If you're considering Thermage?

Before your consultation, these 3 things

be sure to check

These days, the weather

seems to change several times a day.

You let your guard down because it feels like spring, then suddenly it gets dry,

and more and more people say their skin looks dull.

To get straight to the point, Thermage is now

a fairly well-known, mainstream procedure.

A quick search turns up countless pieces of information,

and you can easily find people around you

who have tried it at least once.

But just because many people get it

doesn't mean it suits everyone equally well.

I meet a surprising number of people in the clinic who say,

"I got Thermage, but I don't know if it worked."

Today, I'll honestly tell you how much lifting you can expect

from a single Thermage treatment.

💡 Key takeaways from today's post

Q. Does one Thermage treatment

definitely show results?

A. Some people do see results, and some don't.

The perceived effect varies quite a bit depending on skin condition.

Q. Who is Thermage best for?

A. It works best for people in the early to mid stages

of skin sagging, where loss of firmness

comes before volume loss.

Q. How many sessions do you need,

and how long do the results last?

A. In my experience, we start with one session,

then usually repeat it every 6 to 12 months

depending on how the skin responds.

I'll cover this in detail in the main text.

What exactly does Thermage do to the skin,

precisely?

Thermage (Thermage)

delivers radiofrequency (RF) energy

deep into the skin

to stimulate and tighten collagen.

The tricky part is that

saying it "tightens the skin with heat" is not wrong, but

more precisely, it instantly contracts the collagen structure

in the dermis

while also inducing new collagen production.

So there are two stages: the lifting effect right after treatment,

and the collagen regeneration effect that appears

over the following 3 to 6 months.

This principle is also supported by

clinical RF lifting studies published on PubMed.

That said, research results do not always match

an individual's clinical outcome

one to one.

I'll talk more about that below.

Who responds well,

and who doesn't

This is a point many people misunderstand,

but Thermage works much better for people in the early to mid stages

of sagging than for those whose sagging has already progressed a lot.

If a lot of volume has been lost

and the skin has dropped significantly,

Thermage alone has its limits.

In such cases, we often need to consider a combination with

thread lifting or fillers.

On the other hand, it works well for people like these.

1. People in their late 30s to early 50s who first notice a loss of firmness

2. People whose facial contours are starting to look blurred

3. People whose skin around the nasolabial folds is starting to loosen

4. People whose under-eye area beneath the aegyo-sal is starting to sag

And people with a certain amount of skin thickness

are also better suited to receiving RF energy.

If the skin is too thin, the en

ergy may disperse at the surface

or the discomfort may feel greater.

If you're wondering how it differs from thread lifting,

reading our comparison of thread lifting and Thermage

first may be helpful.

👨‍⚕️ Dr. Wi Young-jin's practical note:

In my experience, the people who feel the best results are

those who say, "It's not that saggy yet,

but my face looks more tired than before."

But that doesn't mean it's all good news.

Thermage does hurt during the procedure.

It has improved a lot in the FLX generation compared with older models,

but saying it "doesn't hurt" wouldn't be honest.

And the downside is the cost ^^..

It's a procedure that costs a substantial amount per session,

and repeat treatments are needed to maintain the effect.

Still, if you get it done properly once,

many people keep the effect for 6 to 12 months,

so in the long run it's not a bad choice.

Honestly,

how many sessions do you need?

It varies by case,

but this is usually how I explain it.

After one treatment, wait 3 to 6 months

and then see the skin changes for yourself

before deciding whether to add another session.

Starting right away with a "multi-session package"

means deciding before seeing your individual skin response,

so I don't usually recommend that approach.

In my experience, the maintenance period is

about 6 months for faster responders,

and 12 to 18 months for slower responders.

It varies quite a bit depending on age, skin thickness, and lifestyle.

Summary

A practical approach is to start Thermage with one session,

check the response after 3 to 6 months,

and if needed, repeat it every 6 to 12 months.

This is the most realistic approach.

Be sure to check before

getting Thermage

There's one important thing I need to mention:

Thermage results can vary a lot depending on the device generation and the energy settings used.

Even within Thermage, the CPT, NXT, and FLX generations are different,

and if the total number of shots and

the energy level setting differ, the results will naturally differ too.

During consultation,

I check the skin thickness and the degree of sagging directly

before deciding on the energy level and treatment areas.

Using the same settings uniformly

can put unnecessary energy into

fragile skin or skin with little sagging.

Also, after Thermage, the skin may remain sensitive for a while.

You can wash your face on the day of treatment,

but it's best to avoid strong irritation and saunas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. If I get Thermage once,

how much lifting will I see?

A. Honestly, "how much"

really depends on your skin condition.

People whose firmness is just starting to drop

often notice it clearly even after one session,

while those with more advanced sagging

sometimes say, "I can't really tell."

If it's your first time, seeing your skin change for yourself after 3 months

becomes the benchmark.

Q2. Thermage and Ulthera,

how are they different?

A. Thermage uses radiofrequency (RF),

while Ulthera uses ultrasound (HIFU).

Ulthera reaches deeper layers (SMAS, the fascial layer),

while Thermage delivers heat more evenly throughout the dermis.

Q3. Thermage,

can I get it on Sundays too?

A. Yes, BeautyStone Clinic in Hongdae

is open on Sundays too.

We also provide consultations on the day of treatment,

so you can ask us first on KakaoTalk before coming in.

Thermage is definitely an effective treatment

when it's used for the right person.

But it does not produce the same result for everyone.

I recommend getting enough consultation before deciding

on the procedure.

If you have any questions,

feel free to contact us via KakaoTalk.

This was Dr. Wi Young-jin.

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