Ultherapy Lifting
— HAYE’s Clinical Standard —
I began my career as an associate physician, working across multiple clinical settings.
It has now been nearly six years since opening HAYE Clinic in Hannam-dong.
Through years of clinical practice and clinic management, one principle has become clear:
using a powerful device matters less than knowing
which face to use it on, and how to use it properly.
This article is not written to promote Ultherapy as a “strong” device.
It is written to explain how HAYE Clinic decides when Ultherapy is appropriate,
and when it is not.
Ultherapy is a device that has accumulated long-term clinical evidence for facial lifting through FDA approval,
and for that reason, it is still considered a reference standard in lifting treatments today.
Rather than listing technical specifications or performance metrics,
this article focuses on the clinical judgment behind how Ultherapy is used at HAYE Clinic.
1. How HAYE Clinic Approaches Ultherapy
Ultherapy uses the principle of
HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) to focus ultrasound energy at specific depths,
inducing selective thermal coagulation within targeted tissue layers.
Ultherapy’s defining feature is the ability to select different treatment depths—
1.5 mm, 3.0 mm, and 4.5 mm—rather than treating the entire face at a single depth.
What matters at HAYE Clinic is not the number of available depths,
but the clinical decision-making process of selecting
the appropriate depth for each area of the face.
From our perspective, Ultherapy is not simply a “strong device,”
but a tool that allows precise depth selection.
2. Why Different Areas Require Different Depths
Even within the same face,
the skin thickness, elasticity, and fat distribution vary significantly
across the brow, cheeks, jawline, and perioral area.
For this reason, HAYE Clinic does not view the face as a flat surface,
but as a collection of anatomical zones with different functional roles.
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In some areas, deeper thermal stimulation can clarify facial contours.
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In others, the same approach may lead to volume loss or unwanted changes in expression.
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Certain areas benefit more from improvements in skin texture and elasticity than from lifting itself.
Without this distinction,
repeating the same depth across the entire face
may improve contour in some regions,
but can destabilize facial balance overall.
This is why, at HAYE Clinic,
we prioritize where and how each depth is used,
rather than how deep the energy is delivered.
3. HAYE’s Interpretation of Depth-Specific Effects
At deeper layers such as the SMAS or subcutaneous fat layer,
Ultherapy induces strong thermal coagulation,
which can reduce excess volume while contributing to lifting effects.
This process helps reorganize sagging structures
and may lead to a clearer facial outline.
In contrast, the 1.5 mm depth is not intended for structural lifting.
It is used to refine skin texture and pores,
and is often applied to thin-skinned areas such as the upper eyelids or forehead,
or to support overall dermal quality.
For this reason, HAYE Clinic does not treat all depths equally.
Instead, depths are selectively combined based on treatment goals and facial anatomy.
Even with the same device,
treatment design varies depending on facial structure and aging stage.
4. The First Questions We Ask Before Lifting
During Ultherapy consultations,
the most common question we hear is:
“How strong is it?”
At HAYE Clinic, we ask different questions first:
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Does this face primarily need restoration of elasticity,
or structural lifting?
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Will this change remain natural one, three, or five years from now?
For this reason, we do not believe that
using deeper tips more frequently automatically leads to better outcomes.
We determine the direction first,
then select the depths accordingly.
5. A Lifting Treatment That Considers Contour, expression, and Skin Quality
Ultherapy is a powerful device.
When used appropriately, it can refine facial contours.
When used without judgment,
it can lead to hollowing or overly sharp expressions.
At HAYE Clinic, we simultaneously consider:
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Whether facial contours will truly improve
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Whether the patient’s expression may become too aggressive
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Whether skin texture and pores will benefit
This is why our approach to Ultherapy
is not about “strong lifting,”
but about designing contour and expression together.
6. When We Use Ultherapy Cautiously
Ultherapy is not applied in the same way to every face.
When facial volume is sufficient and structural sagging is present,
Ultherapy can be an effective option for contour refinement and lifting.
However, when facial volume is already limited,
aggressive use of Ultherapy may increase the risk of hollowing
or unwanted changes in facial appearance.
In such cases, a more cautious approach is required.
Rather than defaulting to Ultherapy alone,
we may recommend alternative lifting methods
or strategies that consider volume preservation.
At HAYE Clinic,
treatment suitability is determined after evaluating facial structure and volume,
not by applying the same protocol to every patient.
7. How Ultherapy Is Used at HAYE Clinic
At HAYE Clinic, Ultherapy is not described in terms of shot count or intensity.
Instead, we:
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Combine depths based on skin type and regional anatomy
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Plan the sequence alongside other lifting or skin treatments
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Use Ultherapy within a long-term treatment strategy, not as a one-time event
This is why the same patient
does not receive the same depths or protocol repeatedly.
8. What Ultherapy Means at HAYE Clinic
At HAYE Clinic, Ultherapy is not a treatment that simply “targets all depths.”
It represents a clinical judgment to select
the necessary depths based on facial structure and skin condition.
Lifting is not a single event,
but a form of medical care that manages facial appearance over time.
For this reason,
HAYE Clinic prioritizes
outcomes that remain stable and natural as time passes,
rather than short-term dramatic changes.
