Ultherapy Prime vs Thermage in Gangnam: Which Lifting Is Right for Me?

If you are worried about facial sagging or reduced firmness, let me start with the conclusion on whether Ultherapy Prime or Thermage is the better fit for you.

If you want to lift structurally sagging areas from the dermis to the fascia layer (SMAS), Ultherapy Prime is the one to consider; if surface firmness and skin texture come first, Thermage may be more suitable. Because the two work at different skin depths and with different energy types, it is important to have your skin assessed first and then choose.

What is Ultherapy Prime?

Let me first explain what Ultherapy Prime is. It is a next-generation HIFU lifting device developed from the principle of the original Ultherapy, and its real-time ultrasound imaging lets the doctor see the treatment area directly while delivering energy at the intended depth.

A distinguishing feature is that three dedicated DS tips (1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm) are used to adjust intensity to the skin thickness and firmness of each area. It differs from earlier devices in that treatment can be observed and performed at separate depths, from the dermis down to the fascia layer.

How do the mechanisms differ?

What I have felt over more than 15 years of performing lifting treatments is that understanding a device's principle accurately and designing the treatment around each patient's skin condition shapes the result.

This treatment works by having ultrasound energy form thermal coagulation points of 60-70 °C, which aims to induce collagen renewal and tissue rearrangement. Thermage, by contrast, delivers RF energy evenly as heat across the dermis to stimulate the skin's elastic fibers, so there are clear differences in working depth and target area. Because of these differences in principle, the results you can expect may differ even though both are grouped as 'lifting treatments'.

What changes have patients actually experienced?

One patient in their 40s who visited our clinic was concerned about a sagging jawline and nasolabial folds. After consultation, lifting down to the fascia layer was judged necessary, so Ultherapy Prime was performed.

Rather than right after treatment, they noticed the jawline gradually becoming more defined and skin texture smoother from about 1-2 months later, and left feedback that the effect was still holding at around 6 months. This is an individual case and results vary.

Conversely, there was also a patient in their 30s concerned about pores and fine lines who first noticed an improvement in skin texture with Thermage. What both cases have in common is that the treatment was decided after a precise assessment of skin depth and degree of sagging at the consultation stage.

What expertise is the treatment design based on?

I serve as President of the Korean Association of Clinical Aesthetic Medicine, leading aesthetic-medicine academic activity in Korea, and I hold Key Doctor status for several lifting treatments and also train junior physicians.

Drawing on more than 15 years of accumulated experience, I keep up academic activity and treatment research and reflect the latest trends in lifting devices in my practice. I believe that not merely operating a device but understanding its principle and designing a patient-specific treatment leads to safe, satisfying results.

Ultherapy Prime and Thermage compared at a glance

Who each may suit better, in more detail

To explain the detailed differences a little more, because this treatment delivers energy down to the fascia layer, it has strengths in lifting a structurally sagging face line.

Thermage, on the other hand, focuses on stimulating dermal collagen to improve firmness and smoothness, so it may suit those concerned about skin texture or pores more than sagging.

Some people have both treatments together, and in that case it is important to adjust the order and interval to the individual's skin condition.

At consultations I check skin thickness and degree of sagging together, and then help judge with you which of the two devices would be more efficient, or whether combining them is needed.

Because the pattern of sagging differs with age group and lifestyle, I believe it is essential to look at the actual condition of the skin and judge from that, rather than choosing a treatment by age alone. My clinical experience has led me to the conclusion that, rather than setting very short intervals or forcing the intensity up, an approach that leaves enough time for the skin to recover and improves things step by step produces more stable results over the long term.

What should you check when choosing a lifting treatment?

① If your concern is a structurally sagging area such as the jawline or nasolabial folds, Ultherapy Prime is the first option to consider.

② If the goal is surface-level firmness improvement such as pores, fine lines and skin texture, Thermage may be more suitable.

③ The most accurate way to know your own skin thickness and degree of sagging is through a precise assessment at a consultation.

Related links

If you are considering a lifting treatment, you can book a consultation through the Gangnam Pieobom Clinic Naver booking page and see Dr. Hyoseung Jang's detailed background in the profile. If visiting near Gangnam Station is convenient for you, please also refer to the Gangnam Pieobom Clinic directions page.

References

PubMed - A Systematic Review of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in Skin Tightening and Body Contouring

Journal of the Korean Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery - Clinical Effectiveness of a High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in Skin Lifting

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) Medical Device Electronic Civil Service System

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