermis while cooling the epidermis. Because they reach different layers in different ways, they are sometimes planned together. If you have had or plan to have other treatments, tell us the type and dates during the consultation. Whether to have them on the same day, and the order and interval, are decided after an examination, based on your skin.

DM Dermatology's Ulthera options are 100 shots, 300 shots, and 400 shots. A shot is one line of ultrasound emitted with the handpiece on the skin, so more shots can cover a wider area or be spread more densely over the same area. Generally, about 400 shots are used to treat the forehead, face, and upper neck together. However, the number of shots alone does not determine the result, and areas and shot counts are decided after an examination.

Both devices use high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to create small thermal coagulation points in the skin. Ulthera uses the handpiece's imaging function to view the skin layers on the treatment screen and choose the depth. Shurink is made by the Korean company Classys and uses interchangeable cartridges with fixed focal depths. Neither device can be called better, and we choose based on skin thickness, degree of sagging, and sensitivity to pain.

Ulthera is not a treatment meant to reduce facial fat. However, in people with thin facial fat, the cheeks may rarely look hollow if heat concentrates in the deep layers. So we check the thickness of the fat layer on the treatment screen and adjust the depth and number of shots in areas with thin fat. If you are worried about hollow cheeks, let us know during the consultation.

Ulthera's instructions for use do not recommend treating directly over filler or implants. If you have filler, threads, or implants in the same area, be sure to tell us the type and when they were placed during the consultation. Treatment areas and intervals are decided after an examination.

Ultherapy PRIME is the next-generation Ulthera device, released in 2024. The changes are in the system design, such as the screen, software, and hardware. The imaging depth (8 mm) and intended use are the same as the previous device. We will tell you which generation of device DM Dermatology uses during the consultation.

DM Dermatology is at 4F, 158 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a 2-minute walk from Apgujeong Station (Line 3) Exit 5. A board-certified dermatologist examines the degree of sagging and skin thickness, then decides the treatment areas and number of shots. Letting us know in advance about any filler, threads, or implants and the medications you take helps with the consultation.