Side Effects of Ultrasound Lifting Such as Ultherapy and LinearZ

1️⃣ Nerve Damage

The nerves in this area are marked with an X during the design phase.

It is easier to understand if you think of it as a path about the width of a thumb.

The primary nerve to be careful of is

👉 the marginal mandibular nerve.

✔ Symptoms of Nerve Damage

Water leaking from the mouth when drinking or brushing teeth

Difficulty lowering the lower lip

Resulting in asymmetrical lip shape

➡️ Because this causes significant discomfort in social life,

👉 we take a very conservative approach from the design phase through to the procedure.

✔️ Most cases recover naturally within a few weeks to 3–6 months.

2️⃣ Burns and Blisters

✔ Common Areas

Neck

Double chin

✔ Warning Signs

A feeling of localized swelling in the exact shape of the treatment tip

Unusually severe pain compared to other areas

Severe and persistent redness

👉 Blisters usually appear 1–2 days after the procedure,

so you must visit the clinic immediately if they occur.

✔ Prevention

Applying a thin, rather than thick, layer of ultrasound gel

During double chin and neck treatments:

👉 Turning the head sufficiently side to side to ensure close contact with the handpiece

Positioning the patient accurately so the handpiece does not flip

✔ Treatment

Immediate cooling

Application of steroid cream

Wet dressing

If necessary:

👉 Intramuscular steroid injection

👉 Oral antibiotics & steroids

3️⃣ Skin Atrophy and Facial Hollowing

Because ultrasound lifting is such a popular procedure,

the side effect patients worry about the most is ‘facial hollowing’.

✔ Characteristics

In the exact shape of the tip

Appearing as a single line of atrophy (hollowing)

✔ Main Causes

Poor tip contact

Design issues

History of fat-dissolving injections

✔ Prevention

Administering shots while monitoring in real-time

Avoiding excessive application of ultrasound gel

During the design phase:

👉 Pre-marking areas prone to hollowing with an X

Deciding which tip to focus on which area

👉 Clearly planning the distribution of shots

📌 Temples and Side Cheeks

→ These are areas where fat naturally decreases over time,

👉 so they are not areas where ultrasound lifting is aggressively applied.

However, a conservative approach with a small number of shots is possible by adjusting the depth.

4️⃣ Inflammation

A side effect that can be seen as an extension of burns and blisters.

In cases of severe erythema and inflammation appearing immediately after Ultherapy,

👉 it can rarely lead to a situation requiring surgical removal and suturing.

➡️ Therefore,

✔️ Pain response during the procedure

✔️ Skin condition immediately after the procedure

must be meticulously checked.

✨ In Summary

Because ultrasound lifting is highly effective,

👉 it is a procedure where design, anatomical understanding, and shot distribution are incredibly important.

That is why I consider

‘accurately avoiding areas that should not be treated’ rather than ‘administering many shots’

to be much more important 🙂