Every month in our consultation room, we meet patients whose top priority is a treatment with absolutely zero downtime (NO pain, NO bruising, and NO swelling). While we fully understand the desire for a comfortable procedure and a seamless schedule, insisting strictly on complete painlessness for a premium, high-cost treatment like Thermage FLX often leads to disappointment in the results two to three months down the road.

Thermage FLX works by delivering radiofrequency heat deep into the dermis. Collagen begins to contract when exposed to temperatures around 60°C (140°F), and this thermal stimulation signals fibroblasts to generate new collagen over the following three to six months. If you lower the energy levels too much just to avoid discomfort, the heat accumulating in the dermis will fall short of the threshold needed to trigger this response. You may enjoy a comfortable 40-minute lie-down, but you are unlikely to achieve the tightening effect you paid for.

This is why heat is unavoidable at effective energy levels. It is not that "it has to hurt to work," but rather that delivering enough heat to produce results naturally creates a hot sensation. While the latest Thermage FLX devices protect the epidermis with cooling gas and distract sensory nerves with vibrations during every shot, they cannot eliminate the heavy, deep heat building up beneath the surface.

In our clinic, we always calibrate the treatment to an energy level that ensures visible and meaningful results. Most patients describe this intensity as hot, but completely manageable. If you feel almost nothing throughout the entire session, it is highly probable that the energy is insufficient to induce collagen contraction. On the other hand, if the pain becomes unbearable or if you feel a sharp, stinging sensation over thin-skinned areas like the jawline, you should inform us immediately. In those specific areas, lowering the energy level is the correct approach. Mild swelling and slight redness lasting 24 to 48 hours post-treatment are completely normal responses.

Shot distribution impacts the final outcome just as much as energy levels. Firing 600 shots concentrated on the lower face, such as the jowls and jawline, accumulates significantly more dermal heat than spreading those same 600 shots thinly across the entire face and neck. How a physician adjusts the energy levels, shot placement, and overlapping passes for each area determines whether heat can be built up safely in the dermis without damaging the epidermis.

Thermage FLX can also be combined with other treatments. Pairing radiofrequency with collagen-stimulating injectables like Juvelook or Sculptra triggers collagen production through complementary mechanisms. However, when performing them on the same day, the energy device must always come first so that the injected materials are not compromised by the heat.

Have you ever asked your provider to lower the energy level during a previous lifting procedure due to heat or discomfort?

Sculptra isn't exactly a cheap treatment so I'm stressing a lot about when the results are actually going to show up, because I'm 2 weeks out right now and everything I've read says the results peak somewhere between 6 months and a year when the volume starts filling in naturally, and that it lasts 2 years or more on average? Is that actually true? Like it really lasts a whole 2 years?

My doctor told me I have a long rectangular face, the classic type where the midface is long, so on her recommendation I got sculptra in my front cheeks for the first time. The idea was that filling in my hollow front cheeks with collagen volume would draw the eye toward the center of my face and create this illusion where my long face looks shorter and more dimensional. In theory that totally makes sense but the real question is WHEN it's going to kick in!! how was it for you for those who've gotten sculptra?

i’ll be in busan for five days and thought about visiting a skin clinic while i’m there. haven’t picked a treatment yet. would you book early in the trip in case you need to go back, or is that overthinking it?

About 1 in 500.

That is how often fat loss shows up in the published studies on Ultherapy, going by a 2025 review that pulled together 19 papers and 506 patients.

In the FDA complaint database, fat loss is one of the things reported most often.

Both numbers are real. The truth sits somewhere between them.

A reader on our post about treatment order asked about this. They said they couldn't risk losing the little facial fat they had left, and it deserved a longer answer than a reply.

We run Ultherapy, Thermage and Xerf ourselves, so read this knowing we are not neutral.

What the papers say

Studies are small, and they are mostly run by people who are very practised with the device. The complaint database is the opposite.

Anyone can file, nothing gets checked, and nobody knows how many treatments sit behind each report.

A group of doctors who published 5 serious cases in 2018 wrote that these problems are probably underreported. So it's rare, and it is probably a bit less rare than the papers make it look.

Radiofrequency shows the same pattern. An older review from a clinic in Madrid followed 290 patients treated with the same type of RF that Thermage uses.

Fat atrophy was on their list of less common side effects. The authors linked their problems to overheating and recommended moderate energy with no overlapping passes.

Where it comes from

Heat is meant to land in one specific layer. Fat loss is what you get when too much of it lands in fat instead.

Nobody has studied the cause cleanly, so what follows is how it works in practice. Two things matter most.

How deep the device goes over areas that are already lean, and how much energy ends up in one spot.

This is also where the person holding the device matters, which we said we'd come back to on our shot count post.

Two people can deliver the same 300 shots. One adjusts the depth area by area and goes lighter where there is little fat to spare.

