Ultherapy or Sofwave: Which is Right for You?

Ulthera or Sofwave: Which is Right for You?

In the aesthetic industry focused on anti-aging, there are plenty of options and both clinicians and clients are looking for the next treatment or product that can boost our skin health and youthfulness. 

In deciding what treatment to choose, there will always be guiding principles in medical aesthetics, such as going back to basics and understanding the different components and layers that make up healthy skin and tissue. Ultrasound-based treatments do just that as they can be programmed to target different layers of our skin. At Freia Medical, we have two non-invasive treatments that utilise Ultrasound technology. They are commonly known by their brand names - Ulthera and Sofwave. 

What to Expect from Sofwave or Ulthera

Firstly, for the similarities: during a non-invasive medical aesthetic ultrasound treatment, focused energy is delivered via the machine into the skin. This causes controlled injury and breakdown of existing skin matrix and tissue. It is this controlled injury that triggers repair, remodeling, stimulation and growth of new collagen and improved skin matrix over time. Both procedures are non-invasive and have minimal to no social downtime. There are no injections involved during the whole treatment and each procedure takes about an hour to complete. Effects of such ultrasound-based treatments start to be visible in most patients 2-3 months after the procedure and tend to improve over the next few months; and results can be maintained for about 9-12 months on average. 

However, Ulthera and Sofwave are more than just 2 different brands of ultrasound machines. There are sufficient differences between the two such that they are 2 unique treatments, in my opinion and practice. 

Differences between Sofwave and Ulthera

The Ulthera system is able to work on skin tissue of different depths, including a depth of 4.5mm beneath the skin, where it is able to target deep structures such as the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) layer. This SMAS layer is the same muscle that is commonly targeted during a surgical face lifting procedure, and I believe this is how Ulthera got its nickname as a non-invasive skin lifting procedure. In addition, the Ulthera system has real-time visualisation during the entire process. This means the doctor can see exactly which layer is being treated, which optimises energy delivery and safety of the treatment. 

We shall now discuss Sofwave, which also utilizes focused ultrasound energy. Sofwave focuses on the optimum depth under the skin for collagen stimulation and this translates to improved skin firmness and elasticity. The resultant skin firming effect leads to a tightened, lifted and more rejuvenated look. In addition, it has been shown to improve skin texture, including acne scars and the appearance of cellulite, as it improves the skin matrix from within. I sometimes refer to Sofwave as an optimal treatment to build one’s collagen stores as it does just that and is a procedure with no social downtime or discomfort. 

Summary of Differences