Ultherapy, Thermage FLX, XERF, Onda or Titanium: which lifting treatment suits you?

What is the difference between these lifting devices?

The face has layers: the skin (epidermis and dermis), the fat beneath it, and a thin fibrous layer over the facial muscles called the SMAS. Lifting devices heat one or more of them. Heat is thought to make collagen contract slightly at once and, more importantly, to start a slow remodeling process over the following weeks and months.

The devices differ in the type of energy, how deep and how widely the heat spreads, and how the dose is counted: Ultherapy, Thermage FLX and XERF in shots; Onda and Titanium in total energy, kJ.

Shurink (CLASSYS) is another focused-ultrasound (HIFU) device on the price list, also priced per shot and working on the same principle as Ultherapy. If both are options, ask the doctor why they would choose one.

Does it hurt, and what are the side effects?

You will feel all of these devices to some degree; bony areas such as the jawline and forehead are usually more sensitive. Focused ultrasound is often described as a deep ache in short bursts. RF feels like heat pulses between bursts of cooling, Onda and Titanium like building warmth. Numbing cream is commonly used for some of them.

Many people return to normal activities the same or the next day. Common side effects include redness, swelling, tenderness along the jaw, small bruises, and temporary tingling or numbness; they usually settle within days, occasionally longer. Rare risks include burns, blisters or small scars, temporary nerve-related weakness of a facial muscle, and, with devices that act on the fat layer, unwanted loss of volume. Your doctor should explain these before treatment, and anything unexpected, such as a blister or pain that gets worse, needs prompt attention.

Lasers in Titanium's wavelength range are also used for hair removal, so if you have facial hair you want to keep, such as a beard, ask whether it may be affected.

• Makeup is often possible from the next day, if the doctor agrees.
• Your doctor may advise avoiding saunas, hot baths, intense exercise and alcohol for a few days.
• Flying home soon afterwards? Plan it with the doctor; see flying after skin treatments.

When do results show, and how often is it repeated?

Because most of the effect comes from remodeling, change usually develops slowly: some people notice slight firmness in the first days, partly from swelling, and the main change, if it comes, typically builds over two to three months or longer. Results vary with age, skin quality, weight changes and the starting degree of laxity, and no device stops aging.

Focused ultrasound and monopolar RF are often repeated about once a year or so, while kJ-based devices such as Onda and Titanium are sometimes planned at shorter intervals. The doctor sets the interval after seeing how your skin responded.

More shots or more kJ is not automatically better. A number on the price list is a unit, not a target: the doctor decides how many units your face needs and where they go. See how to read a Korean price list.

Which device suits which concern?

These are general patterns that doctors weigh; one face often has several at once.

• Sagging of deeper tissue along the jaw, cheeks or brow: focused ultrasound (Ultherapy, Shurink) is commonly considered.
• Loose, thin or crepey skin over a wide area, or around the eyes: monopolar RF (Thermage FLX, XERF) is often considered.
• Heaviness along the lower face and jaw: Onda is sometimes considered, since it acts mainly in the fat layer. It may not suit a face that is already lean or losing volume.
• A lighter option with little to see afterwards: Titanium is sometimes chosen, alone or as one step in a plan.
• Hollows and lost volume: heating devices tighten; they do not add volume. Skin boosters or fillers are a different category; see skin boosters compared.

Can you combine them, and which comes first?

Combining devices is common in Korea, for example focused ultrasound for the deeper layer with RF for the skin, but it is not necessary for everyone. There is no single correct order: devices may be combined on the same day in a set sequence or spaced a few weeks apart.

Whether to combine, the order, the dose of each and whether to do them on one day should be decided by the doctor, based on your skin, your goals, your time in Korea and any recent treatments.

Tell the doctor beforehand if you are or might be pregnant, have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, have metal implants or threads in the face, have had fillers or other procedures recently, have an infection or inflammation in the area, or take medicines that affect bleeding or healing.

Questions to ask before you book

You can send these to any clinic before you decide.

• Which device do you suggest for my face, and why that one?
• How many shots or kJ, on which areas, and why that number?
• If more than one device: in what order, on the same day or on different days, and why?
• Who performs the treatment, and is numbing used and included in the price?
• Can I see the device and the tip or cartridge before treatment?
• Does the quoted price include VAT?
• What are the possible side effects, what might my face look like over the next few days, and when can I fly?
• How can I contact you after I go home if I have a question?

How ATTITUDE approaches this

At ATTITUDE Clinic in Seoul, an AI skin analysis first records your skin. That record supports the consultation; it does not provide a medical diagnosis. One of our two co-directors looks at it with you, and the doctor decides what you need, what you don't, and in what order, including whether a lifting device is the right step at all. Every lifting device is priced per unit, by shots or by kJ, and the prices are published, the same on every language version of this site and shown without VAT (10% is added at payment). See the lifting prices; lifting items in our opening event run until 31 Oct 2026, shown with the regular price and the event price, VAT excluded.

Frequently asked questions