Ultherapy Prime in Apgujeong, Seoul — How It Works, What Changes the Price, and How EU:GENES Plans Your Lines

유진스의원Updated: 9/7/2026

By Dr. Eu-Gene Jung, Medical Director, board-certified family medicine physician · EU:GENES Skin Clinic, Apgujeong

If you are searching for Ultherapy in Seoul, you have probably noticed two things: almost every clinic in Gangnam lists it, and few of them explain why the same treatment can be quoted so differently. This page is written for international patients who want to understand the treatment before they book — what Ultherapy Prime does, who it suits, how a clinic decides between 300 and 600 lines, what drives the price in Korea, and what a visit to EU:GENES looks like from the first WhatsApp message to the day you fly home.

Overview — what Ultherapy Prime is

Ultherapy is a non-surgical lifting treatment that uses micro-focused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V). According to the manufacturer, Merz Aesthetics' Ultherapy overview, the handpiece delivers small points of heat to set depths under the skin — about 4.5 mm (the SMAS layer, the connective-tissue plane that is also tightened in a surgical facelift), 3.0 mm (deep dermis) and 1.5 mm (superficial dermis). Each heated point contracts existing collagen and stimulates new collagen over the following months. The device images the tissue before each line is placed, so the treating physician can see the layer being treated.

The evidence base is more than a decade old. A rater-blinded prospective study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found measurable lifting of the brow, cheek and neck at 90 days after a single treatment (Alam et al., 2010), and a Korean study in Dermatologic Surgery reported clinical and histologic tightening in Asian skin (Suh et al., 2011). A larger retrospective review of face and neck treatments is summarized in Fabi & Goldman, 2014.

In the United States, the Ulthera System is FDA-cleared as a non-invasive lift for the brow (FDA de novo DEN080006, 2009), the neck and under-chin area (FDA 510(k) K121700, 2012) and lines on the décolletage (FDA 510(k) K134032, 2014). Ultherapy Prime is the current platform: the FDA cleared the PRIME control unit in 2024 (FDA 510(k) K233996). It uses the same MFU-V energy as the original system with an updated interface and imaging. The single-use transducers ("tips") are the consumable part of the system, and they are one way to tell Ultherapy apart from other HIFU devices marketed under similar-sounding names.

Results build gradually. In the published studies most patients showed the change at about two to three months, and the effect is commonly maintained for around a year; many patients choose a yearly maintenance session. Individual results vary.

Why patients choose EU:GENES for Ultherapy

EU:GENES Skin Clinic is a boutique cosmetic dermatology clinic in Apgujeong, Gangnam, three minutes on foot from Apgujeong Station Exit 4. We are deliberately not a factory-style clinic. Five facts matter for Ultherapy specifically:

  1. Genuine device and tips, certified by Merz. EU:GENES received a certification plaque from Merz for using genuine Ultherapy tips, as reported by Medical Today (December 2023). You are welcome to ask about the tips used for your treatment.
  2. Experience with the device. The clinic has performed over 1,000 Ultherapy and InMode treatments (as stated on the clinic's Korean website).
  3. Two consultations before any line is placed. A consultation manager first listens to your concerns and travel schedule. Then Medical Director Dr. Eu-Gene Jung examines your face from every angle and expression — turning left and right, looking up and down, resting and smiling — and confirms the plan in person.
  4. The Medical Director plans the lines. Line count, depth and energy are decided per area of your face, not from a fixed package.
  5. Comfort options you choose. Numbing cream for 30 minutes is standard. If you are sensitive to pain, local anesthesia or sleep anesthesia can be arranged after the consultation.

Recommended for — and when we suggest something else

Ultherapy Prime suits patients who want visible lifting without surgery, fillers or downtime, and who are comfortable with results that appear over weeks rather than on the day. Typical concerns we treat:

  • Early loss of jawline definition and the beginning of jowls
  • Mild to moderate cheek sagging and deepening nasolabial folds
  • Drooping brows or a heavier upper eyelid
  • Loose skin under the chin and along the neck
  • Patients in their 30s who want to slow early laxity rather than correct it

When Ultherapy is not the first choice:

  • Very thin cheeks. Ultherapy tightens tissue, and on a face with little cheek volume it can make the mid-face look flatter. In that case we usually limit treatment to the jawline and neck and discuss volume separately, rather than treating the whole face.
  • Surface texture and fine wrinkles. Radiofrequency (Thermage FLX) works closer to the surface and often suits these concerns better; some patients benefit from a combination.
  • Open wounds, severe cystic acne in the treatment area, metal implants in the area, or pregnancy. These are reasons to postpone or choose another approach, in line with the manufacturer's guidance.

300 lines or 600? How we decide

"Lines" (also called shots) are the unit of Ultherapy. A larger number is not automatically a better result. What matters is where the lines go, at which depth, and whether that plan matches your face.

