Sofwave is a non invasive ultrasound skin tightening treatment. A handpiece sends high frequency ultrasound into the dermis, the layer under the surface of the skin, where the heat makes small, controlled zones of injury that the skin repairs by producing new collagen. There are no needles and no incisions, and at Savage Serenity it is used on the face, the brow, under the chin, and the neck.
Sofwave at a glance
- What it is: a non-invasive ultrasound device for facial lines and wrinkles and for lifting lax skin at the brow, under the chin, and along the neck.
- Maker: Sofwave Medical.
- How it works: ultrasound energy at 10 to 12 megahertz heats the dermis about 1 to 2 millimeters below the surface while a cooling element protects the surface.
- Minimum age: 22.
- Areas treated at Savage Serenity: brows, neck, and jawline.
- Sessions: one a year for the face and neck, as the practice plans it, with a follow-up visit to judge the result.
- Performed by: Michelle Perkins, RN, and Candice Brantley, NP.
- When results show: gradually. With one ultrasound treatment, most people see modest lifting and tightening within 2 to 6 months.
- Recovery: straight back to your day, with some redness and swelling for a short while. No aftercare restrictions.
- Medical director: Dr. Luis Lee, the practice’s medical director and supervising physician.
What Sofwave is
Sofwave is the brand name of an ultrasound device made by Sofwave Medical and used in medical aesthetics practices on the skin of the face and neck. It belongs to the family of treatments people search for as ultrasound skin tightening, non surgical skin tightening, or energy based skin treatments: devices that heat the deeper skin on purpose so the body rebuilds it. In that family, Sofwave is the parallel beam type. Its applicator holds a row of ultrasound transducers that fire together, so each pass treats a band of dermis at one time.
Sofwave is FDA cleared as a non invasive dermatological aesthetic treatment to improve facial lines and wrinkles, lift the eyebrow, and lift lax tissue under the chin and on the neck in adults 22 and older. The same device is also used for acne scars, for skin laxity on the upper arms, and for the short term appearance of cellulite. At Savage Serenity, Sofwave sits on the Savage Treatments menu alongside microneedling, chemical peels, and laser hair removal.
How ultrasound skin tightening works
Ultrasound heats the dermis. The dermis is the layer beneath the surface that holds the collagen and elastin fibers that keep skin firm, and it is the layer where loosening shows up with age. Sofwave sends ultrasound pulses at 10 to 12 megahertz through the surface to a depth of about 1 to 2 millimeters, where the energy raises the temperature of the tissue and creates small, isolated areas of heat injury. A cooling element in the applicator keeps the surface cool while the layer beneath it is heated, which is why there is little to see on the surface afterward.
The skin treats each of those small injuries as something to repair, and repair is where the result comes from. The heat can prompt the body to produce more collagen, and new collagen is laid down over weeks and months. That is the whole mechanism: a controlled injury at a set depth, followed by the skin’s own rebuilding. We will cover how Sofwave reaches the mid dermis in more detail in a later article.
Why the result takes months
Collagen forms slowly, so Sofwave results arrive slowly. In the clinical study submitted for the device’s original version, 59 people had one treatment across five zones of the face and were photographed before and 12 weeks after. Blinded reviewers correctly identified the before and after photographs for 78 percent of the people treated, 72 percent of the participants themselves noted an improvement in their wrinkles, 26 percent saw no change, and one person reported worsening. The American Academy of Dermatology describes the result of a single ultrasound treatment as modest lifting and tightening within 2 to 6 months. Both figures describe a gradual, moderate change, and that is what to expect.
What Sofwave does not do
Sofwave does not replace volume. Hollow temples, flat cheeks, and deep folds are volume problems, and those are the work of dermal fillers or a biostimulator such as Sculptra. Sofwave does not relax the muscles that fold the skin into frown lines or crow’s feet; that is what Botox and the other neuromodulators do. And Sofwave does not lift a large amount of loose skin. The American Academy of Dermatology is direct about this: if you have a lot of sagging skin, skin tightening may not be helpful, and a surgical consultation is the honest next step. Sofwave suits the person with a modest amount of laxity who wants a change without a procedure that cuts.
What Sofwave is used for
Sofwave is used for three things on the face and neck: softening facial lines and wrinkles, lifting the brow, and lifting lax skin under the chin and on the neck. The brow treatment raises the position of the eyebrow a little, which opens the eye area. The under chin and neck treatment addresses the loose skin that makes a jawline look softer than it is.
At Savage Serenity, Sofwave is planned for the brows, the neck, and the jawline, and the plan is drawn for your face at a consultation. You can read about the treatment itself on our page for Sofwave in Fresno.
What happens at a Sofwave appointment
A Sofwave appointment starts with a consultation. Your provider looks at where your skin has loosened, how much, and what else is going on in the face, because laxity rarely travels alone. Photographs are taken so that you and your provider can compare honestly at the follow up. If Sofwave is the right tool, the treatment can be the same day.
During the treatment, the skin is cleaned and the applicator is moved across each zone in passes. You feel heat with each pulse, and the cooled applicator takes the edge off at the surface. Comfort measures are planned at your consultation, and your provider tells you what to expect before the first pulse.
At Savage Serenity, Sofwave is planned as one treatment a year for the face and neck. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that additional treatments may give more benefit, and the follow up visit, with the photographs in hand, is where your provider judges how your skin responded and when the next treatment should be. We will describe what a Sofwave session feels like and how the recovery goes in a later article.
When you see results, and how long they last
Results appear gradually. The clinical study measured the change at 12 weeks, and the American Academy of Dermatology describes most people seeing modest lifting and tightening within 2 to 6 months of a single ultrasound treatment. Expect nothing on the day, a little at the first follow up, and the result itself over the months that follow.
