HIFU vs Surgical Facelift

If you're weighing up a non-surgical facelift against going under the knife, here's a straight comparison from a registered nurse with 30 years in healthcare.

What HIFU actually does

HIFU stands for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. It delivers focused ultrasound energy below the surface of your skin, to the same layer a surgeon tightens during a facelift, without cutting anything. That energy triggers your own collagen to contract and rebuild over the following months.

The result is a lift and a tightening that builds gradually. It isn't a facelift, and we won't pretend it is. What it is, for the right person, is a meaningful lift with no scalpel, no general anaesthetic and no time off work.

HIFU compared with surgery

Downtime. HIFU has none. You walk out and go back to work. A surgical facelift means one to two weeks of visible recovery and several weeks before you feel normal.

Anaesthetic. HIFU needs none. Surgery means a general anaesthetic and the risks that come with it.

Cost. HIFU is a fraction of surgical cost. A facelift in Australia typically runs into five figures.

Results. Surgery gives a bigger, more dramatic change. HIFU gives a subtler lift that builds over two to three months.

How long it lasts. HIFU results generally hold for around twelve to eighteen months, then a maintenance treatment keeps them going. A surgical facelift lasts years.

Reversibility. HIFU works with your own collagen. Nothing is cut, nothing is implanted.

Who HIFU suits best

HIFU works best on mild to moderate laxity, so people generally from their late thirties through to their sixties who want to hold the line rather than turn the clock back a decade. If your skin has significant sagging, we'll tell you honestly at your consult that surgery would serve you better, and we won't sell you a treatment that can't deliver what you want.

What a HIFU treatment is like

One session takes 20 to 30 minutes for a single area and up to 90 minutes for a full face and neck. You'll feel heat and a prickling sensation as the energy is delivered, which most people find very manageable. There's no downtime at all, and you can wear makeup and go straight back to your day.

HIFU pricing

Full face is $500 and a face and neck Refresh and Go is $450. Single areas such as jowls, neck, forehead, eyes and mouth start at $150. The full HIFU price list is on our HIFU page.

Afterpay and Zip are available. Prices are confirmed at your free consult.

Talk it through first, decide later

Our consult is free, face to face, and there's no pressure to book on the day. If HIFU is right for you we'll say so. If it isn't, we'll say that too. Call or message Sophie on 0438 508 443.