Thermage vs Ultherapy radiofrequency or focused ultrasound, and what each can do

The basics

Two energies, one goal

Both treatments heat tissue under the skin to the point where collagen contracts, then rely on the body's healing response to lay down new collagen over the following months. Neither cuts the skin, and neither adds volume. The difference is how the heat gets there.

Thermage uses monopolar radiofrequency (RF): an electrical current passes from the treatment tip through the body to a return pad, and the tissue's resistance turns it into heat across a broad volume of dermis and the fibrous strands beneath it. Ultherapy uses micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation (MFU-V): sound energy converges at fixed depths of 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm, creating small heated points, and the same handpiece shows an ultrasound image of the tissue while treating.

So Thermage is a broad, even warming of the skin, and Ultherapy is a pattern of precise points at depth, including the SMAS, the fibrous layer a surgeon tightens in a facelift.

Side by side

Thermage vs Ultherapy at a glance

Prices are ranges from public Singapore clinic websites and a clinic directory, checked in October 2026. Most did not say whether GST was included.

What each does

What Thermage tightens and what Ultherapy lifts

Because monopolar RF warms a broad sheet of dermis, Thermage is usually described as a treatment for skin quality and firmness: crepey or slightly loose skin, fine lines and texture across the face, around the eyes (with a dedicated eye tip) and on body areas such as the abdomen or arms.

Because Ultherapy can place heat at the SMAS, it is usually described as a lifting treatment for support: a heavy brow, early jowls, a softening jawline and loose skin under the chin and on the neck. Studies of single treatments have measured brow lifts of roughly 0.5 to 1.7 mm, which is real but modest.

These are tendencies, not rules. In practice, many faces have both looser skin and weaker support, which is why some doctors combine RF and ultrasound in one plan. Neither treatment replaces lost volume, and neither lifts heavy, folded skin the way surgery can.

The experience

Pain, downtime and number of sessions

Ultherapy is commonly felt as short, deep prickles or bursts of heat, strongest over bone such as the jawline and temples. In studies, average pain scores sat around five to six out of ten. Thermage is felt as a series of deep, hot pulses; the current FLX handpiece cools the skin before, during and after each pulse and vibrates to make it more tolerable. With either, numbing cream and energy adjustments help, and sensitivity varies a great deal between people.

Downtime is usually short for both: some redness, mild swelling or tenderness for hours to a few days. Most people go back to work the same or next day.

Both are typically planned as a single session, judged a few months later, then repeated when the effect has softened. There is no fixed interval; it depends on age, skin quality, weight changes and sun exposure.

Durability

How long the results last

Clinics often quote anywhere from six to eighteen months for these treatments. The published evidence is shorter: most studies follow people for three to six months, and the early Thermage studies noted that how long results lasted was not yet known.

What is clear is that the face keeps ageing after any treatment. The new collagen built after a session does not stop the underlying process, so most people who like the result plan maintenance. Treat any fixed duration in an advert as an estimate, not a promise.

Evidence

What the head-to-head trial found

Only a small amount of research compares the two directly. In a randomised, evaluator-blind, split-face trial, 20 people with mild to moderate laxity had monopolar RF on one side of the face and micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation on the other. Both sides improved significantly from day 30 through to six months, with no statistically significant difference in laxity scores, satisfaction or side effects between them.

Wider reviews support each one separately. A 2025 meta-analysis of 42 MFU-V studies found improvement in most patients, mostly mild and temporary side effects, and cautioned that efficacy may be overestimated. An early study of monopolar RF in 50 people with cheek and neck laxity found most improved on masked assessment over six months.

In plain terms: for the right face, both give a modest, gradual change, and the doctor's assessment and technique matter more than which logo is on the machine.

Prices

What Thermage and Ultherapy cost in Singapore

The price mostly reflects the consumables (Ultherapy transducers, single-use Thermage tips with a set number of pulses), the number of lines or pulses, the areas, and who performs it. Ask for a written breakdown and the device brand by name before paying.

• Ultherapy, lower or full face: about S$2,500 to S$4,500 per session on the clinic websites we checked in October 2026.
• Ultherapy, face and neck: from about S$4,000.
• Thermage, eye area: from about S$1,600.
• Thermage, face: mostly about S$2,600 to S$4,500, with some directory listings giving ranges up to about S$7,000.
• Most pages gave 'from' prices and did not say whether GST was included.

Our alternatives

What SkinRev Lab and IN Eternity Clinic offer instead

If you want the result rather than a particular brand, these cover the same ground: non-medical ultrasound and microplasma at SkinRev Lab, and doctor-led monopolar RF and focused ultrasound performed by Dr Sin Yong at IN Eternity Clinic. If you want Thermage or Ultherapy specifically, another provider is the right choice.

Doctor first

When to see a doctor before choosing

At IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, beside Orchard MRT, Dr Sin Yong assesses skin thickness, fat and where the sagging sits before suggesting HIFU, VF Lift or something else. WhatsApp +65 8815 3008, Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm, or ask SkinRev Lab at CityLink Mall to pass on your enquiry.

• Moderate laxity, deeper jowls or neck looseness: a medical assessment helps decide between focused ultrasound, RF or a combination.
• A very thin face with little fat: over-treatment with heat can make hollows look deeper.
• Mainly lost volume rather than loose skin: tightening will not put it back; a biostimulator or filler is often the better fit.
• Heavy sagging with folds of excess skin: a surgical opinion is more honest advice than any device.
• A pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, metal implants in the area, pregnancy, active skin infection, or recent fillers or threads: tell the doctor, as some energy treatments are not suitable.

Sources

References & sources

1. Alhaddad M, Wu DC, Bolton J, Wilson MJ, Jones IT, Boen M, Goldman MP. A randomized, split-face, evaluator-blind clinical trial comparing monopolar radiofrequency versus microfocused ultrasound with visualization for lifting and tightening of the face and upper neck. Dermatol Surg. 2019;45(1):131-139. PMID 30531187.
2. Amiri M, Ajasllari G, Llane A, et al. Microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) effectiveness and safety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthet Surg J. 2025;45(3):NP86-NP94. PMID 39540440.
3. Alster TS, Tanzi E. Improvement of neck and cheek laxity with a nonablative radiofrequency device: a lifting experience. Dermatol Surg. 2004;30(4 Pt 1):503-507. PMID 15056138.
4. Contini M, Hollander MHJ, Vissink A, et al. A systematic review of the efficacy of microfocused ultrasound for facial skin tightening. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):1522. PMID 36674277.
5. Merz Aesthetics. Ultherapy: the gold standard (physician information page).
6. Bausch Health. Thermage surpasses 5 million treatments (news release, 5 September 2025).

Common questions

Your questions,
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