Volnewmer vs Thermage, compared by published specification

Volnewmer vs Thermage: the short answer

Volnewmer and Thermage are two brands of the same category of device: monopolar radiofrequency (RF) at 6.78 MHz, applied through a cooled tip that is placed on the skin pulse by pulse. Volnewmer is made by CLASSYS, a Korean company. Thermage FLX is made by Solta Medical, part of Bausch Health. The makers' own pages show the same energy type, the same published frequency and the same four tip sizes, and they differ in how the tip is cooled, in the handpiece and tip design, and in how each company describes a session.

Oligio X is a third 6.78 MHz monopolar radiofrequency device; see how it compares with Volnewmer and Thermage.

SkinRev Lab does not offer Thermage. If Thermage is the treatment you want, it is sensible to ask a provider directly whether they have it. At SkinRev Lab, the monopolar RF treatment is VF Lift, which Dr Sin Yong, medical adviser, performs himself on the Volnewmer after a consultation. It is priced at consultation.

This guide sets the two devices side by side using only what each maker publishes and what published papers describe. It does not say which is the right device for a particular face, because no published specification can answer that. That is a question for a doctor who has examined you. Where a figure is not published on the pages we opened, the guide says so and does not fill the gap.

What Volnewmer is, according to its maker

Volnewmer is a monopolar radiofrequency system made by CLASSYS, which describes it as using 6.78 MHz monopolar radio frequency technology with a single electrode. The maker's specification table lists the system type as monopolar RF with a power of 115 W, two handpieces and a maximum treatment area of 16 square centimetres per tip.

The features CLASSYS publishes are:

• Continuous water cooling. Chilled water cools the tip where it touches the skin while the RF energy is delivered.
• An impedance check. The maker states that the tip automatically performs an impedance check before delivering each shot.
• A curved and tilted tip head, intended for curved areas of the face.
• Four tips: the I Tip (0.25 square centimetres, for the eye area), the F Tip (3.0, for the jawline and chin), the V Tip (4.0, the main face tip) and the S Tip (16.0, for the body).

CLASSYS describes the RF energy as travelling from the papillary dermis to the reticular dermis, the upper and lower parts of the skin's collagen layer, while contact cooling protects the surface. Its page does not give a treatment depth in millimetres. A published paper that used the device reports three energy levels of 75, 95 and 115 joules per shot on the 4 square centimetre V Tip. More about the device is on our Volnewmer page.

What Thermage FLX is, according to its maker

Thermage FLX is a monopolar radiofrequency system made by Solta Medical, and the maker's device description gives its operating frequency as 6.78 MHz. Solta Medical describes a handheld applicator that delivers RF energy to the skin with integrated cooling and vibration, and an automatic calibration feature it calls AccuREP.

The features Solta Medical publishes are:

• Cooling with vibration. The maker describes a brief heating sensation when the tip touches the skin, followed by a cooling sensation. Its device description lists cryogen, a return pad and coupling fluid as items used at each treatment.
• One handpiece for face, eye and body tips.
• Four tips: the Total Tip 4.0 and Total Tip 3.0 (square centimetres, for the face and body), the Eye Tip 0.25 (for the eyelids and around the eyes, used with eye shields) and the Body Tip 16.0.
• Pulse-counted tips. Each tip is designed to deliver a specific number of pulses and cannot be reused afterwards.

Solta Medical states that most treatments take between 30 and 60 minutes depending on the area. Its pages do not give a treatment depth in millimetres. Our Thermage guide covers the device in more detail, including what a quote from a provider should list.

Volnewmer and Thermage FLX side by side

The table lists only what each maker publishes, plus where each device stands at SkinRev Lab. A row that says not stated means the figure was not on the maker's pages we opened; it does not mean the feature is absent.

Read across the rows and the pattern is clear: the two devices share an energy type, a frequency and a set of tip sizes. The published differences sit in the engineering around the electrode, which is cooling, calibration and handpiece design.

How the cooling and the tips differ

Cooling is the main published difference between Volnewmer and Thermage FLX. Monopolar RF heats tissue beneath the surface, so both devices cool the skin where the tip touches it, but they do it in different ways.

• Volnewmer circulates chilled water through the tip. CLASSYS calls this continuous water cooling. A published paper on the device describes chilled water circulating through the tip that is in contact with the skin.
• Thermage FLX is described by Solta Medical as having integrated cooling together with vibration, and its provider page refers to cooling blasts. The maker's device description lists cryogen among the accessories used at each treatment.

The tips differ in name and shape more than in size. Both makers list a 0.25 square centimetre tip for the eye area, 3.0 and 4.0 square centimetre face tips and a 16.0 square centimetre body tip. CLASSYS describes its tip head as curved and tilted. Solta Medical states that its face tips should not be used over the eye and that the Eye Tip is used with eye shields.

Both makers also name an automatic feature linked to energy delivery: an impedance check before each shot on Volnewmer and AccuREP automatic calibration on Thermage FLX. Neither maker's page explains these features in enough technical detail to compare them further, so this guide does not.

How a session is structured on each device

Both devices are used in the same basic way: the tip is placed on the skin, the device delivers a pulse of RF energy with cooling, and the tip is moved to the next position until the planned area is covered. The makers describe the details differently.

