10THERA Facial Contour Without Filler — A Real Patient Review

What did we look at in Anna's consultation?

We looked at where her contour was softening, not at a menu of procedures. In her video Anna says she liked that the clinic does "not just offer some kind of procedure but really deal with the face," and that the doctor explained which zones were better to pull in her case. That is how I approach every contour consultation. A jawline can look less defined for several different reasons: loose skin over the jaw, a heavier lower cheek, laxity under the chin, or simply bone structure. Only some of those respond to an energy-based lift. When the cause is laxity in the deeper support layer, a HIFU lift is a logical tool. When it is mainly volume or bone, more energy will not change much, and I would rather say so at the start than after the session.

In Anna's case the question was firmness, not missing volume. That pointed us toward tightening the tissue she already has rather than adding anything to it.

Why 10THERA instead of filler for a facial contour?

Because her contour needed firmness, not volume — and filler adds volume. Filler is an excellent tool when structure is missing, for example a short chin. But placing filler along a jawline that looks soft because the tissue has loosened can make the lower face look heavier, and it changes the shape of the face. Anna specifically did not want her features changed.

10THERA is a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) lift. It sends focused ultrasound to the SMAS — the deep muscular-fascial support layer that a surgical facelift also works on — heating it to around 60–80°C so collagen and elastin contract and then regenerate. Nothing is added to the face; the existing tissue is prompted to firm up from within. That is why a good result reads as "tighter" rather than "different." 10THERA fires two lines per shot, which we call 2-Line HIFU, so a session covers the face roughly twice as fast as conventional single-line HIFU. It uses 3.0mm and 4.5mm cartridges to reach the dermis, fat layer and SMAS at the right depths — you can see both cartridge depths on the device screen in Anna's video.

How was Anna's 10THERA session done?

It followed our standard sequence: assessment, mapping, numbing, then treatment. After cleansing, a topical anesthetic cream was applied. We then mapped the treatment lines for each zone — where the deeper 4.5mm cartridge goes to reach the SMAS, where the 3.0mm cartridge works on the more superficial layer, and how many lines each zone receives. In her video Anna mentions the figure of 800 for her session, and you can see the handpiece working along her cheek and jawline. The energy was concentrated where her contour needed it rather than spread evenly over the whole face.

The treatment itself is usually done within about 20 minutes. Patients typically feel brief pulses of deep heat as the energy reaches the SMAS; the tip cooling and automatic shut-off on the device help protect the skin. Anna also noticed something I am glad she pointed out: we take photos before and after, record the settings in the chart, and give written aftercare guidance. That documentation is not paperwork for its own sake. If you come back for a follow-up session, it is how we know exactly what was done last time and what to adjust.

What happens after 10THERA, and when should you judge the contour?

Some tightening is often visible right away, but the real result develops over two to three months as new collagen forms. Downtime is minimal: mild redness or slight tenderness may appear and usually settles within a day, so most patients go straight back to their plans. I ask patients not to judge the result in the mirror the next morning. Early firmness is partly the immediate contraction of the tissue; the contour I actually care about is the one you see around the two-to-three-month mark. Results typically last around 12–18 months, depending on skin condition. Results vary from person to person, and I would rather you hear that from me before treatment than discover it afterwards.

Below are real HERA patients who had 10THERA-based lifting on the lower face — in these cases as part of our Dual-Line Tenti program, which pairs the same 10THERA ultrasound with Soprano Titanium — so you can see how a jawline responds when tightening, not volume, is the goal.

What did we not do in Anna's case, and why?

We did not add filler, and we did not stack several devices just because they were available. Her caption is clear that she wanted a more defined contour without fillers or changes to her features, and the consultation supported that. In another patient, if I see laxity across every layer of the skin, I may suggest Dual-Line Tenti, where the Soprano Titanium laser firms the epidermis and dermis while 10THERA works on the SMAS. If the issue is a localized fat pocket under the jaw rather than looseness, a fat-dissolving injection is the more honest answer. For Anna, a focused 10THERA session matched what we saw.

A few situations call for a conversation before any HIFU treatment — pregnancy, active inflammation or infection in the area, or a recent procedure on the same zone — which is why every plan starts with an in-person consultation. At HERA in Gangnam, international patients are treated by a board-certified doctor with an on-site English interpreter, receive a written quote after consultation, and pay the same price as our Korean patients.