Ultherapy explained: what it lifts, who it suits, and what it costs

What is Ultherapy, and what does it actually lift?

Most people arrive in my consultation room with the same sentence: the jawline used to be there, and now it isn't. Ultherapy is the treatment they have usually read about first, and the confusion starts right there — is it for skin, for fat, for the deep layer, or for all three?

Ultherapy uses focused ultrasound to deliver energy into the SMAS layer — the same layer a surgical facelift tightens. That is the honest, simple definition, and it explains both what the treatment can do and where its limits are.

Because the energy goes deep, the change you feel is a pull from underneath rather than a polish on the surface. At Wells we use it for sagging along the jawline and lower face, and for cheeks that have lost their definition.

I have been a board-certified dermatologist since my training at Asan Medical Center, and the thing I try hardest to communicate at the first visit is this: a device does not decide the result. The layer you aim at, the energy you choose and the number of shots you place do.

Who it suits — and who I would send elsewhere

• Sagging along the jawline and lower face
• Loss of definition in the cheeks
• Anyone who wants lifting without surgery or sleep sedation
• Under-eye laxity — we have a dedicated eye tip for Eye Ultherapy

If your main complaint is crepey surface texture, fine lines or dullness rather than sagging, ultrasound aimed at the deep layer is not the most direct answer. In that case I would look at radiofrequency or a booster protocol first, and I say so at the consultation.

How many Ultherapy shots do I actually need?

Shot count is where clinics differ most, and where patients are most often oversold. It is also the number that moves the price.

At Wells, most patients get a satisfying result with 300–400 shots; only about 2% of our patients need 600 or more. That is our own experience, and it is the figure I quote when someone shows me a quote for a much larger package from elsewhere.

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. A thin temple and a heavy jaw do not get the same plan, and the chart is how we keep that honest.

Why we do Ultherapy awake, not asleep

This is the part international patients are most surprised by. Wells does not use sleep sedation for lifting treatments.

Ultherapy's own guidelines don't recommend it. Under sedation you can't give feedback, so energy tends to be pushed higher — which raises burn risk — and you can't check the tip or the shot count yourself.

Instead we use Air NOX non-sedation anesthesia with local anesthetic: a precisely mixed oxygen and nitrous oxide blend that calms the central nervous system while you stay conscious. You control the intensity yourself by breathing.

• No fasting before your appointment
• Recovery within one to two minutes
• You can drive afterwards
• Single-use sterile filters and mouthpieces

Air NOX is not suitable in early pregnancy, respiratory conditions, panic disorder or vitamin B12 deficiency. Tell us about any of these before you travel and we will plan around it.

Ultherapy vs Thermage: which one lifts what?

"Thermage vs Ultherapy" is probably the most searched question in this category, and the answer is less of a contest than people expect. They work on different depths.

Ultherapy sends focused ultrasound into the SMAS layer for lifting from depth and improvement of the fat layer. Thermage FLX uses monopolar radiofrequency to heat the dermis and stimulate aged collagen — a tightening and skin-quality treatment rather than a deep pull.

So the question is not which is better. It is which layer is failing on your face — and often the answer is both, which is why the two are frequently planned together.

If skin quality is your bigger concern, look at Collagen Booster Thermage FLX, where a collagen booster serum is applied during treatment. Effects there appear from about two weeks and last six to fourteen months.

For a more involved radiofrequency protocol, Thermage MAX adds a skin microbiome test and an AQ MAX infusion before the energy goes in, so collagen-producing fibroblasts are protected during heating.

What is Ultherapy Prime FIT, and why did we build it?

Ultherapy Prime pulls from the deep layer beautifully. What it does not do is tidy the layer just above — the one sitting between ultrasound and radiofrequency depth.

That gap is why we built Ultherapy Prime FIT. After the Ultherapy Prime pass, a second "Fitting" laser targets that middle layer so the surface contour is tightened and the jawline reads smoother in the same visit.

• Ultherapy Prime — deep layer: focused ultrasound into the SMAS
• Fitting laser — middle layer: surface contour tightened
• Together: a step-by-step lift a single device can't reach

Wells is a Merz Ultherapy Golden Record Award clinic, and every session runs on the Ultherapy Prime system with genuine tips. If a tip is ever found not to be genuine, we refund ten times the treatment price.

Because you are awake, you can see the tip and the shot count yourself. That is not a marketing line — it is the practical reason we keep patients conscious.

Ultherapy price in Korea: what you actually pay at Wells

Prices for Ultherapy in Korea vary enormously, largely because "how many shots" is rarely stated up front. Ours is stated.

All prices are in Korean won and exclude 10% VAT. The dermatologist confirms your plan and the final price at the consultation, before anything starts.

If the upper face is your concern rather than the jawline, the EMFACE forehead and brow lift combines Eye Thermage 450 shots, EMFACE 2 passes and Eye Ultherapy 50 shots in one session at ₩2,500,000 (VAT excluded).

How a visit works if you're flying into Seoul

Wells has been in Apgujeong since 2008, and the clinic is on the 8th floor of the Apgujeong Building at 842 Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu. It is about a five-minute walk from Apgujeong Station, Exit 3 on Line 3.

Start on WhatsApp with your concern, a photo if you like, and your travel dates. You'll get a reply in English with what fits and the available times.

At the clinic, a dermatologist examines your skin, runs the 3D analysis and confirms the plan and price. Treatment follows on the same floor, and you leave with aftercare instructions and a channel to reach us afterwards.

Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00 and Saturday 10:00–17:00, with lunch from 13:00 to 14:00. We are closed on Sundays and Korean public holidays — worth checking against your flight.

Consultations are available in English, so you can plan the whole visit without a translator. If you want to see the full menu first, browse our anti-aging and lifting treatments.

One last note on expectations. Individual results vary, side effects are possible, and every treatment here starts with a dermatologist consultation — that consultation is where I tell you honestly if I think a different layer, or a different treatment, would serve you better.

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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