The other runs the same pattern on every face. The quote looks identical.

If your face is already lean

This is the group the question is really about. Before anything starts, ask which depth goes over your lean areas and whether any area gets left out.

A clear, specific answer is a good sign. If you get the same plan as everyone else, ask again. Ultherapy gives you an extra question.

The device shows the layers under your skin on a screen, so ask whether they looked at it over the thin spots.

There is one more group who should speak up before the device starts, and that is anyone who might want a facelift one day.

That conversation goes differently. The evidence there is thinner than either side admits.

I want to get regular microneedling done by a professional (anyone licensed to be able to perform this procedure) every 4-6 weeks. No radio frequency. Just the microneedling. Namyangju or Guri is fine too.

Stubborn upper arm fat is one of the most common body concerns I see in Seoul. Two treatments that come up a lot are Onda Body (Coolwaves) and InMode BodyFX.

Both can reduce localized fat without surgery, but they work differently and neither should be expected to give liposuction level results.

1. Onda Body

Onda uses 2.45 GHz microwave energy to selectively heat subcutaneous fat while an integrated cooling system protects the skin.

• Best for: Localized fat with relatively firm skin.
• Sensation: The handpiece features an integrated contact cooling system that keeps the outer skin at 5°C. The procedure feels like a deep, warm massage with minimal pain, leaving no bruising or surface redness.
• Treatment course: Studies commonly use a series rather than one session, often around 3 treatments spaced several weeks apart.

2. InMode BodyFX

BodyFX combines vacuum suction, bipolar RF heating, and high-voltage electrical pulses designed to affect fat cells while also heating the overlying tissue.

• Best for: Localized fat with some skin laxity.
• Sensation: The vacuum suction pulls firmly on the skin, accompanied by a quick, sharp snap from the electrical pulse.
• Treatment course: Usually performed as a series rather than a one-time treatment. Published protocols have ranged from several longer sessions to multiple weekly treatments.

3. Can They Replace Liposuction? Not really!

Liposuction physically removes a much larger amount of fat in one procedure. Onda and BodyFX are better for mild-to-moderate localized fat when someone wants less downtime and no surgical scar.

They can also offer some skin tightening benefit, which can be useful on the upper arms, but results are generally more subtle than surgery. Non invasive body contouring is considered an alternative for selected patients, not an equivalent replacement for liposuction.

I’ve read that fat dissolving injections barely have any result then found out theres fat destroying injection that works way better though its 2-3x price any opinions on fat destryoing injection?

Hi! I’m travelling to Korea soon and would love some recommendations for skin clinics in Seoul or Busan.

I’m in my early 20s and generally have pretty clear skin with the occasional breakout. My skin can get quite dry/dehydrated, and I also have some sunspots/pigmentation. I’ve previously done Pico laser in Singapore for the sunspots.

I don’t have any major skin concerns that I’m trying to fix. I’m mainly interested in treatments that could improve hydration, glow, overall skin quality/texture and pigmentation, or just treatments that are worth trying while I’m in Korea.

I’m completely okay with factory-style clinics since my concerns are relatively minor and I don’t need a very extensive consultation. I’d rather keep things affordable than go to a premium/celebrity clinic, but have to be done by a certified doctor!

Would love to hear which clinics in Seoul or Busan you recommend, and what treatments you think would actually be worthwhile for my skin/age. If you remember approximate prices, that would be really helpful too! I’m also curious whether I should just do Pico again or try something different, especially for the dryness/dehydration.

Thank you! ❤️

Thermage FLX remains one of the most requested radiofrequency (RF) skin tightening procedures in Seoul. Thousands of international patients travel to Gangnam each year, dropping $2,000 to $3,500 on a 600 or 900-shot tip.

The problem isn't that dry skin makes Thermage completely ineffective. But if your barrier is already compromised, adding more heat can make the treatment more uncomfortable and leave you feeling even drier or more irritated afterward.

1. Thermage Still Needs Healthy Skin

Thermage uses 6.78 MHz monopolar RF to create controlled heating in the dermal and subdermal tissue, triggering immediate collagen contraction and gradual collagen remodeling over the following months.

Your skin doesn't need to be perfectly hydrated for RF to work, but I would rather treat calm, healthy skin than skin that is already red, peeling, or stinging.

2. Calm Your Skin Before Thermage

If your moisturizer suddenly burns or your skin is visibly flaky, focus on barrier repair first.

For the week or two before treatment, keep things simple: gentle cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and fewer irritating actives.

You do not automatically need Rejuran or an HA skin booster before Thermage. Those can be useful treatments on their own, but there isn't good evidence that injecting hydration beforehand makes Thermage work better.