  • Jawline and under-chin only is a smaller plan. Patients whose main concern is a softening jawline or an early double chin often do not need a full-face count.
  • Full face and neck uses a higher line count spread across the cheeks, jawline, brow and neck.
  • Cheek preservation. If your cheeks are already slim, we keep the mid-face count low and concentrate lines along the jaw so the lift comes without hollowing.
  • Preventive treatment in your 30s usually means fewer lines at conservative energy. We would rather you come back next year than treat more than you need today.
  • Asymmetry is common. One side often receives more lines than the other.

The planned line count is explained to you at the consultation before treatment begins.

What changes the Ultherapy price in Korea

International patients often ask why quotes vary so much between Gangnam clinics. Five things usually explain the difference:

  1. Treatment area and line count. A jawline-only plan and a full face-and-neck plan are different products, even at the same clinic.
  2. Genuine Ultherapy Prime tips. Authentic single-use transducers are a major part of the cost. If a quote is far below what other clinics charge, ask which device is used and how many lines are included.
  3. Who performs the treatment. A plan designed and performed by the Medical Director is priced differently from delegated treatment.
  4. Anesthesia option. Numbing cream is standard; local or sleep anesthesia is arranged separately.
  5. Single session or package. Some clinics bundle Ultherapy with Thermage or skin boosters. Ask whether a package price still includes the full line count.

EU:GENES quotes per plan after the consultation. If you are flying in, send us your concerns on WhatsApp in advance so the plan can be prepared before you arrive.

Step by step on the day

  1. Consultation. Consultation manager first, then the Medical Director. Face analysis from every angle, plan and line count confirmed.
  2. Numbing (30 minutes). Topical anesthetic cream. If you chose local or sleep anesthesia, it is prepared now.
  3. Mapping. The treatment areas are marked on your face according to the plan.
  4. Treatment. Typically under two hours depending on the plan. The physician places the lines while watching the tissue layer on screen.
  5. Aftercare. Redness and mild swelling are normal for a few days; occasional bruising or brief tingling along a nerve path can occur and usually settles on its own. Most patients return to their hotel or to work the same day. For about a week, avoid saunas, alcohol and smoking. Questions after you return home can be sent on WhatsApp.

Visiting from abroad

  • Short visits. Tell us your travel dates when you book so the consultation and treatment can be scheduled together where appropriate.
  • Book in English on WhatsApp (wa.link/eugenes, +82-10-3476-9829), LINE, WeChat (eugenesclinic) or KakaoTalk, or call +82-10-5889-1519.
  • Hours. Monday and Friday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (last registration 7:00 PM), Tuesday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Closed Sunday. No lunch break.
  • Location. 402 Yurim Art Hall, 49 Apgujeong-ro 28-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From Apgujeong Station (Line 3) Exit 4, walk about 300 m and turn into the alley next to KB Kookmin Bank; the building is on the right. Building parking is free for two hours.

Ultherapy Prime — FAQ

Does Ultherapy hurt? Most patients describe a warm, deep, pulsing sensation rather than sharp pain. With 30 minutes of numbing cream most find it tolerable. If you know you are sensitive, ask for local or sleep anesthesia at the consultation; both are available at EU:GENES.

Can Ultherapy make my face look gaunt? It can if a full-face line count is used on a face with little cheek volume. Our answer is planning: on slim cheeks we concentrate lines along the jawline and neck and keep the mid-face count low. This is decided at the consultation, not during the treatment.

How many lines do I need for a double chin? Under-chin and jawline plans use fewer lines than a full face. The exact number depends on the amount of loose tissue and whether the jawline is treated at the same time. The count is explained at the consultation.

How do I know the tips are genuine? EU:GENES holds a Merz certification plaque for genuine Ultherapy tips (Medical Today, Dec 2023). You are welcome to ask about the transducers used for your treatment.

When will I see results, and how long do they last? Some tightening is felt right away, but the visible lift develops over about two to three months as new collagen forms, which matches the timeline in the published clinical studies. Many patients maintain the result for around a year and return for a maintenance session. Individual results vary.

Is it worth flying to Seoul for Ultherapy? Many international patients combine a Seoul trip with treatment because English consultation is available, the planning is physician-led, and questions can be sent on WhatsApp before and after the visit. Whether it is worth it for you depends on your plan and your budget — send us your concerns and we will tell you honestly what we would recommend before you book anything.

  • Thermage FLX — radiofrequency for surface firmness and fine lines; often combined with Ultherapy.
  • ONDA + Titanium lifting — microwave and Titanium lifting for double chin and jawline without anesthesia.
  • Same-day full face thread lift — immediate lift for patients who want a visible change on the day.

Dr. Eu-Gene Jung is the Medical Director of EU:GENES Skin Clinic and a board-certified family medicine physician (Ewha Womans University College of Medicine; residency and board certification at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital) with 11 years of clinical experience in non-surgical lifting and injectables. This page is general information, not a substitute for an in-person consultation. Results and recovery vary between patients.