Candidacy · Tissue Depth · Pacific Plaza
HIFU treatment suits people whose main change is laxity, meaning skin and SMAS that have loosened, with enough soft tissue over the bone for the heat to land where it should. Age and skin colour do not decide it; an examination of each area does.
You are likely to suit HIFU if your jawline, under-chin or neck shows early to moderate laxity and the area carries a moderate amount of fat, neither a lot nor very little. You are less likely to suit it if your main concern is a hollow cheek or temple, a full pad of fat under the chin, or a heavy lower face with loose, hanging skin.
What Is Checked
Dr Sin Yong separates three changes that can look alike. Laxity shows as skin that folds when you tuck your chin. Volume loss shows as hollowing at the temple or midface that leaves the face looking unsupported. Fat shows as softness under the chin that stays full whatever the head position. HIFU addresses only the first.
He then feels each area to judge how much tissue lies over the bone, checks how fast pinched skin springs back, and maps where loosening and missing volume overlap. Tissue depth matters more than age: one face can take the 4.5 mm depth along the jaw yet only shallow settings at the temple.
Skin type is not the limiting factor. Because the energy is focused beneath the surface, Fitzpatrick III to V skin, common in Singapore, is assessed on the same points as any other: laxity, tissue thickness, implants, earlier treatments and medical history.
Who Waits
Some situations mean waiting; others mean a different treatment would serve you better.
The area pages for jowls, a double chin, the neck and the brow cover each zone, and what HIFU cannot do sets out its limits.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pregnancy | Treatment waits |
| Infection, active acne or inflamed skin in the area | Waits until it has settled |
| Recent filler or threads in the same layer | Waits until the material has been assessed; some areas may be left out |
| Implants or metal near the area, or keloid scarring | Assessed individually |
| Lean face with little tissue over the bone | Treated conservatively or not at all, as heat can reach fat and leave hollows |
| Marked volume loss | Collagen biostimulators or filler, not heat |
| Laxity with fullness | The VF Lift – Vertical Facelift may be discussed |
| Heavy lower face with much loose skin | Thread lift, or a surgical opinion by referral |
Device Choice
HIFU is an umbrella term, and devices differ in focal depths, delivery and whether the layers can be seen first. At Atelier, HIFU uses set depths of 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 mm, and Ultherapy adds imaging, which helps where depth is uncertain. Labels such as 4D or 7D, and shot counts, are not comparable between machines and say nothing about whether you are a candidate; the HIFU Singapore guide explains platforms, and HIFU shots explained covers counts.
At Atelier
Suitability is settled in person with Dr SY. He examines your face at rest and moving, feels each area, and asks about filler, threads, implants, pregnancy and keloids. You leave with a written plan saying what he would and would not do, and no treatment is a normal outcome. A quote follows the assessment; how we quote explains what changes it.
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Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170
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