Facial ageing unfolds across multiple layers — from the fine texture of the surface skin to the gradual descent of deeper structural tissue. Addressing only one of these layers often leaves other signs of ageing untouched.
At Glowwis, Dr Sam offers a thoughtfully sequenced combination of Ultherapy Prime and liquid PDO thread lift—a dual-plane approach that aims to address both the deep structural foundation and the surface skin, with the goal of supporting gradual, natural-looking improvement across multiple tissue layers. Dr Sam conducts a thorough clinical assessment before recommending this or any combination approach, ensuring the plan is appropriate for your individual anatomy and goals.
The Case for a Dual-Plane Approach
Combining Ultherapy Prime and liquid PDO threads offers a complementary approach: deep ultrasound energy stimulates the underlying collagen architecture, while PDO threads reinforce the surface layers. This vertical stacking of treatment zones means the aim is to address both structural support and skin surface quality within a single, personalised treatment plan.
How Ultherapy Prime Works at the Deep Tissue Level
Ultherapy Prime utilises micro-focused ultrasound to trigger a natural renewal process by gently heating targeted tissue layers, stimulating progressive collagen production.
- Precision Thermal Targeting: The device creates controlled heat points to encourage both the contraction of existing fibres and the gradual growth of new structural collagen — a process that continues over the months following your treatment.
- Triple-Layer Depth: Specialised transducers allow treatment at 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm, and 4.5mm depths, addressing everything from superficial skin quality to the deep SMAS foundation.
- Real-Time Visualisation: Integrated ultrasound imaging allows Dr Sam to see tissue layers as he treats, ensuring energy is delivered safely and accurately to the intended depth every time.
- Progressive Remodelling: While initial tightening may be subtle, visible improvement typically emerges over three to six months as new collagen matures and strengthens the skin’s own support structure.
How the Liquid PDO Thread Lift Works
The Liquid PDO Thread Lift at Glowwis involves the precise injection of PDO in liquid micro-particle form into the dermis via a fine micro-cannula. Rather than mechanically lifting tissue, it triggers the body’s wound-healing response, stimulating fibroblasts to produce new collagen and elastin fibres through a process known as neocollagenesis.
The PDO formulation used at Glowwis is approved by the KFDA (Korea Food and Drug Administration) for its biocompatibility and safety profile, and is delivered in liquid micro-particle form via a fine micro-cannula. The collagen-stimulating effects, however, continue to support skin quality well beyond the absorption phase. By reinforcing areas prone to fine lines and superficial laxity, the treatment aims to create a supportive collagen framework that may help improve skin quality and support a firmer appearance over time, with effects that may persist beyond the absorption phase.
The Benefits of Combining Ultherapy Prime and PDO Threads
By integrating these two modalities, we address facial ageing at multiple depths—combining the deep-seated structural lift of ultrasound with the immediate surface-level support of polydioxanone threads.
- Dual-Plane Approach: Ultherapy Prime targets the deep structural layer to address foundational laxity, while Liquid PDO threads work within the dermis to support skin texture and fine lines — together, they aim to address ageing across two distinct tissue planes that neither treatment reaches in isolation.
- Clinically Complementary Mechanisms: Some published clinical observations suggest that combining collagen-biostimulatory thread treatments with focused ultrasound may support improvements in facial contour, with the two modalities targeting different tissue depths. Individual responses vary, and Dr Sam will discuss realistic expectations during your consultation.
- Thoughtful Sequencing: Treatments are typically spaced two to four weeks apart, allowing the initial ultrasound response to settle before the threads are carefully placed to support ongoing collagen growth.
Key Treatment Areas
This approach provides a targeted solution for the most common areas of facial ageing.
- Mid-Face and Jawline: This combination addresses laxity at the jowl line at a structural level, while smoothing the superficial skin along the jaw and nasolabial folds for a more refreshed and naturally defined appearance.
- Neck Rejuvenation: Ultrasound targets the deeper neck tissue to address skin descent, while threads help soften fine horizontal lines and crepey skin at the surface.
- Brow Area: Using specialised, gentle settings, this approach can provide a subtle lift to the brow and refresh the delicate surrounding skin with minimal disruption.
The Glowwis Difference: Dr Sam’s Personal Approach
What makes your experience at Glowwis genuinely different is Dr Sam’s direct involvement at every stage.
With over 10 years of clinical experience in aesthetic medicine, Dr Sam understands that a combination treatment plan requires not just technical precision, but a thorough understanding of your face as a whole. As a certified SPT (See, Plan, Treat) provider, Dr Sam personally performs your tissue mapping before any Ultherapy Prime energy is delivered — at no additional charge to you.
Your Glowwis consultation is where the real planning happens. Dr Sam takes the time to evaluate your tissue quality, assess your goals, and design a sequenced combination approach that is genuinely tailored to your anatomy.
What to Expect During and After Treatment
At Glowwis, you will be provided with a predictable timeline that transitions from a well-managed clinical session to a gradual, natural-looking enhancement of your facial contours.
- Ultherapy Prime Session: Typically 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the areas covered. You may feel brief sensations of warmth or tingling during energy delivery, which varies by zone. Topical numbing preparations and oral comfort medications are available to support a relaxed and comfortable experience throughout.
- PDO Thread Session:Typically 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the number of areas treated. A fine micro-cannula is used to deliver the liquid PDO solution precisely into the treatment area, minimising trauma to surrounding tissue and reducing the risk of bruising. Patients typically experience gentle pressure and occasional pulling sensations, with comfort well managed throughout.
- Following treatment, some patients may notice mild initial firmness in the treated areas. Any mild tenderness or redness typically settles within a few days, and any bruising at injection points, if present, generally fades within one to two weeks.
