SKINLIFT® vs HIFU two non-surgical lifts, two different rooms

The short version

Same goal, different settings

Both treatments aim to firm and lift the lower face without cutting the skin, and both use ultrasound energy. The differences are in how the energy is delivered, who delivers it and where. SKINLIFT® is a non-medical treatment at SkinRev Lab, a non-invasive aesthetic centre at CityLink Mall, reached underground from City Hall and Esplanade MRT. HIFU is a medical procedure: at our affiliated clinic it is performed by Dr Sin Yong (MBBS Singapore, MRCS Edinburgh, MSc Practical Dermatology Cardiff) at IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza, beside Orchard MRT.

SkinRev Lab does not perform HIFU. If you ask about it at CityLink Mall, the Aesthetic Specialist can pass your enquiry to IN Eternity Clinic, where suitability, the treatment plan and pricing are decided at a medical consultation.

How each works

Pulsed ultrasound vs focused thermal points

SKINLIFT® uses N Pulse-Ultrasound: multi-sequential pulses of ultrasound delivered through the skin without breaking it. It is aimed at the dermis and the subdermal connective tissue that carry facial support, and it works by prompting tissue contraction and collagen renewal over the following weeks. No topical or injected anaesthetic is used.

HIFU focuses ultrasound to a point at a fixed depth, much like a magnifying glass concentrating sunlight. At the focal point, tissue heats quickly to roughly 60 °C and above, the range at which collagen contracts and coagulates, while the skin surface in between stays largely unaffected. On the face, cartridges commonly focus at 1.5 mm (upper dermis), 3.0 mm (deep dermis) and 4.5 mm, the depth of the SMAS, the fibrous layer of muscle and fascia that a surgeon tightens during a facelift.

Each heated HIFU point starts a small wound-healing response. Some firming comes from immediate collagen contraction; the rest comes from new collagen laid down over the following two to three months, which is why HIFU results are judged weeks later rather than on the day.

Comfort and downtime

What each feels like, and what happens after

SKINLIFT® delivers energy in sequential pulses rather than single high-intensity points, and most clients describe the session as comfortable. Sensitivity differs from person to person, so the Aesthetic Specialist checks in during the session and will adjust or pause if you are uncomfortable.

With HIFU, most people feel short, deep prickles or bursts of warmth as each line is delivered, more so over bone such as the jawline and temples. In published studies, average discomfort sat around the middle of a ten-point scale, and numbing cream helps. Afterwards the skin may look a little pink and feel tender to touch for a few days. Most people go back to work the same day; the usual aftercare is sunscreen, gentle skincare for a day or two, and avoiding saunas and very hot exercise until any swelling settles.

Who each suits

Matching the treatment to the face

A very thin face with little fat needs particular care with HIFU, because over-treatment can make hollows look deeper. That is one reason Dr Sin Yong looks at skin thickness, fat distribution and where the sagging sits before planning it.

• SKINLIFT® tends to suit early softening of the jawline or jowls, people keeping an existing result maintained, and anyone who wants no needles, no numbing and a 30-minute session close to the CBD.
• HIFU tends to suit mild to moderate laxity — a softening jawline, early jowls, a slightly heavy brow or loosening under the chin — where there is still reasonable skin quality and some soft tissue over the bone.
• HIFU is not suitable during pregnancy, over active skin infection, open wounds or inflamed acne in the area, or directly over implanted electronic devices. Tell the doctor about recent fillers or threads, keloid scarring, bleeding problems or facial numbness.
• Neither is the right tool for heavy sagging with folds of excess skin, where a surgical opinion is more honest advice, or for a face whose main change is volume loss rather than laxity.

How to choose

Three questions to ask yourself

As Dr Sin Yong puts it on our HIFU page, HIFU tightens what you already have; it cannot replace lost volume or lift heavy, deep sagging the way surgery can. The same honesty applies to SKINLIFT®: it is a gradual, non-invasive lift, not a substitute for a facelift.

• How much laxity is there? If it is early, or you are maintaining, a SKINLIFT® assessment at SkinRev Lab is a sensible place to start. If the Aesthetic Specialist sees deeper laxity, the enquiry goes to Dr Sin Yong.
• How do you feel about a medical procedure? HIFU involves a doctor's consultation, possible numbing cream and a few days of tenderness for some people. SKINLIFT® involves none of those.
• Is the problem sagging or lost volume? Lifting tightens what is already there. If volume loss is the main issue, neither treatment will put it back, and we will tell you so at consultation.

What the research says

The evidence on focused ultrasound

In a laboratory study on human skin, Laubach and colleagues showed that intense focused ultrasound could create small, confined thermal points up to about 4 mm deep in the dermis, with their depth and size set by power, exposure time and focal depth. A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies with 477 participants concluded that HIFU is safe in the short term and has a moderate effect on face and neck rejuvenation, while noting that studies measured outcomes in different ways and that long follow-up was rarely reported.

These trials concern medical HIFU devices; they do not test SKINLIFT® itself. That is why we describe SKINLIFT® as a gradual change that varies from person to person, and why a review of your progress is built into the course.

Sources

References & sources

1. Laubach HJ, Makin IR, Barthe PG, Slayton MH, Manstein D. Intense focused ultrasound: evaluation of a new treatment modality for precise microcoagulation within the skin. Dermatol Surg. 2008;34(5):727-734. PMID 18429926.
2. Ayatollahi A, Gholami J, Saberi M, Hosseini H, Firooz A. Systematic review and meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for face and neck rejuvenation. Lasers Med Sci. 2020;35(5):1007-1024. PMID 32026164.
3. Alam M, White LE, Martin N, Witherspoon J, Yoo S, West DP. Ultrasound tightening of facial and neck skin: a rater-blinded prospective cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010;62(2):262-269. PMID 20115948.

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