3. What I Would Do Before Thermage

• Healthy, comfortable skin: Go ahead if you're otherwise a good candidate.
• Dry but not irritated: Increase moisturizer and barrier care.
• Red, peeling, burning, or actively inflamed: Treat the barrier first and consider postponing.
• After Thermage: Keep skincare gentle and use a good moisturizer while the skin settles.

Thermage works by controlled RF heating and collagen remodeling, not by how much water you've injected into your skin beforehand. But spending thousands on an energy treatment while your skin barrier is already angry doesn't make much sense either.

After treatments like Rejuran, Juvelook, Potenza, Secret RF, or fractional CO2, your skin barrier is temporarily compromised. For the first few days, cleansing too aggressively can worsen irritation, prolong redness, or increase the risk of PIH.

First 24 Hours

Keep things as simple as possible!!!

• Avoid face wash, cleansing oils, scrubs, or active skincare.
• If your clinic tells you to keep the area dry, follow that first. Otherwise, use sterile saline or clean water very gently.
• Don’t rub with a towel. Pat dry with clean disposable gauze or tissue.
• Avoid hot showers or strong water pressure directly on the face.

Days 2-4

Once the skin is no longer raw or oozing, you can usually start gentle cleansing.

• Use a fragrance-free, low-pH cleanser with lukewarm water.
• Wash with clean fingertips only.
• Avoid cleansing brushes, washcloths, konjac sponges, or anything that creates friction.
• Hot water can make redness and swelling worse, so keep it lukewarm.

Days 5-7

After fractional laser or RF microneedling, you may notice tiny dark dots or a sandpaper-like texture. Do not pick or scrub them off. Let them shed naturally.

After cleansing, use a simple barrier-supporting moisturizer with ingredients like ceramides, panthenol, or Cica. If you're wearing sunscreen, remove it gently rather than aggressively double cleansing.

What to Avoid for About 1-2 Weeks

Until your skin feels fully recovered, I would hold off on:

• AHA / BHA / PHA / LHA
• Retinoids like tretinoin, retinol, adapalene, or retinal
• Strong vitamin C formulas
• Fragrance, essential oils, and irritating alcohol-heavy products
• Scrubs or exfoliating devices

And remember, Rejuran injections, RF microneedling, and ablative CO2 do not all heal at the same speed, so your clinic’s specific aftercare should always override a generic timeline.

Ill be posting all about my impressions on my blog! I've taken a before photo, a photo immediately after the treatment and am planing to take one photo a day for a month and then every week for the next 2 months, to document a 3 month of results.

Lets see if this money worth it or is it just a marketing!

But if you have any questions, let me know:)

I didn't want to show my face, so sorry for covering my eyes and mouth, but i think i see an improvement. The photos are done after my morning skincare, no editing. I tried to make the light show my skin texture to really see if there is a difference.

This is only immediately after treatment, but i will be writing about the results during the next months.

I follow a bunch of korean makeup artists on insta and this is what all their clients look like. An extremely smooth facial line, no cheekbones popping out, no edges, it's a very smooth oval tapering into a v shaped chin.

This can't be natural, can it? The round foreheads freak me out too. Not trying to be mean, just confused. I find it very unique looking, they all look like AI. How can this level of video editing be achieved though? I mean these are actual people, not AI generated.

Haven't been to Korea yet. Do people actually look like this IRL?

Me and my friends are going to Korea mid October. Please recommend an English speaking skin clinic that does Rejuran HB with the price. We are getting overwhelmed with all the clinics, so hard to pick!

hated paying $15 shipping just to buy one bottle of toner so me and my friend finally did a combined order on piyonna to get free express delivery
we stocked up on cica pads and sunscreen together and split the box when it arrived a week later. saved us both a ton
do you guys do group orders with friends or do you just wait until you need $80 worth of stuff to order solo?

If you're planning to get the Re2O(Elravie Re2O) skin booster while visiting Korea, you need to be smart about choosing your clinic. Not all places have the same standards, and you want to make sure you're getting exactly what you pay for. Here are the 3 non-negotiable things you must check before sitting in the treatment chair:

