Ultherapy · Side Effects · Pacific Plaza

What Side Effects Can Ultherapy Cause? —
Expected, Uncommon, And Urgent

Ultherapy side effects are, for most people, a sore jaw and some redness that fade on their own. A smaller group of problems, such as a surface burn, a small dent from fat loss or a temporarily uneven smile, are uncommon and come from heat landing in the wrong place. Here is each one, how long it lasts, and how Dr Sin Yong plans Ultherapy to keep the uncommon ones rare.

Short Answer

Short Answer

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Expect redness for a few hours and tenderness along the jaw and cheeks for several days, sometimes with a small bruise, raised lines or a numb patch that fades over days to weeks. Burns, dents and temporary nerve weakness are uncommon. Blistering, open skin, worsening pain or any weakness of the lip or smile needs prompt assessment.

What Is Ultherapy

Why Ultherapy Has The Side Effects It Has

Ultherapy is micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation: the handpiece shows the layers of skin, fat and the SMAS on a screen, then places small points of heat at set depths of 1.5, 3.0 or 4.5 mm while the surface is left intact. The heated tissue contracts and builds new collagen over the following weeks. The common side effects are the body's response to that deep heat; the uncommon ones follow heat placed too shallow, in fat that should have been spared, or near a nerve. More on the treatment is on the Ultherapy page.

Expected

Ultherapy Side Effects That Usually Settle

These are common and expected. Day-to-day care is on Ultherapy aftercare.

Common Ultherapy side effects and their usual course
EffectWhere and whyUsual course
Redness, slight swellingTreated skin reacting to heat beneath itHours
TendernessAlong the jaw and cheeks, felt when chewing or pressingSeveral days, occasionally two to three weeks
Small bruisesWhere the handpiece crossed thin skinDays
Raised lines or weltsAlong the rows of treatmentUsually days
Tingling or a numb patchMostly along the jawDays to weeks

Uncommon

Less Common Problems And Their Causes

  • Burns or surface marks follow energy delivered too close to the surface, poor contact between handpiece and skin, or rows overlapping too much.
  • A small dent or hollow can appear when heat reaches fat the face needed, which is more likely in a lean face.
  • Temporary nerve weakness, for example an uneven smile, has been reported when deep pulses were placed near branches of the facial nerve; in published cases it usually recovered over weeks to months.

Send the clinic a photograph if a welt has not faded after a week, a numb patch is spreading or a hollow seems to be forming. Worsening symptoms, a blister, open skin or a fever need assessment the same day, wherever you are. Focused ultrasound complications explains how these are assessed and managed.

Results Over Time

How Ultherapy Results Develop

Ultherapy results are often expected on the day, but what shows then is mostly swelling and tightness that fade within days. The lasting change builds as collagen forms over about eight to twelve weeks and continues across three to six months, so at Atelier it is judged at about three months against photographs taken on the treatment day. Those photographs stay in your medical record and are not published.

At Atelier

How This Is Assessed At Atelier

Dr SY plans Ultherapy area by area: which transducers, how many lines, and which zones get no energy at all. Imaging confirms the layers before each line, and a thin face gets a more conservative plan than a fuller one. If you were treated elsewhere and something is not settling, bring the treatment date, the areas treated and a record of which transducers were used.

Ultherapy

FAQ

Ultherapy Side Effects — Common Questions

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Most people have redness for a few hours and tenderness along the jaw and cheeks for several days, sometimes with a small bruise, raised lines along the treatment rows, or tingling and numbness near the jaw that fade over days to weeks. Uncommon problems are surface burns, small dents where heat reached fat, and temporary nerve weakness. Depth planning and imaging keep these rare, not impossible.
Occasionally a deep pulse irritates a branch of the facial nerve near the jaw, which can temporarily weaken the muscle that moves the lower lip. Reported cases usually recovered over weeks to months. Any change in how your lip or smile moves should be seen promptly, so the cause can be confirmed and progress checked, rather than waiting for a routine follow-up visit.
It can, uncommonly. If heat reaches fat that should have been left alone, the fat can shrink and leave a small depression, and this is more likely in a lean face. That is why depths and lines are planned around the fat a face needs. A hollow that appears after treatment is assessed, and lost volume can often be supported with filler or a collagen biostimulator.
Yes. Dr SY can assess side effects after Ultherapy or other focused ultrasound treatment done elsewhere. Bring the treatment date, the areas treated and any record of the transducers or depths used, along with photographs if you have them. Blistering, open skin, worsening pain or weakness of the lip or smile should be seen promptly, wherever you are.

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Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA

Mostly soreness, —
planned so it stays that way.

9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170

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