Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · Doctor-performed, never delegated · Jump to questions
Dr Sin Yong · MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edin) · MSc Aesthetic Medicine with Distinction (Queen Mary, London) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff) · Global Key Opinion Leader
Dual-frequency megahertz ultrasound — a medical-grade facial directed at hydration and skin-barrier support. No heat. Recovery is discussed at consultation.
An LDM facial in Singapore is a non-thermal, dual-frequency ultrasound treatment: two megahertz frequencies alternate rapidly to create a micro-massage within the skin rather than heat. Dr Sin Yong uses it on Orchard Road for dehydrated, sensitive or reactive skin and for recovery after laser treatment. It does not lift or tighten the face as HIFU does.
Also called: LDM ultrasound facial, local dynamic micro-massage, dual-frequency ultrasound facial
LDM stands for local dynamic micro-massage. The handpiece delivers therapeutic ultrasound at two megahertz frequencies, typically 3 MHz and 10 MHz, with a 1 MHz option on some handpieces, and alternates between them rapidly. That alternation creates a mechanical micro-massage within the dermis instead of sustained heating. The intent is non-thermal: the aim is calmer, better-hydrated skin and support for the skin while it recovers around other procedures, not collagen denaturation.
LDM was first developed for wound healing and dermatological conditions, and the published studies of dual-frequency ultrasound have looked mainly at hydration, barrier function, redness and swelling after procedures. Unlike single-frequency ultrasound facials, it works mechanically rather than by heating: the lower frequency reaches into the dermis and the higher frequency acts nearer the surface. It is unfocused, low-intensity ultrasound directed at the skin itself, which makes it the opposite of HIFU.
Three different things on this site are called ultrasound: HIFU, which heats small points at set depths to lift; diagnostic ultrasound, which Dr Sin Yong uses to see fat, filler and tissue before correction work; and LDM, which does neither. The term is defined on LDM (local dynamic micro-massage): meaning.
“Not every ultrasound lifts: LDM works the skin's matrix, not the SMAS.”
Dr Sin YongOn LDM and HIFU
Why no facial lifts tissue that has dropped is explained on lifting facial.
An LDM facial suits skin that needs calming and hydration rather than lifting: dehydrated skin with a weakened barrier, sensitive or reactive skin that tolerates heat poorly, and skin recovering after laser, a peel or an injectable treatment. Because it works with sound waves rather than heat, it is weighed where a heat-based device would add irritation. Suitability is decided by examining the skin, including whether redness is rosacea or another condition that needs its own diagnosis.
| Group | What it looks like | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tends to suit | Dehydrated skin with a compromised barrier; sensitive or reactive skin; skin recovering after laser, peels or injectables; acne-prone or dull skin that reacts easily | LDM is planned within the skin plan, usually as an adjunct |
| Should wait | Active infection, open wounds or a skin flare in the treatment area; pregnancy, until suitability is discussed | Treatment is timed around these, not done over them |
| Assessed individually | A pacemaker or other implanted electronic device; facial implants; recent filler or a procedure in the area; a known reaction to coupling gels or serums | The plan changes, or another option is chosen |
| Referred on | Persistent redness, flushing or bumps suggesting rosacea; suspected eczema or other skin disease | Medical assessment and treatment first, with dermatology review where needed |
| Better served elsewhere | A wish for a visible lift, a tighter jawline, or clearance of scars and pigment | A lifting, resurfacing or pigment treatment matched to that need |
Where LDM sits among the gentler options for skin that reacts to heat is set out under sensitive skin treatment, and the barrier side of dehydration under dry skin treatment.
The benefits of an LDM facial depend on what your skin needs, and for most concerns it is a support act: it is used to help the skin settle while the treatment that addresses the cause does its work. The table sets it beside the treatments it is most often confused or paired with, including the devices Dr Sin Yong uses.
