VF Lift:
what to expect, from the zone map to the review

What happens before a VF Lift treatment?

Before any VF Lift is delivered there is an assessment, and it decides whether monopolar radiofrequency is the right tool. Most people start with a short WhatsApp message describing the concern. At the consultation Dr Sin Yong takes a history: implanted devices and metal, pregnancy, medicines, healing and scarring, and every earlier filler, thread and energy treatment. A pacemaker, defibrillator or other implanted electronic device rules the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift out, because the current passes through the body to a return pad.

He then examines the face in profile and three-quarter view, at rest and in animation, pinches each area to judge fat against skin, and compares it with photographs from earlier years. Where earlier filler is suspected, ultrasound maps it first. You leave with a written plan naming the zones, the mode set for each, what is kept out of the field, the fee factors and the option of no treatment. Who suits the protocol is on VF Lift suitability.

Before you book

• Tell the clinic about any pacemaker, implanted device or metal implant.
• Declare pregnancy, breastfeeding or plans to conceive.
• Mention recent filler, threads or other energy treatments in the face or neck.
• Avoid sun exposure and tanning, and pause skincare actives if the skin is irritated.
• Bring photographs from earlier years and a list of current medicines.

How is the face mapped on the day of a VF Lift?

On the day, the plan is confirmed and the face is examined again, because tissue is mapped on the day it is treated. Dr Sin Yong palpates the thickness of skin and fat in each zone and sets its mode: Lift for loose tissue along the jaw, the lower cheek and under the chin; Sculpt for a jowl pad or the fullness beside the nasolabial fold; Restore for hollows such as the temples, forehead, under the eyes, lateral cheeks and prejowl sulcus. Most faces carry more than one mode in different zones.

The map also records what is kept out of the field. On the neck, the thyroid and midline are not heated, and neck skin is set more conservatively than the face. Along the jaw edge, passes over the course of the marginal mandibular nerve are not stacked. Thin zones and a lean face are treated with restraint. The tip is chosen for each area: a small tip near the eyes, a narrow one along the jaw and chin, a larger one for the face, and the largest for the body. The map, not a preset, is what the treatment follows.

“I do not deliver a pulse into a zone I have not mapped. The map is drawn on the face in front of me, on the day, and the energy follows what you tell me you feel.”

Dr Sin YongOn how a VF Lift treatment is run

What does the VF Lift feel like during treatment?

The skin is cleansed and a return pad is placed on the body, because monopolar radiofrequency needs to complete a circuit. The tip performs an impedance check before each pulse, and energy is then delivered zone by zone along the planned vertical vectors, while water cools the skin surface continuously. There are no incisions and no anaesthesia to recover from.

Most people describe deep warmth that builds as each zone is treated, and most tolerate it well. Settings are adjusted for comfort and for the area: the heat you report is used to adjust the energy in real time, so telling Dr Sin Yong what you feel is part of the treatment. Heat that becomes sharp or hard to bear is a reason to stop and adjust that zone rather than push through. A beard or fine facial hair is not a problem, because the Sculpt mode does not affect facial hair. Dr Sin Yong performs every pass himself.

What happens straight after the VF Lift, and as the skin settles?

Straight afterwards the skin is checked. Pinkness and warmth follow the zones that were heated and fade as the skin cools; mild swelling can collect along the jaw or under the eyes, and tenderness is more noticeable over bone. Most people return to ordinary activities, and make-up can usually be worn once the skin is calm. You leave with written aftercare naming the zones treated and the mode set for each, and it takes priority over any web page.

What is normal, and what needs a call

• Normal: pinkness and warmth that fade, mild swelling, tenderness on chewing after Lift along the jaw.
• Needs a message the same day: a blister, crust or open area, a new dent, pain that is increasing, numbness that persists, or any change in facial movement.
• Avoid early on: saunas, hot showers on the face, hot classes, alcohol and hard exercise while the zones settle; walking is fine.

The full list, with the heat and exercise rules, is on VF Lift aftercare, and Volnewmer side effects explains why each warning sign happens.

What happens at the VF Lift review?

Collagen remodelling and any Restore response develop gradually, so the review is timed to read the response rather than to repeat the treatment by default. Dr Sin Yong examines each zone, asks about sensation and movement, and compares the face with the photographs in your medical record. The protocol is then adjusted zone by zone: a zone added, left alone or set to a different mode. The answer can also be nothing further for now.

The review is where any combination is decided. Focused ultrasound for a lax SMAS is staged on a separate day, as set out on HIFU with VF Lift, because the VF Lift itself never uses ultrasound. Time Freeze Laser LCLR® can be used together with the VF Lift where compact fat or puffiness is part of the picture. What the response depends on is explained on VF Lift results.