Monopolar RF · Suitability · Pacific Plaza
Thermage suits skin that has loosened while the face beneath it still holds its volume. This page sets out which findings make Thermage FLX a good fit, which point elsewhere, and who should not have it, as Dr Sin Yong, Global Key Opinion Leader in Facelifts & Body Contouring, assesses it at Atelier.
Thermage FLX tends to suit mild to moderate laxity of the skin itself: a jawline or cheek that has softened, with volume still in place and skin that springs back when gently pinched. It suits deeper descent, lost volume or heavy fat poorly, and anyone with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device should not have it.
Which Layer
Thermage passes monopolar radiofrequency at 6.78 MHz into the dermis and the fibrous strands below it while cryogen cools the surface. The collagen there contracts and then remodels. It does not reach the SMAS, the deeper support layer, and it adds no volume and removes no fat or skin.
So the first task at consultation is to work out which of three changes is driving the look: laxity of the skin, descent of deeper tissue, or loss of volume. A jawline just beginning to soften is the classic Thermage finding. A jowl that hangs in a pocket, or a midface that has slid, sits in a layer Thermage does not reach; heating skin over descent, fat or hollowing is not a plan.
| What Dr SY finds | Thermage fit | What is considered instead |
|---|---|---|
| Softening skin, volume kept | Good fit | Sometimes paired with another lifting treatment |
| Crepey neck skin with little fat | Often suitable | Neck planned alongside the face |
| Hanging jowl or a midface that has slid | Poor fit | Focused ultrasound or the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift |
| Lean face with early laxity | Caution: heat can deepen hollows | Lighter radiofrequency, or volume first |
| Puffy face or a fatty jowl | Not a good fit | Time Freeze Laser LCLR assessed first |
| Fullness under the chin | Depends on the cause | Double chin assessment |
| Large excess of loose skin | Not suitable | Surgical opinion |
Safety
The current travels from the treatment tip through the body to a return pad, which is why the exclusions are firm.
Skin colour is not a barrier. Radiofrequency heats through the tissue's electrical resistance rather than through melanin, so darker Asian skin is assessed in the same way. What can follow if something does go wrong is on Thermage side effects.
At Atelier
Dr SY examines the face at rest and in movement, pinches the skin to see how well it recoils, and asks about implants, metalwork, earlier filler, threads and energy treatments.
If Thermage fits, the plan names the areas and how each will be treated; the treatment itself is described on the Thermage page. If it does not, the written plan names what would suit better, and choosing no treatment is always open to you. For how radiofrequency compares with focused ultrasound, read HIFU vs Thermage vs Volnewmer.
Dr Sin Yong holds a Key Opinion Leader appointment with CLASSYS.
Continue
Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170
Book a Consultation