Ultherapy Prime explained: what it lifts, and how we plan it

What is Ultherapy Prime, and what does it actually lift?

Most people come in holding the skin along the jawline with two fingers and asking whether a machine can do the same thing. That is a fair question, and Ultherapy Prime is the device I reach for most often when the answer is yes. I am Dr. Won Sin Lee, a board-certified dermatologist trained at Asan Medical Center, and I have been treating sagging faces in Apgujeong for a long time.

Ultherapy is focused ultrasound. The energy is aimed past the surface and delivered to the SMAS layer — the same layer a surgical facelift tightens — so the lift comes from depth rather than from the skin's surface.

Ultherapy Prime is the system we run every session on at Wells. It is not a different treatment philosophy; it is the current Ultherapy platform, used with genuine tips. You can read the device page for Ultherapy Prime alongside this article.

One honest caveat, and it applies generally: ultrasound lifting tightens what is already there. It does not add volume, and it does not remove skin. If a face has lost support as well as tone, a device alone will disappoint.

Who suits Ultherapy Prime — and who I would steer elsewhere

The patients who do best are the ones whose main complaint is a line that used to be sharp and is no longer sharp. On the treatment page we list who it is for: sagging along the jawline and lower face, loss of definition in the cheeks, and people who want lifting without surgery or sleep sedation.

• A jawline that has softened but the face still has volume
• Cheeks that have dropped slightly rather than deflated
• Someone who cannot take downtime around work or a flight
• Under-eye laxity — we have a dedicated Eye Ultherapy tip for that area

Where I hesitate: a very thin face with hollow temples. Tightening a face that has already lost support can make it read tired rather than lifted. In those cases I would talk about Sculptra Lifting, which places volume at the upper-face support points instead, and decide the order at consultation.

Every consultation, diagnosis and treatment at Wells is done by a board-certified dermatologist — not handed to a nurse or an aesthetician. With focused ultrasound that matters, because the decision of where not to fire is as important as where to fire.

Ultherapy vs Thermage: which one do you actually need?

This is the question I answer most often, and the two are not competitors so much as different depths. Ultherapy works deep, from the SMAS. Thermage is monopolar radiofrequency that heats the dermis to stimulate aged collagen, so it reads as firmness and skin quality rather than as a pull.

I lectured at Thermage's headquarters in 2016, and the clinic exchanges Thermage FLX cases with a New York laser dermatology practice — so I am not anti-RF. With our Collagen Booster Thermage FLX, effects appear from about two weeks and last six to fourteen months. For skin that needs both, combining is common; the order is planned at consultation.

If your concern is texture and firmness more than a drooping line, read Thermage MAX instead — it adds a skin microbiome test and an AQ MAX infusion before the RF goes in, and starts at ₩3,465,000 (VAT excluded) for 600 shots.

How many Ultherapy shots do you actually need?

Shot counts are where patients get talked into numbers they do not need. Here is our position, plainly: most patients get a satisfying result with 300–400 shots, and only about 2% of Wells patients need 600 or more.

Before anything starts, your face is analysed with a 3D imaging system, and a personal design chart sets the energy and shot distribution for each area. That chart is why the number is a plan rather than a package.

Genuine tips only. If a tip is ever found not to be genuine, Wells refunds ten times the treatment price. Because you stay awake, you can see the tip and the shot count yourself — which is the simplest form of proof there is.

Why we do not put you to sleep for Ultherapy

Sleep sedation is offered for lifting in a lot of clinics, and I understand the appeal. We do not use it, and Ultherapy's own guidelines do not recommend it.

The reasoning is practical. Under sedation you cannot give feedback, so energy tends to be pushed higher — which raises burn risk — and you cannot check the tip or the shot count yourself.

Instead we use Air NOX, a precisely mixed oxygen and nitrous oxide system, together with local anesthetic. You stay conscious and can control the intensity yourself by breathing. No fasting is needed, recovery takes one to two minutes, and you can drive afterwards.

Air NOX is not for everyone: it is not suitable in early pregnancy, respiratory conditions, panic disorder or vitamin B12 deficiency. We check that before treatment, and single-use sterile filters and mouthpieces are standard.

Ultherapy Prime FIT: adding the middle layer, and the price

Ultherapy Prime pulls from the SMAS, but there is a layer between Ultherapy depth and Thermage depth that a single device does not reach. That is the gap Ultherapy Prime FIT was built for.

A second Fitting laser targets that middle layer in the same visit, tightening the surface contour so the jawline reads smoother and sharper. Deep lift plus surface finish, one appointment.

Ultherapy Prime on its own is priced at consultation, because the shot count and areas decide it. Wells is a Merz Ultherapy Golden Record Award clinic, and every session runs on the Ultherapy Prime system.

Having Ultherapy in Korea: how a visit from abroad works

Patients flying in usually want to know two things — how long the whole thing takes, and whether they can plan around a flight. The honest answer to the second is that it depends on your skin, and the dermatologist will tell you at consultation once your dates are on the table.

The sequence is simple. Message us on WhatsApp with your concern, a photo if you like, and your travel dates; you get a reply in English with what fits and available times. At the clinic a dermatologist examines your skin, runs the 3D analysis and confirms the plan and the price before anything starts. Treatment follows on the same floor, and you leave with aftercare instructions and a way to reach us afterwards.

We are on the 8th floor of the Apgujeong Building, 842 Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu — about five minutes on foot from Apgujeong Station, Line 3, Exit 3. Hours are Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00 and Saturday 10:00–17:00, with lunch 13:00–14:00; closed Sundays and Korean public holidays. Full directions are on the clinic and access page.

Consultations are available in English, and replies on WhatsApp are in English too, so the whole visit can be planned without a translator. If you want the broader background first, our earlier guide, Ultherapy explained, covers what it lifts and who it suits.

Results and recovery vary by individual. Every treatment carries possible side effects, which are explained at the consultation. Prices are in Korean won, VAT excluded, and confirmed at your consultation. This article is general information from the clinic, not a diagnosis.

Written by

Dr. Won Sin Lee

Chief Director · Wells Clinic, Apgujeong

• Board-certified dermatologist, Asan Medical Center, Seoul
• Residency & board certification in dermatology, Asan Medical Center
• Adjunct professor, Department of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center
• Former director, Bokji Dermatology Clinic, Korean Leprosy Welfare Association
• Commendation for Outstanding Public Health Doctor

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