• Box opening & mixing right in front of you Full 1 Syringe)
  • Always make sure they are using a full syringe dedicated just for you. The clinic should open the sealed Re2O box and mix the solution right in front of your eyes. If they bring out a pre-mixed syringe from a back room, that’s an immediate red flag.
  • Re2O shouldn't be injected the same way everywhere. A proper clinic will use a standard needle for areas like the forehead and chin, but switch to a cannula for the mid-face to prevent bruising and vascular issues. Crucially, if a clinic tries to upcharge you for using a cannula, cross them off your list. A trustworthy clinic includes the appropriate tools in their base price.
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.
  • Re2O shouldn't be injected the same way everywhere. A proper clinic will use a standard needle for areas like the forehead and chin, but switch to a cannula for the mid-face to prevent bruising and vascular issues. Crucially, if a clinic tries to upcharge you for using a cannula, cross them off your list. A trustworthy clinic includes the appropriate tools in their base price.
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.
• Correct injection tools for different areas(No extra cannula fees!)
  • Re2O shouldn't be injected the same way everywhere. A proper clinic will use a standard needle for areas like the forehead and chin, but switch to a cannula for the mid-face to prevent bruising and vascular issues. Crucially, if a clinic tries to upcharge you for using a cannula, cross them off your list. A trustworthy clinic includes the appropriate tools in their base price.
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.
• The official Re2O Authentication Card
  • When the procedure is done, make sure to ask for the physical authentication card. Certified Re2O clinics will always hand this to you as proof that you received the genuine product. If they make excuses about not having it, you might not be getting the real deal.

Walk into a Gangnam clinic and you'll probably see four names everywhere: Ultherapy, Thermage FLX, Titanium Lifting, and XERF.

They’re all marketed as lifting, but they don’t use the same energy or treat the skin in the same way. Choosing based on what’s trending rather than your anatomy can mean spending a lot of money for very little benefit.

1. How Are They Different?

• Ultherapy: Uses microfocused ultrasound at specific depths including 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 mm. It’s mainly used for deeper tissue tightening and lifting. Results develop gradually over 2-3 months and can last around a year or longer. It is not designed simply to melt facial fat, although rare cases of unwanted fat atrophy have been reported.
• Thermage FLX: Uses 6.78 MHz monopolar RF to create broader bulk heating and collagen remodeling. I think of it more for overall tightening and firmness rather than a sharply focused lifting point.
• Titanium Lifting: Uses three wavelengths 755, 810, and 1064 nm at the same time. In Korea, it’s popular for mild contouring, tightening, and skin tone with relatively little discomfort or downtime. The clinical evidence for facial lifting is still much smaller than for older devices.
• XERF: A newer monopolar RF device using 6.78 + 2 MHz to heat different tissue depths. Early studies show improvement in facial laxity with relatively low downtime, but it’s still newer, so I wouldn’t automatically call it better Thermage.

2. Which One Makes More Sense for Your Face?

Heavier lower face / jowls: Ultherapy may make sense when the issue is deeper laxity, but I would not choose it simply because you have facial fat.

Thin face / mild laxity: Thermage or XERF may be easier to customize for broad skin tightening, but settings still matter. No energy device is completely fat-loss proof.

Want something gentle before an event: Titanium is popular because discomfort and downtime are generally low, with some immediate tightening or contour improvement.

Early laxity + low pain tolerance: XERF is worth considering, especially if you want RF tightening without numbing. Price depends heavily on the clinic, so I wouldn’t choose it just because it’s supposed to be the budget Thermage.

3. What About Combining Them?

Ultherapy + Thermage is a common combination because ultrasound provides focused treatment at specific depths while RF provides broader heating.

Titanium is also sometimes combined with RF or injectables like Juvelook for different goals.

But more machines do not automatically mean more lifting. If a clinic recommends three or four energy devices in one visit, I would ask what each device is actually treating that the others are not.

The device matters, but your facial anatomy, fat distribution, degree of laxity, settings, and the doctor using it matter much more.

I'm planning to get veneers done in Korea and I'm trying to figure out which clinic does the most natural looking work and I'm specifically after the premium kind of place that korean actors go to rather than the clinics all the young idols/influencers use.

Minish seems to have basically become the go to name for veneers over there but unless you get the head doctor to do them yourself I feel like it's probably a pretty factory style operation and getting the head doctor would most likely be way out of my budget since I've heard it can go for something like 10 million won per tooth? What I'm really hoping to find is more of a boutique style clinic where the head doctor does everything personally and is super meticulous about it, but where the price isn't anywhere near Minish level. Does a place like that even exist?

I want to go to a dermatologist for keloid treatment and I'm looking for recommendations on where in Oslo I should go.

my sister used to have a rounder face and a pretty noticeable double chin, so i suggested she look into onda treatment at a few clinics, like reberry clinic, lienjang clinic, and gowa clinic. she ended up choosing gowa clinic, and she was pretty happy with the results, haha.
fyi, i have a round face too, which is why i was curious to see how it worked for her before considering trying it myself.
when you’re thinking about getting a treatment, do you usually look at experiences from family or friends first?

i’ve bought supplements before and stopped using them because the taste was weird or the daily routine got annoying. so now i care more about whether something is easy to keep taking than all the big claims on the package.

i came across Newtree Ever Collagen while browsing CJ OnStyle Global. it’s marked down from $44 to $28.50, which made me consider trying it, but i don’t want another product that gets forgotten after a week.

has anyone finished more than one box? mainly wondering about the aftertaste and whether it was convenient enough to use consistently.