Sofwave
Sofwave puts ultrasound energy just under the surface. The handpiece is stamped across the area.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Sofwave vs Ultherapy
Sofwave is the easier one to sit through. It heats the middle layer of the skin, takes about 30 to 45 minutes, and most people get through it without pain medicine. Ultherapy reaches deeper, down to the layer a surgeon pulls on in a facelift. It is the more painful of the two, and it is the one to ask about if sagging along the jaw and neck is your main complaint. No published trial has put the two side by side, so the choice comes down to depth against comfort.
At a glance
| The difference | Sofwave | Ultherapy |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Ultrasound heat in the middle layer | Ultrasound heat at three depths |
| What it feels like | Warm, with short prickles | Sharp, deep pulses |
| How long until it works | Six to twelve weeks | Two to three months |
| Downtime | None | None, but you may be sore |
| Cost | Priced per area, usually the cheaper one | Priced per area, usually the dearer one |
Ultherapy
Ultherapy uses focused ultrasound. The handpiece is moved along the jawline and neck in lines.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What it is
Sofwave
Ultrasound heat in the middle layer
A handpiece delivers ultrasound to about 1.5 mm below the surface. The heat prompts new collagen.
Ultherapy
Ultrasound heat at three depths
The same idea, but the operator can choose depths down to about 4.5 mm, under the fat.
What it feels like
Sofwave
Warm, with short prickles
Cooling on the handpiece protects the surface. Numbing cream is usual and is often enough.
Ultherapy
Sharp, deep pulses
Many clinics offer numbing cream plus oral pain medicine, and some offer a nerve block. Reports range from mild to the worst treatment a person has had.
What you should see
Sofwave
Firmer, smoother skin
A softer jawline, a tidier neck, finer lines. The change is modest.
Ultherapy
Some lift, plus firmer skin
Brow, jawline and under-chin lift, because it reaches the layer that holds those areas up.
What it will not do
Sofwave
Not a substitute for surgery
Ultherapy
Not a substitute for surgery
Conditions treated
Ultherapy
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Focused ultrasound heats a deep layer to tighten it, aimed at the jaw, neck and brow rather than at lines. The change is modest and takes three to six months to show, and it is nothing like a surgical lift. It can be uncomfortable, and results vary enough that it is worth seeing a provider's own before-and-after photographs.
Related topic illustrations
Ultherapy
Botulinum toxin
Strong evidence for lines caused by movement, and no effect on laxity. Frequently done alongside rather than instead.
How long until it works
Sofwave
Six to twelve weeks
Some early smoothing in the first month, then a slow build.
Ultherapy
Two to three months
Occasionally a small lift on the day, but the real change is the collagen.
How it works, illustrated
Ultherapy
How long it lasts
Sofwave
About a year
Ultherapy
About a year, sometimes longer
How many visits
Sofwave
Often one, sometimes two
A second session three to six months later if the first one did not go far enough.
Ultherapy
Usually one
Repeated for maintenance rather than to finish the job.
Downtime
Sofwave
None
Pinkness for an hour or two. Redness or mild swelling for a day or so.
Ultherapy
None, but you may be sore
Swelling, tenderness and sometimes bruising for a few days. Tingling or patchy numbness along the jaw can last a week or two.
Cost
Sofwave
Priced per area, usually the cheaper one
Ultherapy
Priced per area, usually the dearer one
The at-home or drugstore version
Sofwave
There is not one
Home ultrasound wands sold for tightening put a small fraction of the energy into the skin surface. They never reach the layer this device heats.
Ultherapy
There is not one
The gap is bigger still. Nothing sold for home use heats tissue millimetres down, and a device that could would not be safe without training.
Who each suits
Sofwave
- Best for — Mild slackness, crepey texture, and anyone who has put this off because of the pain stories.
- The trade-off — Less lift, and a shorter track record.
Ultherapy
- Best for — Jowls, a heavy jawline, a loose neck, drooping brows.
- The trade-off — A rough 60 to 90 minutes, and a higher price.
They work the same way, at different depths
Sofwave
Sofwave keeps its heat in the middle layer of the skin. That is where collagen sits, so it is a sensible target for texture, fine lines and mild slackness.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy can place heat much deeper. At its deepest setting it reaches the sheet of tissue below the fat that a surgeon tightens in a facelift. Reaching that layer is why it can claim lift rather than firmness alone.
Pain is the real decision
Sofwave
Sofwave is much easier for most people. The surface is cooled during treatment, the energy stops short of the deeper nerves, and the session is roughly half as long.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy has a reputation for hurting, and it is earned. The sensation is a deep, sharp pulse of heat, repeated hundreds of times. Thin areas such as the brow and the neck are the worst of it. Some people rate it a three out of ten. Others need medication to finish the session.
The risks worth knowing
Sofwave
Sofwave carries a smaller version of the same list. Because the energy stops in the skin, the main problems are surface ones: redness, small welts, and rarely a burn if settings are wrong.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy carries a small extra risk from working deep. Temporary numbness or tingling along the jaw is the usual version. Rarely, a nerve is irritated enough to cause a few weeks of weakness or a drooping lip. It recovers.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Which hurts more, Sofwave or Ultherapy?
Ultherapy, clearly. It heats tissue several millimetres down, which is where the pain comes from. Sofwave stays in the skin and cools the surface as it works, so most people manage it with numbing cream alone.
Does Sofwave lift as much as Ultherapy?
Probably not as much. Ultherapy reaches the deep layer that holds the jaw and brow up, and that is where lift comes from. Sofwave is aimed at firmness and texture, and it is honest about that.
Has anyone compared the two directly?
Not in a published trial. Clinics that own both machines will give you an opinion, but there is no side-by-side study to settle it.
How long do the results last?
Around a year for either one, sometimes longer. Neither stops ageing, so most people who like the result repeat it every one to two years.
Is one of them cheaper?
Sofwave is usually the cheaper of the two, though both are priced by area and vary a lot by city. Ask for the price of the areas you actually want treated.
Can I do either at home?
No. Home ultrasound wands deliver a tiny fraction of the energy and never reach the depth either clinic device works at.