Ultherapy PRIME®

Ultherapy PRIME® in Seoul at Le.J Plastic Surgery

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., Board-Certified Otolaryngologist · Le.J Plastic Surgery, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Ultherapy PRIME® is a non-surgical skin-lifting treatment that uses microfocused ultrasound energy and real-time imaging to target selected tissue layers. It stimulates the body's natural collagen-building response to improve the appearance of skin laxity and create a firmer, lifted appearance, and results vary between individuals. At Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, it sits within the clinic's non-surgical lifting programme, alongside other energy devices and the surgical option in the clinic's facial lifting and contouring range, and it is performed personally by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, the clinic's founder and Medical Director and the listed performing doctor for the parent Facial Lifting & Contouring specialty.

What Is Ultherapy PRIME®?

Ultherapy PRIME® delivers focused ultrasound energy beneath the skin's surface to heat selected layers, which prompts the body to build new collagen over the months that follow.

• The skin is left intact: there is no incision and no puncture wound.

• The system carries integrated real-time ultrasound imaging, so the practitioner can visualise the tissue layers and target selected depths during treatment.

• A handpiece and compatible ultrasound transducers deliver the energy along planned treatment lines.

• The lift is gradual and comes from your own collagen, not from injected volume.

• The clinic states a treatment duration of approximately 30 to 90 minutes.

The real-time imaging is the part worth understanding, because it is what separates this from energy devices that treat by feel. The applicator shows the operator the tissue underneath before the energy goes in, so the depth being treated is seen rather than assumed. In practice that is a targeting feature, not an outcome guarantee — and it is a reason the clinic can adjust the plan to the anatomy in front of it rather than running a fixed protocol.

It also helps to know where ultrasound sits among the non-surgical options, because the clinic offers more than one and they behave differently. Radiofrequency heats the tissue beneath a device placed against the skin; most people have one treatment, feel some tightening straight away, and see the best result at around six months, with results lasting two to three years with good skincare.

Expectations are where this category most often goes wrong, so the honest calibration belongs up front. Dermatologists use ultrasound to send heat deep into the skin, and the heat can cause the body to produce more collagen; with one treatment, most people see modest lifting and tightening within two to six months, and additional treatments may add benefit (American Academy of Dermatology). Modest is the operative word. A surgical lift gives the most dramatic result; non-invasive tightening trades that for less downtime and lower cost.

Who Performs Ultherapy PRIME® at Le.J Plastic Surgery

Dr. Kim Ji Sun, M.D., M.S., Ph.D.
Board-certified Otorhinolaryngologist

Ultherapy PRIME® is performed personally by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, the clinic's founder and Medical Director and the listed performing doctor for the parent Facial Lifting & Contouring specialty.

Dr. Kim is a board-certified otolaryngologist who earned an M.D., a Master's degree and a Ph.D. from Dankook University College of Medicine, completed internship and residency at Dankook University Hospital, trained as a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Asan Medical Center, and has served as a Guest Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States. Dr. Kim's most recent relevant academic activity is a 2026 lecture on non-surgical facial rejuvenation and closed rhinoplasty at the 12th meeting of the Korean Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, where Dr. Kim is a regular member and serves on the academic, public-relations and international committees.

Le.J Plastic Surgery is a single-doctor clinic, so the surgeon who assesses you is the surgeon who treats you. For a device treatment that continuity matters less in the hands than in the judgement about settings: which depths to treat, how many lines to place, and whether ultrasound is the right technology for this face at all. The clinic holds several lifting technologies rather than one, so an honest assessment can end in a different device, or in endoscopic forehead lifting rather than a device at all.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Ultherapy PRIME®?

Suitable candidates:

• Patients with some degree of skin laxity or loss of elasticity who want a non-invasive alternative to a surgical lift.

• Patients with mild to moderate laxity — early sagging, softening along the jawline, loss of firmness — rather than advanced descent.

• Patients who prefer no downtime.

• Patients who accept a gradual, modest change rather than a surgical result.

Who should be assessed carefully or postpone:

• Treatment should not be performed over open wounds, lesions, or severe or cystic acne in the treatment area.

• Implants in the treatment area require assessment in accordance with the device instructions.

• Patients with relevant medical conditions, or anatomy that makes treatment unsafe, need individual evaluation.

Final suitability should be determined by a trained medical professional using the applicable device instructions. One limit decides candidacy more than anything else, and it is better heard before the appointment than after it: where descent is advanced rather than early, a device aimed at skin firmness is not the treatment that addresses it. Results also tend to be better in patients at a stable healthy weight who do not smoke and who protect their skin from the sun (AAD).

What to Expect: Procedure, Recovery, and Results Timeline

The consultation assesses your concerns, skin laxity, facial anatomy, medical history, previous cosmetic procedures and treatment expectations, examines the intended treatment areas, and establishes whether ultrasound lifting is appropriate. Expected results, discomfort, possible adverse effects and alternatives are explained before anything is planned.

The clinic describes the treatment itself in six steps: the area is cleaned and the skin prepared; ultrasound coupling gel is applied as directed; the handpiece is positioned and the target tissue layers visualised; energy is delivered along planned treatment lines; the treatment is adjusted according to anatomy and plan; and the gel is removed and aftercare instructions given. Exact steps depend on the clinician's protocol and the device instructions.

Stage	What the clinic states
Treatment duration	Approximately 30–90 minutes
Anaesthesia	May be non-sedation or sedation, depending on the patient and plan
Recovery	None — normal activities resumed immediately
Suggested stay in Korea	1–2 days
Flying home	Generally after 1–2 days, if well and without concerning symptoms
First visible results	Some initial improvement may be noticed earlier
Final result	Generally develops over 2–3 months as collagen remodeling progresses

Sensation during treatment is heat, tingling or discomfort while the energy is delivered, and comfort levels vary between individuals; the practitioner can discuss ways to manage that at the consultation. Commonly reported effects afterwards include redness, swelling, pain or discomfort, tenderness, tingling and temporary nerve-related effects. Recovery time varies by individual, and many patients resume normal activities soon after treatment.

