Hongdae Thermage or Ulthera: Which Is Right for My Skin?

Hello, I’m Dr. Jo Won-jin, and I’ve been seeing patients for 10 years.

Isn’t Ulthera better for sagging skin?

I was told that if I get Ulthera done incorrectly,

I could end up with hollowed cheeks.

Since it requires a considerable investment,

I’m sure you worry about choosing a procedure that doesn’t suit you,

wasting money or experiencing side effects.

In fact, these two devices were designed with completely different purposes from the start.

Today, under the topic of Hongdae Thermage or Ulthera: Which Is Right for My Skin?

I’ll talk about the selection criteria by situation, the differences in effects, and even pain.

You’ll get a sense of what would be cost-effective and what might be ambiguous in terms of results.

Table of Contents

• Differences between Hongdae Thermage and Ulthera

• Thermage effects and recommended candidates

• Ulthera effects and recommended candidates

• Pain comparison between Thermage and Ulthera

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Key Takeaways for Thermage and Ulthera

1. Differences in the Principles of Hongdae Thermage and Ulthera

Our skin has multiple layers.

Thermage and Ulthera act on different skin layers and use different types of energy.

Thermage is a radiofrequency device, and it’s easy to think of it as ironing the skin’s surface to make it tighter and smoother.

It stimulates the dermis, the shallow layer of the skin, to regenerate collagen.

Ulthera, on the other hand, is an ultrasound device that delivers energy deep into the SMAS layer.

Then the SMAS layer contracts, and the other connected tissue layers are lifted along with it.

2. Thermage Effects and Recommended Candidates This is what you can expect

The skin becomes firmer and more elastic, and skin texture becomes smoother.

Pores can appear smaller, and the overall facial line becomes smoother as well.

Who it’s recommended for

People who feel that their skin overall has become loose and less elastic,

people who feel that volume has decreased and the skin has become thinner rather than simply sagging,

and people who want improvements in pores and skin texture as well.

In particular, many people in their early to mid-30s start it as a preventive measure.

Oh, if you think Thermage is a good fit, make sure to read the article below before getting it done.

3. Ulthera Effects and Recommended Candidates

This is what you can expect

It is especially effective for the jawline and double chin area.

Sagging cheeks and nasolabial folds can be noticeably improved,

and you can see a clearer overall facial contour.

Who it’s recommended for

People who are bothered by a blurred jawline or a double chin,

people with relatively firm facial fat,

people whose cheeks have sagged downward and whose nasolabial folds have deepened,

and people who want a definite lifting effect.

It is a procedure with particularly high satisfaction when sagging has started in earnest after the 30s to 40s.

If you read the article below, it will be easier to understand.

4. Pain Comparison Between Thermage and Ulthera

The type of pain people feel differs from person to person.

Usually, Ulthera causes a sharp, tense feeling in areas close to the bone.

Thermage tends to feel hot.

Neither procedure is considered low-pain, but topical anesthetic alone is usually enough for most people to undergo it well.

For those who are very concerned about pain, procedures with similar effects such as

Cerv, Shurink, and others can be a good alternative to try first.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Can I have both procedures on the same day?

A. Yes, you can. If you receive treatment for both the surface and deeper layers of the skin at the same time,

results appear across multiple layers simultaneously, so the improvement effect is better.

However, depending on your skin condition, it may be better to space them out.

When getting both, you do not need as many shots as you would for a single procedure.

Depending on your skin condition, reducing the number of shots a little can also help from a cost-effectiveness perspective.

Q. At what age should lifting procedures be started?

A. There is no set age.

You can think of the starting point as when you begin to feel a decline in skin elasticity.

Recently, if there is no major sagging, more people in their early 30s have been starting Hongdae Thermage as a preventive measure.

6. Key Takeaways for Thermage and Ulthera

Let me briefly summarize what I talked about today.

My concern	Recommended procedure	One-line summary
Loss of elasticity, pores, skin texture	Thermage	Tighten overall for firmness
Sagging jawline, nasolabial folds, jowls	Ulthera	Lift from the deeper layers
Need both elasticity and lifting	Combined procedure	Get both effects at once

If you blindly follow a trendy procedure like Hongdae Thermage or Ulthera without checking whether it suits you,

you may not get results or may even suffer from side effects such as hollowed cheeks.

Before the procedure, be sure to receive an accurate diagnosis of your facial bone structure, amount of fat, and skin thickness,

and choose a clinic that can suggest a safe treatment direction tailored to those factors.

Thank you. This was Dr. Jo Won-jin.

[How to Choose a Good Clinic: The More You Know, the Better You Can Find One]