| Option | What it does | What it cannot do | Who it tends to suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDM facial (dual-frequency ultrasound) | Alternating megahertz ultrasound creates a micro-massage in the tissue, directed at hydration, barrier support and calming reactive skin | Lift or tighten the face, resurface scars or clear pigment on its own | Dehydrated, sensitive or reactive skin; recovery after laser or injectable treatment |
| Hydrafacial | Cleanses, exfoliates and hydrates the surface using suction-based delivery of serums | Calm reactive skin at depth, lift, or treat scars | Congested or dull skin wanting a surface cleanse and hydration |
| Bojin facial (manual technique; not offered here) | Firm strokes, often with a horn, jade or stone tool, along lines described as facial meridians | Deliver measured energy into the skin, or treat rosacea, scars or laxity | People wanting a traditional manual facial for tension and puffiness |
| R2 Glow laser | Long-pulsed 755 nm and 1064 nm energy directed at low-grade inflammation, with the surface left intact | Treat established pigment or laxity | Dull, reactive skin where inflammation rather than pigment drives the look |
| HIFU (Ultraformer MPT) | Focused ultrasound heats points in the SMAS and dermis to prompt collagen remodelling for laxity | Calm sensitive skin or improve hydration | Early to moderate laxity along the jawline, under the chin and across the neck |
| Medical treatment of rosacea or eczema | Addresses the cause of persistent redness or barrier breakdown after diagnosis, sometimes with prescription treatment | Be replaced by a facial; it starts with a diagnosis | Persistent redness, flushing, bumps or irritation that a facial alone does not settle |
Where the main need is cleansing and surface exfoliation, Hydrafacial is the closer fit; where the dermis is thin and dehydrated, a skin booster is weighed; where the need is pigment, it is matched to a laser first. In a Korean facial or glass skin plan, Hydrafacial and the LDM facial are the maintenance steps around the booster or laser that does the structural work.
Bojin (拨筋) is a manual technique from traditional Chinese medicine: a therapist uses firm, rhythmic strokes, often with a horn, jade or stone tool, along lines described as meridians, to ease tension and puffiness. It is mostly offered by beauty and wellness centres. LDM delivers measured ultrasound energy after a medical assessment of the skin. Dr Sin Yong does not offer Bojin; the two are not interchangeable, and neither is a lifting treatment. Where puffiness reflects fluid, allergy or a medical cause, or redness is rosacea, it is assessed in its own right rather than massaged. What a bojin facial can and cannot change is set out in a separate article.
An LDM facial cannot lift or tighten the face, resurface scars, clear established pigment or treat rosacea on its own. It acts within the skin rather than in the deeper layers that hold the face up, so laxity is planned with a lifting treatment alongside it. A useful test: if a treatment promises to lift or tighten, it is not LDM.
| Concern | Why LDM is not the answer | What is assessed instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sagging jawline, jowls or neck | LDM works the skin's matrix, not the SMAS, and it does not heat | HIFU or the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift, after their own assessment |
| Acne scars and texture | Nothing is resurfaced or remodelled at the depth that laser or RF microneedling reaches | Resurfacing or RF microneedling, matched to the scar |
| Established pigment | LDM has no pigment target | The pigment type diagnosed first, then a laser chosen for it |
| Persistent redness or rosacea | A facial does not treat the cause | A diagnosis and medical treatment, with R2 Glow where inflammation drives the redness; LDM at most an adjunct |
| Eczema or other skin disease | Barrier breakdown with a medical cause needs its own treatment | Dermatology review |
On its own LDM is a maintenance treatment, not a corrective one, and any change is gradual and varies between people. Expecting it to do the work of a corrective treatment is the commonest source of disappointment, which is why the assessment says plainly what it will not do.
LDM is non-invasive and non-ablative, and redness or peeling is not expected. Some people notice mild warmth, tingling or temporary flushing during or just after treatment, which usually settles quickly. Uncommonly, the skin reacts to the coupling gel or to a serum applied afterwards, and a pre-existing condition such as rosacea or eczema may flare. Because the gel and the serums are the usual causes of a reaction, a known reaction to either, or a tendency to eczema flares, is declared beforehand.
The risk of pigment change is considered low because LDM has no pigment target, but suitability is still checked for each skin type, and an implanted electronic device such as a pacemaker is assessed before any ultrasound treatment.
Every step is carried out by Dr Sin Yong. The first visit is a consultation and skin assessment of hydration, the barrier and any underlying skin condition. It ends with a written plan and quote that shows how LDM fits with any other treatment, and progress is reviewed and the plan adjusted as the skin responds.