Volnewmer. CLASSYS describes four steps: the tip is placed on the skin; the tip runs an impedance check, activates cooling and delivers the shot; the RF energy passes from the papillary to the reticular dermis while the surface is cooled; and the collagen fibres respond to the heat. The maker's page does not state a session length or a number of sessions. The two published papers we opened each describe a single session of 200 to 300 shots on the face with the 4 square centimetre tip.

Thermage FLX. Solta Medical states that most treatments take between 30 and 60 minutes and presents the treatment as a single session, with a yearly repeat as an option.

At SkinRev Lab, a VF Lift session on the Volnewmer takes about 60 to 90 minutes for the face and neck, as stated on our VF Lift page. Thermage session details vary by provider, because SkinRev Lab does not offer it.

What published studies describe

Published research on Thermage goes back further than research on Volnewmer, because Thermage's maker dates the brand to 2002, while the Volnewmer papers we opened date from 2024. That is a statement about the age and size of the literature, not about how either device performs.

For Volnewmer, we opened two papers by the same author:

• A wrinkle study. Forty-five people completed follow-up after one session. The study measured skin surface roughness with a 3D scanner immediately after treatment and at one month. The author notes that larger and more varied groups are needed to confirm the findings.
• A 3D lifting study. Thirty Korean women had one session of 300 shots. The study measured changes of roughly 1.3 to 2.8 mm across five areas of the face and neck at one month. It was retrospective, had no control group and followed patients for one month only.

For Thermage, the clinical studies are listed in our Thermage guide; they are not repeated here because this page describes only sources opened for this comparison.

We did not find a published study that compares Volnewmer and Thermage directly in the same patients. Without one, a claim that either device produces more change than the other has no published basis, and this page makes no such claim.

What SkinRev Lab offers, and what it does not

SkinRev Lab offers Volnewmer treatment as VF Lift and does not offer Thermage. VF Lift is a medical treatment that Dr Sin Yong, medical adviser, performs himself at #B1-28 CityLink Mall after a consultation and examination. It is priced at consultation.

As stated on the VF Lift page:

• VF Lift uses the CLASSYS Volnewmer, 6.78 MHz monopolar radiofrequency, applied along vertical vectors. It is radiofrequency only and contains no focused ultrasound.
• Dr Sin Yong plans each zone with one of three settings, which he calls Lift, Reduce and Restore.
• A session takes about 60 to 90 minutes for the face and neck.
• Redness and warmth usually fade within hours; swelling or tenderness along the jawline or under the chin can last one to three days.
• HIFU for deeper layers is a separate treatment, sequenced at review.

In September 2026 CLASSYS invited Dr Sin Yong to its academy in São Paulo to teach doctors in Brazil his VF Lift protocol on the Volnewmer.

SkinRev Lab also has non-medical options performed by Aesthetic Therapists: SKINLIFT® ultrasound and SKINTIGHT® microplasma on the Alma PrimeX. These are different technologies from monopolar RF and are not a substitute for either device on this page.

Who monopolar RF may suit, and who should not have it

Whether monopolar RF suits you is decided at a consultation, not by the brand of device. SkinRev Lab's VF Lift page and Thermage's maker both list implanted electronic devices as a reason not to treat.

Our VF Lift page describes the people Dr Sin Yong most often assesses for Volnewmer treatment: adults with early to moderate sagging, jowls, a softening jawline, mid-cheek flattening, mild under-chin fullness or looser neck skin. It also states that VF Lift is not a substitute for surgery where there is heavy laxity with excess skin.

The VF Lift page lists these as reasons not to treat, or to tell the doctor about first:

• pregnancy;
• implanted electronic devices, or metal implants in the treatment area;
• infected or inflamed skin in the area;
• recent fillers or threads, a tendency to form keloids, or bleeding problems.

For Thermage, Solta Medical states that the treatment must not be used in people with a cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator or other electrical implant. It also states that it has not studied the treatment in people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or over skin fillers, cosmetic tattooing such as brow or lip embroidery or tattoos. The maker also notes that the procedure may produce heating in the upper layers of the skin, causing burns. Your doctor will advise on what applies to you.

Questions to ask before choosing either device

The most useful questions are about the plan and the person performing it, not the brand name. A provider of either device should be able to answer these plainly.

1. Which device and which tip will be used? Ask for the device name, the tip size and the number of pulses or shots planned.
2. Who performs the treatment? At SkinRev Lab, Dr Sin Yong performs VF Lift himself.
3. Which areas are covered? Face only, face and neck, the eye area or the body are planned differently.
4. What will I feel, and what is used for comfort? Both makers describe heat followed by cooling.
5. What is normal afterwards, and who do I contact if I am worried?
6. When is the review, and what happens then?
7. What does the quote include? Ask whether the consultation, review and GST are part of the figure.
8. Is there anything in my history that changes the plan? Mention implants, fillers, threads, pregnancy and any skin condition.

If your concern is sagging and you are not sure RF is the right category at all, our guide to face lifting devices in Singapore sets RF and focused ultrasound devices side by side, and HIFU vs Thermage explains how the two energy types differ.