Ulthera vs Shurink,
The difference between once a year and once every 6 months
Let me start with the conclusion.
It’s not that Ulthera is a ‘better treatment’ than Shurink,
the two procedures are designed for different purposes from the outset.
I’ll explain why in this article.
One-line conclusion.
Ulthera is an intensive treatment that directly targets the SMAS,
while Shurink is a maintenance treatment you can receive more often with less burden.
The deciding factor.
If sagging is noticeable, Ulthera once a year,
for prevention and maintenance, repeat Shurink at regular intervals.
What we’ll look at today.
We’ll look at how to tell which category
your face is closer to.
This article covers three points.
Why the intensity differs even though both use the same 4.5 mm depth
Cases where Ulthera is not a good fit,
cases where Shurink is not a good fit
Combination strategy with Botox and filler
What is the difference between Ulthera and Shurink?
Ulthera and Shurink are both
HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound)
lifting devices. They belong to the same category.
However, Ulthera concentrates energy strongly at a single point,
directly coagulating the SMAS layer,
while Shurink heats a broader area more gently
as it passes over.
So Ulthera is once a year,
Shurink is three sessions at 3-week intervals
or repeated every 6 months —
the cycle itself is designed differently.
Ulthera vs Shurink,
why does the strength of the effect differ?
Director Wi Young-jin’s
key insight
“Ulthera directly targets the SMAS at 4.5 mm,
Shurink delivers energy differently.
Ulthera is stronger in intensity,
while Shurink has the edge in value and frequency.
Choose based on your lifestyle: strong treatment once a year
vs gentle treatment once every 6 months.”
— Dr. Wi Young-jin (Beautystone Clinic, Hapjeong)
To get to the point, even at the same 4.5 mm depth,
the two devices deliver energy in different ways.
Ulthera condenses strong energy at a single point to
create coagulation points directly in the SMAS layer.
As these coagulation points contract,
the SMAS is pulled upward—that is the essence of lifting.
Shurink, even at the same depth, distributes energy
more broadly and more gently.
The intensity of a single shot is lower, but it is less irritating,
and the recovery burden is small, so it can be done more often.
For people in their 50s and older with clear sagging,
one Ulthera treatment can be the answer.
For people in their late 30s to early 40s who do not yet have sagging
but want maintenance, Shurink on a 6-month cycle
is the better choice.
Director Wi Young-jin’s key summary
Higher intensity also means
greater stimulation.
For sagging skin, intensity is an advantage, but
for skin that has not yet sagged,
it becomes excessive treatment.
Choosing a strong treatment without knowing your facial condition
is the most common mistake.
Between Ulthera and Shurink,
which one should I get?
For a 40-year-old patient who came to the clinic today,
we did not recommend Ulthera because their concerns were fine lines and pores, rather than sagging.
Instead, we recommended Shurink three times at 3-week intervals
to build collagen in the SMAS
and improve skin texture.
On the other hand, for a 47-year-old patient,
Shurink alone was not enough to lift the loosened SMAS, so we recommended one Ulthera session
together with Botox and filler.
Situation | Primary choice | What to combine with |
50s and older, obvious sagging | Ulthera once a year | Botox, filler |
Early 40s, maintenance | Shurink three times at 3-week intervals | Maintain every 6 months |
30s, mainly texture and pores | Shurink 1.5 mm booster | Combined with a skin booster |
Minimal effect from Shurink | Switch to Ulthera | Correct with filler |
Repeating only one procedure is not efficient.
A combination strategy using Botox and filler
produced the highest satisfaction.
Three frequently asked questions about Ulthera and Shurink
Q1. If you get Shurink many times,
can it produce Ulthera-like results?
A. The intensity needed to
compress already stretched SMAS all at once
is often difficult to match even with cumulative
Shurink treatments.
If sagging is clear, please understand that it is hard to match
a single Ulthera treatment.
Q2. What is the price difference between Ulthera and Shurink?
A. Ulthera 400–500 shots costs around 1.0 million to 1.8 million KRW,
while the per-session cost of Shurink is
lower than that.
However, since Shurink is usually done in 3 sessions,
the total cost gap is not as large as you might think.
Q3. Can the mouth corners become
asymmetrical after Ulthera?
A. It is not very common, but it is not zero.
If the nerves inside the jawline are accidentally affected,
temporary irritation can occur,
but most cases recover naturally within 4–8 weeks.
That is why the practitioner’s anatomical understanding
is extremely important.
Ultimately, choosing between Ulthera and Shurink
is a matter of choosing “intensity or frequency.”
In the next article,
we’ll explain the common traits of people whose
Ulthera results appear late.
That was Dr. Wi Young-jin.
Read together
