Ultherapyin Seoul: Ultrasound Aimed at the SMAS Layer

Ultherapy is aimed at tissue that has begun to loosen while it still holds its shape. The early signs are a jawline that looks less defined in photos, a brow that sits a little lower, or slack under the chin that shows when you look down. Heat placed in the deeper layers is meant to firm those areas gradually, and the clinic's guidance is a single session with results that appear over two to three months.

The same mechanism sets its limits. A systematic review found that response was weaker in people with severe skin laxity or a body mass index above 30 (Contini, 2023), and ultrasound cannot replace volume that has been lost from the cheeks or temples. When skin hangs in folds, a surgical lift is the conversation to have, and when hollowing is the main concern, volume treatments come first.

Ultherapy is a device from Merz Aesthetics. Its transducers focus ultrasound to a point beneath the surface, much as a lens focuses light, so the skin on top stays intact while a small spot below reaches the temperature at which collagen contracts. A row of these spots forms one line, and each line is counted as a shot on the price list. Different transducers work at different fixed depths, the deepest aimed at the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system), the fibrous sheet that supports the facial skin, and shallower ones aimed at the dermis.

The visualization part matters for accuracy. Before energy is delivered, the screen shows the skin, fat and SMAS as an ultrasound image, so the operator can check that the transducer is sitting at the intended depth over that spot. After treatment, the heated points are slowly replaced with new collagen, which is why the firming effect appears gradually.

Measured benefit exists, though it is modest. In a systematic review, investigators rated 92% of participants as improved, while self-assessed improvement was 42% at 90 days and 53% at 360 days, and no data beyond one year were available (Contini, 2023).

Ultherapy is sold by the number of shots, also called lines, so the card you choose reflects how much energy goes into the session. The face lines run from 100 to 600 shots, with the smallest starting at ₩450,000; a higher count covers a wider area or allows more passes over the same zone. The three body lines, at 800, 1,600 and 2,400 shots, are for larger areas below the face.

None of these cards include VAT; 10% VAT is added at payment. Whether numbing cream or after-care is itemized separately is not shown on the menu, so ask for every line to appear on your written quote before you travel.

Ultherapy leaves the skin surface unbroken, but it creates heat inside tissue, and published reports describe what can follow.

• Redness and swelling over the treated zones in the first days.
• Deep soreness or tenderness along the jaw and cheekbones.
• Bruising, or temporary numbness and tingling from irritated nerves.
• Loss of fat in a treated area, which can leave a small hollow.
• Raised welts, burns or scarring in rare cases.
• A change smaller than expected, especially with marked laxity.

A review of the safety record found that side effects were mostly mild and short-lived, with the rare serious events linked to incorrect technique (Hitchcock, 2014). A 2024 systematic review found mainly temporary swelling, redness and pain in published studies, while reports to the FDA adverse event database most often described fat atrophy, nerve symptoms and scarring; the idea that ultrasound treatment makes a later facelift harder remained anecdotal (Humphrey, 2024). In a randomized trial on the neck, lifting results did not differ significantly from monopolar radiofrequency, and ultrasound was the more painful of the two (Jones, 2017).