Aftercare is light but not nothing: avoid irritating the treated area while tenderness or redness is present, follow any specific restrictions the treating practitioner gives you, and contact the clinic if symptoms worsen or persist. Before treatment, tell the clinic about medical conditions, medications, allergies, previous facial procedures, and any implants or skin problems in the intended treatment area, and follow its instructions on skin preparation and medication use.

Results follow the collagen, not the appointment. Some initial improvement may be noticed earlier, but the result generally develops over two to three months as collagen remodeling progresses. For patients travelling from the United States the practical consequence is unusual in a good way: the clinic suggests a stay of one to two days, and patients can generally fly home after one to two days if they feel well and have no concerning symptoms — so the trip is built around the consultation rather than around a recovery window. If something feels wrong after returning home, patients can reach the clinic's English-speaking counselling manager by phone or email.

Safety, Precision, and Clinic Standards

Le.J Plastic Surgery is a Registered Medical Institution for Attracting Foreign Patients, certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in compliance with the Medical Overseas Expansion and Foreign Patients Attraction Act. This is a registration for treating international patients; it is not an accreditation of any treatment in this category.

Non-invasive does not mean risk-free. It means the skin is left intact, and the risks that remain are about where the energy goes. Possible effects include redness, swelling, tenderness, pain, bruising, and temporary sensory or nerve-related symptoms. Less common but potentially serious complications can occur. Patients should discuss the full risk profile and seek medical assessment for persistent numbness, muscle weakness, burns, or other unusual symptoms.

What the clinic documents against that is structural rather than promissory: one board-certified otolaryngologist assesses and treats every case, the consultation covers medical history, previous cosmetic procedures and the intended areas before any energy is planned, and the device's real-time imaging shows the layer being treated before the energy is delivered into it. The clinic has not published technique details specific to its own protocol, and this page does not supply any in their place.

Two limits, stated rather than glossed. Le.J Plastic Surgery publishes neither case volumes nor complication rates for this procedure, and this page claims neither. It has also not published a procedure-specific risk-reduction protocol. Both are fair questions at consultation, alongside the one worth asking about any energy device: which depths and settings are being used on you, and why those.

The Bottom Line

• Ultherapy PRIME® uses microfocused ultrasound with real-time imaging to heat selected layers and prompt new collagen.

• Expect modest, gradual lifting; the final result generally develops over two to three months.

• The clinic states approximately 30 to 90 minutes, with normal activities resumed immediately afterwards.

• A stay of one to two days is suggested, and flying home after one to two days is generally expected if you feel well.

• It suits mild to moderate laxity. Where descent is advanced, a firmness treatment is not what addresses it.

• The clinic holds several lifting technologies, so the assessment can honestly end somewhere other than this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from a surgical lift? A surgical lift repositions tissue and gives the most dramatic, longest-lasting result, with real downtime and surgical risk. This treatment leaves the skin intact and prompts your own collagen to firm it gradually, with no downtime and a modest change. They are different propositions, and the clinic offers both — which is why the assessment comes before the choice.

Will it hurt, and is anaesthesia used? Patients may feel heat, tingling or discomfort while the ultrasound energy is delivered, and comfort levels vary between individuals. The clinic states that treatment may be performed with either non-sedation or sedation anaesthesia, depending on the patient and the plan. The practitioner can discuss ways to manage discomfort at the consultation.

How long does it take, and how many sessions? Treatment duration is approximately 30 to 90 minutes. How many sessions suit you is settled at the consultation, which assesses laxity, facial anatomy and what you are hoping the treatment will change.

When will I see the result? Some initial improvement may be noticed earlier, but results generally develop over two to three months as collagen remodeling progresses. Individual results and timing vary.

Is there any downtime, and how long should I stay in Korea? There is no recovery period — normal activities are resumed immediately. The clinic suggests considering a stay of one to two days, and patients can generally fly home after one to two days if they feel well and have no concerning symptoms.

Who should avoid or postpone this treatment? It should not be performed over open wounds, lesions, or severe or cystic acne in the treatment area. Implants in the treatment area require assessment in accordance with the device instructions, and anyone with relevant medical conditions or anatomy that makes treatment unsafe needs individual evaluation.

What are the risks I should know about? Redness, swelling, tenderness, pain, bruising and temporary sensory or nerve-related symptoms are the possible effects. Less common but potentially serious complications can occur, and persistent numbness, muscle weakness, burns or other unusual symptoms warrant prompt medical assessment.

How should I prepare? Tell the clinic about medical conditions, medications, allergies, previous facial procedures, and any implants or skin problems in the intended treatment area, then follow its instructions on skin preparation and medication use.

Book a Consultation at Le.J Plastic Surgery

Ultherapy PRIME® is offered at Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, within a lifting programme that includes surgical and other device-based options. Because the honest answer to "will this work for me" depends on how much laxity you actually have, the useful first step is an assessment rather than a booking for a named device. Consultations run Monday to Friday, 10:00–19:00 KST, and Saturday from 10:00 KST. International enquiries are handled by the clinic's counseling manager, Park Somi, and English-language support is available. You can use the clinic's contact page, by phone on +82-2-516-7153, or by email at info@lejplasticsurgery.com.

Disclaimer

This page is for general information only and is not medical advice. Individual results vary and cannot be guaranteed. Suitability for any procedure can only be determined through an in-person medical consultation with a qualified doctor.

Sources & Further Reading

• American Academy of Dermatology — Many ways to firm sagging skin