Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · 3 min read
Published 13 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Ultherapy is the brand name of micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation (MFU-V), made by Merz Aesthetics and FDA-cleared to lift the brow, lax submental and neck tissue and improve lines of the décolletage. Ultherapy focuses ultrasound so that discrete points of tissue under 1 mm³ are heated to roughly 60 to 70 °C at 1.5, 3.0 or 4.5 mm, the last being the SMAS, while DeepSEE real-time imaging shows the layers to about 8 mm before each line is delivered.
Key facts
Type
Micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation (MFU-V), Merz Aesthetics; the current platform is Ultherapy Prime
Depths
1.5 mm (dermis), 3.0 mm (deep dermis and subcutis), 4.5 mm (SMAS and platysma)
Imaging
DeepSEE real-time ultrasound displays the tissue layers to about 8 mm before each line
Not
Fat reduction, volume replacement or skin removal; it does not treat a full fat pad or a hollow
Where it fits
Ultherapy is the focused-ultrasound device with the longest regulatory history, and Dr Sin Yong performs Ultherapy Prime personally alongside the Ultraformer MPT; as an international KOL invited to share his clinical expertise for CLASSYS, the Ultraformer's manufacturer, he uses both and the assessment decides which fits a face. The Ultherapy page explains the physics upward and what Prime means; the differences in imaging and transducer design, rather than physics, are set out on Ultherapy Prime vs Ultraformer MPT vs Shurink, and the comparison with monopolar radiofrequency on the Ultherapy vs Thermage page. Where the picture is descent plus unwanted volume, his own protocols are weighed instead on Ultherapy vs VF Lift vs Time Freeze Laser. Focused ultrasound does nothing for a full fat pad or a hollow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ultherapy is one brand of high-intensity focused ultrasound, distinguished by real-time imaging and its transducer design rather than by different physics. The Korean HIFU platforms such as Ultraformer MPT work on the same principle without the imaging.
No. It heats focal points in the SMAS and dermis so collagen remodels and the tissue contracts over months; a surgical facelift repositions and removes tissue. It does not replace volume, reduce a fat pad or remove redundant skin.
References
US FDA 510(k) K260618 — Ulthera System (Merz), 2026: indicated to lift the eyebrow, lift lax submental and neck tissue, improve lines and wrinkles of the décolleté, and improve skin laxity on the abdomen, arms and knees. source
Amiri M, et al. Microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) effectiveness and safety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthet Surg J. 2025;45(3):NP86-NP94. doi:10.1093/asj/sjae228. source
Jones IT, et al. Subsurface monopolar radiofrequency versus microfocused ultrasound with visualisation for neck laxity (n=20). Dermatol Surg. 2017;43(12):1441-1447. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000001216. source
