Ultraformer
Ultraformer sends focused ultrasound to set depths. The handpiece is moved in lines.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Ultraformer vs Ultherapy
These are two machines doing the same job. Both focus ultrasound to make heat several millimetres under the skin, so your body rebuilds collagen there. Ultherapy is the original and has the longer published record. It is slower, more painful and usually dearer. Ultraformer is quicker, easier to sit through and cheaper, with more depth settings and much less published evidence. No trial has compared them directly.
At a glance
| The difference | Ultraformer | Ultherapy |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Focused ultrasound, several cartridges | Focused ultrasound, imaged as it goes |
| What it feels like | Warm, with quick prickles | Sharp, deep pulses of heat |
| How long until it works | Two to three months | Two to three months |
| Downtime | None | None, but you may be sore |
| Cost | Usually the cheaper of the two | Usually the dearer of the two |
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
Ultraformer
Focused ultrasound, several cartridges
A Korean-made HIFU device. Different cartridges set different depths, so one session can treat several layers.
Ultherapy
Focused ultrasound, imaged as it goes
The first machine of its kind. The operator sees the tissue on a screen and places the energy in the layer they are aiming at.
How deep it goes
Ultraformer
Shallow to deep, cartridge by cartridge
Commonly 1.5, 2, 3 and 4.5 mm, with a body cartridge for deeper work.
Ultherapy
Usually three depths on the face
About 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mm. The deepest reaches the layer below the fat that supports the lower face.
What you should see
Ultraformer
Firmer skin and a tidier jaw edge
The same aims: a cleaner jawline, a firmer neck, a slightly lifted brow.
Ultherapy
Some lift along the jaw and neck
The lift claim rests on more published work than any other machine in this category.
What it will not do
Ultraformer
It does nothing for surface texture
Ultherapy
It does nothing for surface texture
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.
What it feels like
Ultraformer
Warm, with quick prickles
Energy is delivered in smaller, faster pulses, which most people find easier. Numbing cream is usual.
Ultherapy
Sharp, deep pulses of heat
Bigger pulses at each point. Many clinics add oral pain medicine, and some people rate it the most painful treatment they have had.
How long it takes
Ultraformer
Around 20 to 30 minutes for a face
Ultherapy
Around 60 to 90 minutes for a face
How long until it works
Ultraformer
Two to three months
Some tightening in the first weeks, 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
Ultraformer
About a year
Ultherapy
About a year, sometimes longer
Downtime
Ultraformer
None
Pinkness and mild tenderness for a day or so.
Ultherapy
None, but you may be sore
Swelling and tenderness for a few days. Patchy numbness along the jaw can last a week or two.
Cost
Ultraformer
Usually the cheaper of the two
Ultherapy
Usually the dearer of the two
The at-home or drugstore version
Ultraformer
There is not one
Home ultrasound wands do not focus. They spread a fraction of the power across the surface.
Ultherapy
There is not one
The gap is the same. Nothing sold for home use heats tissue several millimetres down, and a device that could would not be safe untrained.
Who each suits
Ultraformer
- Best for — Someone who wants the same idea with a shorter, gentler session and a lower price.
- The trade-off — Less published evidence, and quality varies with the clinic and the cartridges used.
Ultherapy
- Best for — Someone who wants the machine with the deepest track record for lift.
- The trade-off — A rough hour or more, and a higher price.
The differences that actually matter
Ultraformer
Ultraformer offers more depth settings in one session. Swapping cartridges lets an operator treat shallow and deep layers in the same appointment.
Ultraformer is faster and easier to sit through. Smaller, quicker pulses mean less pain per point, and a full face is often done in well under half the time.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy shows the operator what they are treating. Its screen displays the tissue layers, so the energy can be placed rather than assumed. That is the clearest technical difference between the two.
Ultherapy has far more published research. Ultraformer studies exist but are fewer and smaller. That gap is about evidence, not proof that one works better.
Availability shapes the choice more than anything
Ultraformer
Ultraformer is widely used in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and parts of Europe. In those markets it is often the cheaper default, and Ultherapy is the premium option.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy is the machine most US clinics own. If you are in the United States, that may be the only one you are offered.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is Ultraformer as good as Ultherapy?
Nobody has tested them against each other. They use the same principle and aim at the same depths, but Ultherapy has far more published research behind it and Ultraformer has far less.
Which one hurts less?
Ultraformer, for most people. It delivers energy in smaller, faster pulses, so each point is less intense. Ultherapy uses bigger pulses and many clinics offer oral pain medicine with it.
Why is Ultraformer cheaper?
The machine and its cartridges cost the clinic less, and sessions are shorter. In markets where both are sold, Ultherapy is usually positioned as the premium option.
Does Ultherapy really show the tissue on a screen?
Yes. The system displays the layers as the operator works, so energy can be placed in the intended layer. Ultraformer does not have that imaging.
How long do the results last?
Roughly a year with either, sometimes longer. Most people who like the result repeat it every one to two years, because ageing continues either way.
Can either replace a facelift?
No. Both give a modest lift at best. If you can pinch a fold of skin along your jaw and lift it, surgery is the honest comparison.