Fees are not published on this site. The fee follows the plan, and it is given in writing at consultation after Dr Sin Yong has assessed your skin. These are the factors that decide it:
The consultation also decides whether an LDM facial is advised at all. Figures are not quoted in advance, because the plan depends on your skin; how quotes work at this practice is explained on how we quote.
Dr Sin Yong treats LDM as a supporting treatment rather than a corrective one. He examines the skin first and decides whether redness is rosacea or another condition that needs its own diagnosis; if it is rosacea, medical treatment is discussed and LDM is at most an adjunct. That assessment is why LDM is done at physician level: the device is gentle, but the decision about whether a facial is the right step is a medical one.
Most often LDM sits around more corrective work. After a laser, peel or injectable treatment the skin can be red, warm and reactive, and LDM is used to support the barrier while it settles; R2 Glow is one of the lasers it is paired with. It can also be used before a procedure as a primer, alongside laser resurfacing, RF microneedling or injectables. Settings are adjusted for darker skin types and for skin between treatments.
On its own he regards LDM as a maintenance treatment, so it is offered as part of a plan and reviewed with the rest of it. He examines the skin before suggesting it, and he says so when another treatment, or none, is the better answer.
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Open the Atelier appYes. Both names describe the same dual-frequency ultrasound, local dynamic micro-massage, applied to the skin. Here it is used on the face, or the face and neck, for dehydrated, sensitive or reactive skin and to support recovery after laser treatment. It does not heat or tighten, so it is not a substitute for HIFU or the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift when the concern is laxity.
LDM stands for local dynamic micro-massage. The device alternates rapidly between two ultrasound frequencies in the megahertz range, typically 3 MHz and 10 MHz, producing a mechanical micro-massage within the tissue rather than sustained heating. That is why it is used to calm and support the skin, not to heat or tighten it.
No. LDM is not a lifting treatment. HIFU and micro-focused ultrasound focus heat into the deeper SMAS layer to tighten it; LDM uses unfocused, low-intensity ultrasound directed at the skin itself, to settle inflammation and support the barrier and hydration. If lifting is the goal, a different treatment is needed, such as HIFU or the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift, chosen after its own assessment.
Most people describe a smooth handpiece moving over gel with little or no sensation of heat, because LDM works by rapidly alternating two megahertz frequencies to create a micro-massage within the skin rather than by heating it. There is no needle and no anaesthetic. How the skin responds afterwards varies between individuals and is discussed at the consultation.
That is one of its main uses. After a laser, peel or injectable treatment the skin can be red, warm and reactive, and LDM is used as an adjunct to support the barrier while it settles. Whether it is done on the same visit or at a later one depends on the treatment, the skin response and the plan Dr Sin Yong has set; the timing is decided case by case.
It can help as an adjunct. Clinical studies of dual-frequency ultrasound in rosacea and acne-related redness reported lower erythema and reduced water loss through the skin barrier, and its non-thermal mechanism is why it is considered for reactive skin at all. It does not replace medical treatment of rosacea, so Dr Sin Yong first assesses the type of redness; see rosacea treatment in Singapore.
It is used across skin types, including darker Asian skin, after assessment. LDM has no pigment target and works without meaningful heating, which is why the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is considered low compared with heat-based or pigment lasers. Suitability is still checked for each person, and an active flare, infection or open wound in the area is settled first.
No duration is promised. Any change in hydration or skin comfort varies between individuals and is influenced by skin barrier health, climate, sun exposure, skincare habits and whether an underlying condition is treated. How many visits are planned, how they are spaced and whether maintenance follows are set at consultation and adjusted as the skin responds.
It tends to suit dehydrated, sensitive or reactive skin, and skin recovering after laser or injectable treatment, where a gentle, assessed option is wanted. It is a poorer fit for lifting, tightening, scar revision or pigment clearance, and for persistent redness that needs a diagnosis such as rosacea. Change is gradual and varies between people, and mild flushing or a reaction to the gel or serum can occur.
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Available on Orchard Road, Singapore. By appointment.
Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Updated 25 October 2026
Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (NUS), MRCS (Edinburgh) · Last updated 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy
Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong personally. Singapore Medical Council registered · invited to share his clinical expertise internationally as a Key Opinion Leader for CLASSYS, DEKA, HIRONIC, FOTONA, ALMA, LUTRONIC and ILOODA · HSA-registered devices · ultrasound-guided correction
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