- Progressive Improvement: The most rewarding changes develop over three to six months as new collagen matures. For the combination approach, many patients report visible improvement maintained for approximately twelve to eighteen months. Individual results vary depending on skin quality, lifestyle, and the natural ageing process.
Factors That Influence Your Outcome
While the technology provides the framework for lifting, your final results are shaped by biological factors, from your baseline skin quality and age to your body’s individual capacity for collagen synthesis.
- Skin Quality: Patients with moderate laxity and good skin thickness may be more likely to notice visible improvement, though individual responses vary. Dr Sam will give you an honest assessment of what to expect based on your tissue during your consultation.
- Age and Tissue Response: Patients who present with earlier structural changes may respond to this combination approach, though outcomes depend on individual skin quality and collagen response. Those with more ageing changes are welcome for a thorough consultation — Dr Sam will discuss whether a combination non-surgical approach or a different pathway is most appropriate for your goals.
- Lifestyle: Collagen metabolism and healing are influenced by daily habits. If you have questions about how your lifestyle may affect your outcome, please discuss with Dr Sam, who will guide you accordingly.
- Hormonal Status: Oestrogen levels influence skin collagen content and may affect individual treatment response — a factor Dr Sam considers as part of your overall assessment.
Who May Not Be Suitable
While highly versatile, this combination treatment is not appropriate for everyone and requires a thorough clinical assessment to ensure safety and efficacy.
- Active Skin Conditions: Patients with infections, inflammation, or open wounds in the target areas.
- Medical Implants: Metal implants or implanted electronic devices (such as pacemakers) in or near the treatment zone.
- Pregnancy & Nursing: Those who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding should defer treatment.
- Known allergy or sensitivity to PDO material or local anaesthetic agents.
- Certain autoimmune conditions, or patients taking medications that may affect healing or collagen production will be reviewed.
A clinical consultation will be conducted to assess individual suitability and determine the most appropriate treatment pathway for your needs.
How This Combination Compares to Other Approaches
While every aesthetic treatment has its place, this combination may offer an option for those seeking to address multiple tissue layers simultaneously, without the recovery associated with surgical intervention.
- Surgical Facelift: Surgery remains the most significant option for structural rejuvenation, addressing bone resorption, fat redistribution, and SMAS manipulation in ways non-surgical treatments cannot fully replicate. For patients who prefer to avoid surgery, or who are not yet at that stage, combination non-surgical treatment offers a clinically supported alternative for mild to moderate concerns.
- Injectables: Dermal fillers address volume loss and neurotoxin injections address movement-driven lines — both valuable tools that complement rather than replace lifting treatments. Many patients enjoy a layered plan incorporating fillers for volume, neurotoxins for dynamic lines, and Ultherapy Prime with PDO threads for structural collagen support.
- Radiofrequency and Laser: These are effective tools for skin texture and superficial to mid-dermal improvement. Ultherapy Prime’s deep penetration, combined with PDO threads’ dermal scaffolding, is designed to address a wider range of tissue depths than surface-focused device treatments alone.
Commonly Asked Questions
How long do results from combination treatment last?
For the combination approach, most patients enjoy noticeable improvement for twelve to eighteen months. Individual variation depends on ageing rate, lifestyle, and baseline skin quality. Maintenance sessions at twelve-month intervals may help sustain results, and each treatment cycle continues to build on your skin’s collagen foundation.
What is the recovery like after the combined treatment?
Recovery is generally manageable, with any bruising from thread insertion typically fading within one to two weeks. Mild swelling usually settles within a few days. Most patients feel comfortable returning to their normal routine within a week. Please let Dr Sam know in advance if you have any upcoming activities or commitments, so that treatment timing can be planned accordingly.
Can combination treatment replace a facelift?
For mild to moderate laxity, combination treatment may provide meaningful improvement for suitable candidates, though individual outcomes vary. Those with more significant structural changes may benefit from a surgical consultation. Those with more significant structural changes may benefit from a surgical consultation for optimal results. Combination treatment may also serve as a thoughtful complement after surgical procedures, or as a way to extend the timeline before surgery becomes something you’d like to consider.
At what age do patients typically consider combination treatments?
Some patients begin in their late thirties to early forties, when collagen production starts to decline noticeably. Starting earlier means addressing smaller changes with a more preventive approach. There is no upper age limit — Dr Sam will discuss realistic and honest expectations for your specific skin during your consultation.
How do I know if I am a suitable candidate?
Suitable candidates generally have mild to moderate skin laxity, good skin quality, and no relevant contraindications. These include, but are not limited to, metal implants or implanted electronic devices in the treatment area, active skin infection or inflammation, known allergy to PDO material, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and certain autoimmune conditions. The most reliable way to determine suitability is through a personal consultation with Dr Sam.
Your Next Step with Dr Sam at Glowwis
The combination of Ultherapy Prime and liquid PDO thread lift addresses facial rejuvenation across two distinct tissue planes — deep structural collagen stimulation from Ultherapy Prime, and surface-level scaffolding and collagen support from PDO threads — with results that typically persist for twelve to eighteen months as your own collagen matures and strengthens.
Ultherapy Prime is U.S. FDA-cleared, and the Liquid PDO formulation used at Glowwis is KFDA-approved — both treatments are performed personally by Dr Sam following a thorough clinical assessment.
If you are noticing progressive skin laxity, early jowling, deepening nasolabial folds, or softening of the jawline, a consultation with Dr Sam will include a clinical evaluation of your skin structure, allowing him to advise whether Ultherapy Prime combined with a Liquid PDO Thread Lift — or a different approach — is most suitable for your concerns.
