Sofwave is a noninvasive skin rejuvenation treatment :
lift the eyebrows
firm and lift lax tissue on the neck and under the chin
improve the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles
It uses high-intensity fractional ultrasound to heat the tissue in the mid-dermis (the lower layers of skin), which triggers the body’s healing response and stimulates new collagen production.
The treatment comes with no downtime and no reported side effects.
Most people need only a single treatment session to see an improvement, though as with similar treatments that rely on new collagen growth, results can take up to three months to appear.
How does Sofwave work ?
Sofwave uses an ultrasound beam to heat the tissue at a depth of 1.5 mm under the skin. The heat creates controlled damage, which stimulates the body’s healing response, jump-starting new collagen production and remodeling existing collagen.
Collagen, a tightly wound peptide chain of three amino acids, makes up as much as 80% of skin. In the dermal layer, collagen creates the framework that connects cells to each other, preserving skin’s volume, elasticity, and moisture. The body’s collagen production naturally begins to slow in your 20s, and environmental factors like sun damage and free radicals accelerate its breakdown. Thinning collagen weakens skin’s structure, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and eventual sagging.
Sofwave’s fractional ultrasound heat contracts the collagen in your skin and stimulates the tissue repair response in your fibroblast cells, which ramps up new collagen production. The result is fewer fine lines and wrinkles, along with a mild firming effect.
Benefits:
1. Non-invasive treatment 2. No downtime (resume normal activities the same day) 3. Short treatment time 4. Treats all skin types 5. Can be used anywhere on your body 6. Exceptional safety record 7. Effective results (87% of patients experienced significant improvement in the appearance of wrinkles 12 weeks after a single treatment)
Sofwave vs. Ultherapy: What's the difference?
Both Sofwave and Ulterapy use ultrasound energy to boost collagen production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles while firming skin. However, there are a few key differences between the two treatments.
Sofwave uniformly heats skin at a depth of 1.5 mm, while Ultherapy can target the superficial dermis at 1.5 mm, the deep dermis at 3 mm, and the SMAS/platysma muscles at 4.5 mm.
Sofwave’s 1.5 mm targeted depth tends to be less painful than Ultherapy’s energy at 3 mm and 4.5 mm. Targeting at this limited depth significantly reduces facial wrinkles, while minimizing damage to more superficial and deeper structures.
A study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine reported inflammation and swelling in those who’ve received traditional focused ultrasound treatments such as Ultherapy. Sofwave, on the other hand, uses proprietary parallel beams, resulting in no inflammation or swelling.
Sofwave also has a built-in cooling mechanism to cool and protect the surface of the skin.
The Sofwave device also allows the doctor to target larger treatment areas at a time than with Ultherapy, which shortens the length of the procedure.
What are the pros and cons of a Sofwave treatment?
Pros
It’s a noninvasive way to gently firm tissue and smooth wrinkles, with visible results after one treatment.
In the initial Sofwave clinical study, providers reported that 88% of patients had a significant improvement in the appearance of facial wrinkles; 72% of patients were happy with their results.
In a more recent study of the treatment's lifting effects on the eyebrows, neck, and submental tissue (under the chin), 80% of patients reported an improvement in 12 weeks.
The FDA-cleared Sofwave device covers a large area, making for a quick, 30 to 45-minute treatment.
There’s supposedly very little pain during the treatment. Your skin will be numbed with a topical anesthetic, and the device has a cooling mechanism to offset the heat and protect the outer layer of skin, preventing burns.
Downtime is minimal, so you'll be able to return to your normal activities right away.
It’s suitable for all skin types and tones.
Cons
As with similar treatments, it takes up to 12 weeks for the new collagen to fully develop.
Results aren’t permanent, so you can expect to need maintenance treatments about once a year.
It won’t offer the same level of lifting and smoothing as a more invasive procedure, such as a surgical facelift .
