How Many Shots of Ultrasound Lifting Are Actually Effective? Is More Always Better?
Alive Dermatology Clinic explains that with ultrasound lifting, more shots is not necessarily better — what matters is which layer the energy reaches. The facial SMAS layer and ligaments vary in thickness, so even a sufficient number of shots delivered evenly and blindly across the whole face can hollow out the cheeks. Targeting the anchor points of loosened ligaments precisely, with the right layer, can achieve a lifting effect with fewer shots.
How many shots of ultrasound lifting are effective — the answer is not in the number of shots, but in which layer the energy reaches. At Alive Dermatology Clinic, consultations often bring this question: how many shots of ultrasound lifting do I need for it to work, is eight hundred enough. Our response is that a person's SMAS layer and ligaments are not a flat, even sheet of cloth — the thickness of the cheek area and the jawline is completely different — so treating the number of shots as the only standard is asking the question in the wrong direction from the start.
Why do the cheeks sink in even when there are enough shots?
Because delivering shots evenly and blindly across the whole face may reach the number, yet can damage areas that should be left alone.
Many places, chasing assembly-line efficiency, take the handpiece and deliver shots evenly and blindly across the whole face. When it is done, the shot count is met — and the cheeks have sunk in too. The problem is not whether more or fewer shots were delivered, but where they were delivered.
So how should ultrasound lifting actually be done?
The key is which layer the energy reaches — needling precisely at the anchor points of loosened ligaments.
Our clinic likens ultrasound lifting to driving nails into a wall: first find the anchor positions of the loosened ligaments, then deliver the shots precisely. With the right layer, three hundred shots give a better lifting effect than eight hundred blind shots, and the cheek fat is not damaged.
Why must the doctor personally deliver every shot?
Because the ligament positions differ on every face — this is not something a sensor can handle by making one pass.
Our clinic insists that everything from pre-treatment palpation and shot planning to every single shot be done by the doctor in person, without letting anyone else take over. That is the reason — ligament positions vary from person to person and must be felt and judged by hand, which no uniform process can replace.
Our clinic is in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and at consultation we first perform palpation, then plan the number of shots and delivery positions based on it. Your face is precious — there is no need to blindly pile on more shots.
The information on this site is for reference only and is not medical advice or a guarantee of results. Outcomes vary between individuals; a specific plan is determined after consultation.