Male skin is around 25% thicker with denser collagen. Why HIFU reaching the SMAS layer suits it, and why custom design prevents hollowing.
Hello. This is Dr. Lee Yumin of MeSOnBom Clinic.
Until only a few years ago, men tended to think of a dermatology clinic as somewhere to go for problem acne or hair loss.
That has changed completely.
As looking after oneself has become an important part of social confidence, the wish among men for firm skin and a defined facial line — not merely clear skin — has grown sharply.
Top actors appearing as models for Ulthera has also lowered the psychological barrier to treatment.
Just as a change of advertising model once widened a product's audience, male celebrities in aesthetic medicine have helped make lifting for men ordinary.
So today I want to look closely at Ultherapy Prime — the lifting treatment men prefer most, and the one I particularly recommend to male patients.
The reason I recommend it so strongly to men is that male skin differs anatomically from female skin.
Male skin is generally about 25% thicker, with higher collagen density and a richer distribution of blood vessels.
Sebum production is higher, so pores are wider and the skin roughens easily; but because the supporting structure is firm, when ageing begins the wrinkles that form tend to be deeper and heavier.
Addressing ageing in thick, resilient male skin naturally takes more than care applied to the surface.
Ultherapy uses high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to reach the SMAS, the deepest supporting layer in the skin.
Contracting and drawing up that layer, which wraps the muscle, produces a strong lifting effect.
Ultherapy Prime, much discussed in the lifting field recently, inherits the strength of the original while improving both hardware and software.
Its defining feature is advanced real-time ultrasound visualisation.
Through a clearer high-resolution imaging system, the doctor can see skin thickness, the distribution of the fat layer and the position of major vessels and nerves more accurately, in real time.
Men often have a more developed masseter muscle than women, and the thickness of the fat layer differs markedly between areas.
Ultherapy Prime monitors those individual differences in real time and targets accordingly.
Energy is not wasted in the wrong place but delivered at exactly the depth required, so efficiency is maximised while pain and the risk of side effects are lowered.
Faster data processing also allows more precise and quicker treatment — a real advantage for busy men.
What do men most want from lifting?
A sharp, clearly defined jawline.
As submental fat loosens with age and the deep cheek fat descends, the impression can become heavy and stubborn.
Ultherapy Prime uses ultrasound energy to refine excessive fat tissue finely and tighten the supporting structure.
A subtle contraction appears immediately after treatment, and when collagen regeneration peaks around three months later, the jawline emerges and the face becomes more defined.
Beyond simply looking younger, this makes an important difference to how energetic and alive you appear at work.
I often recommend male patients a programme combining Ultherapy Prime with Thermage (radiofrequency).
Ageing in men is not only a matter of sagging.
Frequent drinking, smoking, shaving and UV exposure from time outdoors destroy collagen in the dermis, roughening the texture and reducing firmness overall.
Where Ultherapy Prime pulls the deep SMAS layer to set the contour, Thermage delivers heat to the shallower dermis to build surface firmness and refine texture.
To use an analogy: Ultherapy is the work of straightening a building's fallen columns, while Thermage fills the cracks in the outer wall and repaints it.
Only when the two are combined is anti-ageing complete inside and out.
Male patients often say at consultation, "give me the strongest setting and the most shots."
This comes from a belief that higher output always means a better result.
That is a dangerous idea.
Men often have less facial fat than women.
If high-output shots are applied indiscriminately without regard to skin condition, the fat layer can shrink excessively and the cheeks can hollow.
An attempt at lifting can end up making the face look gaunt and, in fact, older.
That is why custom design matters most in Ultherapy Prime.
The face is divided into upper, middle and lower areas, with energy applied strongly where there is more fat and delicately where there is little.
Sometimes Thermage suits a case better than Ultherapy; sometimes botulinum toxin or filler is needed alongside to restore lost volume.
More important than the device's specification is the doctor's anatomical understanding and aesthetic judgement.
A protocol suited to male skin matters a great deal.
To understand the concerns men bring and make the safe, decisive difference, treatment has to be shaped around the characteristics of male skin.
Skin care for men is no longer optional. Thank you for reading to the end.
Our medical team will advise you based on your skin condition.
