Ultherapy Prime: The Difference Lifting While Looking Makes

During lifting consultations, many people arrive already familiar with Ultherapy. Recently, though, more people have noticed there is a version with “Prime” attached to the name, and ask whether only the name is new or whether something has actually changed.

Ultherapy Prime can be described as a version that carries over the results of Ultherapy — often called the benchmark of lifting treatments — while raising convenience and precision by another step. Here we would like to explain how it works, and what NUWA Clinic Gangnam focuses on in order to achieve a good result.

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Ultherapy — what is different?

Ultherapy Prime is the latest updated version of Ultherapy, a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device approved by the US FDA. It strengthens the “visible lifting” function carried out while looking at the tissue, helping the practitioner see the structures beneath the patient’s skin more clearly during treatment. Thanks to faster processing than the previous system and a more refined interface, the skin layers changing in real time can be targeted without being missed.

Ultherapy at our Gangnam Station clinic is not simply a matter of improved performance. Reducing unnecessary discomfort caused by energy reaching bone, and being able to concentrate energy accurately on the fascial layer (SMAS) alone, ultimately means the same treatment can be approached more safely and more precisely.

Is there a reason for checking in real time during Ultherapy?

The thing most to be guarded against in a lifting treatment is firing without looking. Skin thickness and the depth of the fat layer vary enormously from person to person. DeepSEE, the core technology of Ultherapy Prime, is a function that allows the practitioner to see as deep as 8mm beneath the skin through real-time ultrasound imaging during treatment. Because this imaging helps energy be delivered while avoiding blood vessels and bone, it plays a significant role in raising safety. Treating while confirming that the energy has reached the fascial layer — the underlying cause of sagging — is also one of the things we pay closest attention to in practice.

To sum up, the DeepSEE function is a technology that shows 8mm beneath the skin in real time during treatment and makes accurate targeting of the fascial layer possible. Even in the same area, the thickness of the fat layer and the distance to the fascial layer differ from person to person, so delivering energy only at a fixed depth without checking the image can lead to situations where the energy does not reach far enough, or is delivered excessively. To protect the naturalness of the result, NUWA Clinic Gangnam considers the process of examining the image carefully to be genuinely important.

I would like to know how Ultherapy works

The principle behind Ultherapy Prime is similar to gathering sunlight with a magnifying glass to burn paper. High-intensity ultrasound energy is concentrated at a specific depth beneath the skin, forming thermal coagulation points at 60–70°C. These coagulation points contract loosened tissue, giving an immediate tightening effect, and then encourage new collagen and elastin to regenerate over the following two to three months.

To sum up, the thermal coagulation points created by ultrasound energy work by drawing out immediate tightening together with collagen regeneration over the following two to three months. As a result, many people experience the jawline emerging and sagging cheeks lifting as time passes after treatment. Because the principle uses the body’s own capacity to regenerate rather than introducing an artificial substance, we always explain in consultation that change appearing gradually and naturally is a characteristic of this treatment.

Is the treatment different for each face?

An important thing to check when receiving Ultherapy near Gangnam Station is the choice of tip (transducer). Ultherapy Prime uses tips at three depths to carry out a tailored treatment.

4.5mm tip — targets the deepest fascial layer (SMAS) to define the overall facial line.

3.0mm tip — works on the fat layer and lower dermis, improving firmness and helping contract fat tissue.

1.5mm tip — improves fine lines in the superficial layer and refines skin texture.

All three tips use the same ultrasound principle, but because they reach different depths, the layer of concern each one addresses is different. Combining these three tips according to the characteristics of the face is what determines how well the result comes together. For someone concerned about both the jawline and cheek sagging, the 4.5mm and 3.0mm tips are used together to address the deep and middle layers, while for someone concerned about fine lines and texture, the design increases the proportion of the 1.5mm tip.

What is examined in consultation at our Gangnam Station clinic?

Before beginning treatment, we first check skin thickness and the depth of the fat layer. These two differ from person to person, so even using the same 4.5mm tip, the layer the energy reaches and the response to it can be different. Confirming these depths while looking at real-time imaging through the DeepSEE function is a step as important as the choice of tip.

Another thing we check is your habitual expressions, along with where you find sagging most uncomfortable. Even with the same face shape, the point that actually bothers someone differs from person to person, so we listen to this first and then plan the combination of tips and the distribution of energy. The face seen in photographs and the part that bothers you when you look in the mirror are often not the same, so we treat this conversation as being just as important as designing the treatment itself.

Does Ultherapy hurt?

Many people hesitate over Ultherapy Prime because of the perception that lifting is painful. However, as the treatment interface has improved, more accurate delivery has become possible, which helps reduce unnecessary time spent on the skin and lower the discomfort felt.

In consultation we check whether you have had Ultherapy before and how it felt at the time, and we use that experience as a reference while adjusting the energy settings together with you — so please feel free to come in for a consultation whenever you like.

Healthy, resilient skin is completed when accurate information and consistent care are added to the treatment itself, rather than by the treatment alone. NUWA Clinic Gangnam, which proposes a direction suited to your skin condition through a one-to-one tailored assessment, is located directly in front of Exit 7 of Gangnam Station, on floors 3 and 4 at 385 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

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Frequently asked questions

Q. What is the difference between Ultherapy and Thermage?

A. The two are not a matter of one being superior to the other — they differ in approach. Ultherapy Prime uses ultrasound (HIFU) energy to target the fascial layer (SMAS) accurately, weighted towards improving the structure behind sagging itself, while Thermage uses radiofrequency (RF) energy in an approach closer to collagen regeneration in the dermis and improvement of skin density. In consultation we look at the degree of sagging together with skin condition, and assess which of the two suits you better, or whether combining them would be appropriate.

Q. Please tell me how to care for my skin after Ultherapy.

A. Temporary redness or slight swelling may occur immediately after treatment. On the day itself, please avoid environments with heat stimulation such as saunas or hot compresses, and be sure to use sun protection and keep the skin well moisturised, as this supports recovery. We explain that consistent moisturising and sun care during the months when collagen is regenerating can also influence the result.

Q. How long do the effects of Ultherapy last?

A. It is difficult to state a fixed period, as this differs according to individual skin condition and the pace at which ageing progresses. That said, new collagen takes two to three months to form and settle, and the change often continues for a considerable time afterwards, so we would recommend approaching it as regular maintenance rather than ending with a single session.

Q. Does Ultherapy hurt a lot?

A. Sensitivity to pain varies considerably between individuals. That said, as the DeepSEE function has made it possible to deliver energy to an accurate location, there are fewer cases of unnecessary repeated delivery or stimulation reaching bone, and more people are now treated more comfortably than before.

Q. How is the Ultherapy tip selected?

A. Rather than deciding the tip by a fixed formula, we determine the combination by assessing the skin thickness and fat layer depth confirmed in consultation, along with where you find sagging most bothersome. If the whole jawline is the concern, the proportion of the 4.5mm tip is increased; if fine lines around the eyes or mouth are more of a concern, the proportion of the 1.5mm tip is increased — designing it differently for each face.