How long a result lasts is not stated in that clinical study, which did not follow people beyond 12 weeks, and we do not quote a duration we cannot source. The practice plans Sofwave once a year for the face and neck. That is a treatment schedule; how any one person’s skin holds its result is what the follow up visit is for, and your provider will tell you what the practice sees.
Risks and side effects
Sofwave carries risks, as every treatment that heats the skin does. The expected effects are redness and swelling for a short while after treatment. In the study submitted to FDA, no device related adverse events were reported among the 59 people treated, and the average pain score during treatment was 7.49 out of 10, which the study called moderate; no one withdrew because of it. That is a small study, so we also name the risks that heat based ultrasound devices carry as a class: burns or blisters, a change in skin color, small firm nodules under the skin, numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness from a nerve effect that can last weeks and in some reports months, loss of fat under the treated skin, and unevenness. None of these is common, and all of them are real.
Call the practice right away if you have new facial weakness, numbness that is not fading, a blister or burn, any change in your vision, or intense pain. The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery puts it plainly: if you experience intense pain or unexpected side effects following a procedure, call immediately, and do not wait to see if it will go away.
Who should wait, or skip it
A skin tightening procedure is not right for anyone who is pregnant, has a skin infection, or takes certain medications. You will also be asked about a pacemaker or any other electronic or metal implant, open skin or active acne in the treatment area, and any filler you have had in the area, because the order and spacing of Sofwave and injectables are planned on purpose. If you have a large amount of loose skin, the consultation may send you elsewhere, and that is the consultation doing its job. Sofwave is for adults 22 and older.
Aftercare, briefly
There is no bandage, no wound to care for, and no restriction. The practice has no special aftercare for Sofwave: you can be out in the sun and keep your regular skincare routine from the same day. The surface of the skin was kept cool, so what you see afterward is some pinkness and swelling that settle on their own. Over the longer run, the American Academy of Dermatology’s advice for anyone who has had a skin tightening procedure is to protect the skin from the sun, keep a steady weight, eat well, and not smoke, because those habits protect the collagen the treatment prompted.
Sofwave at Savage Serenity
Savage Serenity MedSpa is led by Angela Hash, BSN, RN, a registered nurse injector who trains the clinical team in her approach to the face, and the practice works under Dr. Luis Lee, its medical director and supervising physician. Angela describes her approach this way: “I look at the face as a whole and create a treatment plan that restores balance, supports the way you’re naturally aging, and still keeps you looking like you.” Sofwave fits that plan as the tool for skin that has loosened, used alongside the injectables that restore volume and relax lines, and the consultation decides which of those you need and in what order. Sofwave treatments at Savage Serenity are performed by Michelle Perkins, RN, and Candice Brantley, NP.
Sofwave sits on the Savage Treatments menu with microneedling, which works on texture and tone at the surface, where Sofwave works on laxity beneath it. If your concern is deeper laxity at the brow, under the chin, or along the neck, Sofwave is the tool we reach for; if your concern is lost volume, a biostimulator such as Sculptra may suit you better, and the consultation may plan both. Pricing is quoted at your consultation once the plan is drawn.
Frequently asked questions about Sofwave
Does Sofwave hurt?
Sofwave is uncomfortable during the pulses. In the clinical study submitted for the device, the average pain score during treatment was 7.49 out of 10, described as moderate, and no one stopped the treatment because of it. The cooled applicator helps at the surface, and comfort measures are planned at your consultation.
How many Sofwave treatments do I need?
One treatment a year for the face and neck is how the practice plans it. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that additional treatments may give more benefit, so the follow up visit, with your photographs in front of you, is where your provider judges how your skin responded and sets the next date.
Is there downtime after Sofwave?
You go straight back to your day. The practice has no aftercare restrictions after Sofwave: you can be out in the sun and keep your regular skincare routine. Expect some redness and swelling for a short while.
Is Sofwave the same as other ultrasound skin tightening treatments?
No. Sofwave is a parallel beam ultrasound device that treats a band of the dermis at a fixed, shallow depth of about 1 to 2 millimeters with a cooled applicator. Other ultrasound devices focus the energy to single points at set depths. They share the idea of heating the deeper skin so it rebuilds collagen, and they differ in how the energy is delivered and where.
Can Sofwave be combined with Botox or filler?
Sofwave, neuromodulators, and fillers address different things, so they are often planned together. The order and the spacing between them are set at your consultation, and you tell your provider about any filler you have had in the treatment area before Sofwave is planned.
Who is a good candidate for Sofwave?
An adult 22 or older with a modest amount of laxity at the brow, under the chin, or along the neck, or with facial lines and wrinkles, who wants a gradual change without surgery. The American Academy of Dermatology adds that the best results go to people at a steady, healthy weight who protect their skin from the sun and do not smoke.
Book a Sofwave consultation in Fresno
The consultation is where your provider looks at your skin, tells you whether Sofwave is the right tool, and draws the plan. Request a consultation at Savage Serenity MedSpa in Fresno and we will take it from there.
Keep reading
- Sofwave at our Fresno studio
- Skin treatments at Savage Serenity
- Microneedling and PRF microneedling in Fresno
- Sculptra in Fresno
- About Angela Hash, BSN, RN
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) Summary, SofWave System (K250146). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf25/K250146.pdf. Decision date 04/18/2025.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) Summary, Sofacia System (K191421). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf19/K191421.pdf. Decision date 09/09/2019.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Many ways to firm sagging skin. https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/younger-looking/firm-sagging-skin. Accessed 10/20/2026 (page undated).
- American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. Safety Tips for Patients. https://www.aslms.org/for-the-public/safety-tips. Last modified 08/05/2026.
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