Sofwave™ in Charleston, SC

The skin tightening treatment uses high-intensity fractional ultrasound to heat the tissue in the mid-dermis (the lower layers of skin), which triggers the body’s healing response and stimulates new collagen production to improve mild skin laxity.

What is Sofwave?

Sofwave is a noninvasive skin rejuvenation treatment that’s FDA cleared to:

Lift the eyebrows
Firm and lift lax tissue on the neck and under the chin
Improve the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles
Reduce the appearance of cellulite
Treat acne scars

Since Sofwave’s energy bypasses the outer layer of skin (the epidermis), the treatment comes with no downtime and no reported side effects for most patients, though some do have mild swelling for a day or two. Most people need only a single session to see an improvement, though as with similar procedures that rely on new collagen growth, results can take three to six months to appear, and maintenance treatments are recommended.

Sofwave uses an ultrasound beam to heat the tissue at a depth of 1.5 mm under the skin. The heat creates controlled damage, which stimulates the body’s healing response, jump-starting new collagen production and remodeling existing collagen.

Collagen, a tightly wound peptide chain of three amino acids, makes up as much as 80% of skin. In the dermal layer, collagen creates the framework that connects cells to each other, preserving skin’s volume, elasticity, and moisture.

The body’s collagen production and elastin synthesis naturally begin to slow in your 20s, and environmental factors like sun damage and free radicals accelerate the breakdown of these structural proteins. Thinning collagen and elastin weaken skin’s structure, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity.

Sofwave’s fractional ultrasound heat contracts the collagen in your skin and stimulates the tissue repair response in your fibroblast cells, which ramps up new collagen production.

The result is often tighter, more lifted skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles. The treatment also offers some skin-thickening effects that can reduce the appearance of mild cellulite and acne scars.

Sofwave: FAQs

Is Sofwave painful?

Some patients report little to no discomfort; where as some others described it as uncomfortable. The skin can be numbed with a topical anesthetic in certain cases, and the device has a built-in cooling mechanism to offset the heat, protect the epidermis, and prevent burns. We offer nitro oxide (Pronox) to reduce discomfort during the procedure.

Sofwave vs. Ultherapy: What’s the difference?

Both Sofwave and Ultherapy use ultrasound energy to boost collagen production, reducing fine lines while firming skin. However, there are a few key differences between the two treatments. Sofwave uniformly heats skin at a controlled depth of 1.5 mm, while Ultherapy can treat variable depths: the superficial dermis at 1.5 mm, the deep dermis at 3 mm, and the SMAS/platysma muscles at 4.5 mm. Sofwave’s 1.5 mm targeted depth can be less painful than Ultherapy’s energy at 3 mm and 4.5 mm. By targeting this precise depth, Softwave reduces facial wrinkles, while minimizing damage to more superficial and deeper structures and preserving facial fat. Talk with a provider you trust about which treatment they’d recommend for you.