📚 Resolving Facial Blank Spaces · Series Table of Contents

• 1. Understanding Facial Blank Spaces

  • 1.1 Self-Diagnosis of Facial Blank Spaces

• 2. Blank Spaces Created by Muscles

  • 2.1 Masseter & Temporalis Botox

  • 2.2 Salivary Gland Botox

• 3. Blank Spaces Created by Fat

  • 3.1 Sagging Fat & Ultherapy (Current Post)

  • 3.2 Fat Dissolving Injections

• 4. Designing Your Facial Outline

  • 4.1 Steps to Designing Your Facial Outline

Let's try a quick test in front of the mirror. Some of you might notice that your jawline looks beautifully defined and slim when you are lying down, but once you stand up, your cheeks sag and the jawline seems to disappear.

This isn't actually a matter of having too much facial fat. Rather, the tissue that was nicely in place has shifted downward. For this kind of blank space, trying to remove volume can actually make your face look more sunken. The key is lifting it back up.

In short: If your face looks slim while lying down but sags when you stand up, your tissue has shifted down. Instead of removing volume, you need to lift it back up with a treatment like Ultherapy to bring back your natural contours.

Sagging areas are not 'excessive volume'—they have just 'shifted downward'

As we age or due to gravity, the layer beneath the skin called the ※ SMAS loses its elasticity. When this supportive layer sags, the fat and tissue it holds up shift downward, leading to drooping cheeks, a sad or grumpy look around the mouth, and a blurred jawline.

* SMAS: The superficial muscular aponeurotic system that wraps around the muscles beneath the skin. It acts as a supportive foundation for facial tissues—when it relaxes, the tissues above it slide down.

What is important to understand here is that this isn't caused by an increase in fat. Therefore, trying to melt it away with fat-dissolving injections can leave the skin with even less support, which can actually cause a sunken look and make you appear older. For sagging areas, we must lift and rebuild the foundation itself.

If you gently lift your cheeks upward with your hands and notice your overall look improves, it's a clear sign that sagging is the main contributor to your facial concerns.

How Ultherapy Works to Lift Your Skin

Ultherapy utilizes an ultrasound method called ※ HIFU to pull up and tighten the sagging foundation.

* HIFU: High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound. This technology focuses ultrasound energy into a target point deep within the skin, much like focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass to create a hot spot.

By focusing ultrasound energy into a single spot beneath the skin, it creates thermal coagulation points (TCPs) of about 60 to 70 degrees Celsius. This stimulates the deep layers without harming the surface of the skin. This precise stimulation triggers collagen regeneration and tissue contraction, beautifully tightening and lifting the lax foundation.

The greatest beauty of Ultherapy is that it can reach the deep SMAS layer without any incisions. It is the deepest lifting layer that can be reached non-surgically.

It is easy to confuse this with other elasticity treatments, but the way heat is delivered is quite different. While Radiofrequency (RF) energy heats up a broad area of the skin to improve surface elasticity, Ultherapy focuses ultrasound energy into precise points to target and lift the deep underlying foundation. This is why Ultherapy is so frequently recommended in the non-surgical face-lift category when sagging is the primary cause of facial volume loss.

Targeting Different Depths for Customized Care

Since the thickness and structure of the skin vary on different areas of the face, Ultherapy uses customized cartridges of varying depths for each section.

The deepest 4.5mm cartridge is the key to pulling up a sagging jawline. We then combine this with shallower depths to address overall skin elasticity at the same time. Rather than using just a single depth, customizing the treatment by targeting multiple layers creates a beautifully natural result.

When Will You See Results, and How Long Do They Last?

Ultherapy is not a treatment that shows dramatic, instant results immediately after the session. While there is a slight tightening effect right away, the true benefits emerge as collagen rebuilds over 2 to 3 months. Clinical studies have also demonstrated a noticeable lift in the jawline around 3 months post-treatment.

The results typically last between 12 to 18 months, which aligns beautifully with the natural cycle of collagen remodeling. Receiving the treatment periodically allows the benefits to accumulate over time.

One point to keep in mind is that non-surgical lifting does not duplicate the results of a surgical facelift. It has a specific MFDS-approved range as a medical device, and if the sagging is very severe, other combined approaches may be recommended. While advertisements often use catchphrases like "look ten years younger instantly," actual results vary depending on individual skin condition and the degree of sagging.

In my clinical practice, I always evaluate the degree of sagging first to determine if Ultherapy is the right fit for the patient. If the sagging is mild, we might focus primarily on shallower depths to boost elasticity, whereas if the foundation has shifted down significantly, we increase the proportion of the 4.5mm targets. For any sagging concern, lifting must always come before removing volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is Ultherapy painful?

Because it targets deep underlying layers, you may feel a warm, tingling sensation during the procedure. However, we ensure a comfortable experience by using local numbing cream and carefully adjusting the energy levels. Recovery is very quick, letting you return to your daily routine right away.

Q. Is a single session enough?

Results generally last for 12 to 18 months. Since collagen builds up gradually, the full effect is best evaluated after about 3 months. Many patients choose to receive the treatment periodically to maintain their beautifully refreshed look.

Q. How is it different from fat-dissolving injections?

Ultherapy is designed to pull up and support a sagging foundation, while fat-dissolving injections work to break down localized fat pockets. Dissolving volume in an area that is already sagging can actually make the face look more sunken, which is why it is essential to correctly diagnose the underlying cause.

Recommended Reading

• Zygomatic Ultherapy: Do I need to treat the whole face for results? | Hongdae Beauty stone

• The myth that you can't get lifting treatments if you have a thin face is only half true

• If you're noticing a blurring jawline in the mirror and considering Ultherapy

• For peanut-shaped faces, why does reducing zygoma volume alone make you look more hollow? — The balance of contouring and filling | Hongdae Beauty stone