Why patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic & Thermage FLX TTT Master
Hello.
I'm Dr. Tae Hoon Kim, board-certified dermatologist, thinking about your skin 10 and 20 years from now.
These days, as patients have become more interested in laser lifting,
quite a few of them apparently know about the Thermage FLX TTT Master and look for one.
Thermage FLX TTT (Train the Trainer) Master is a program for medical professionals whose skills are at a level where they can teach
and pass on Thermage FLX treatment to other medical professionals.
In other words, the concept is closer to assessing whether someone can also serve as an educator, based on a structural understanding of the device, treatment experience and clinical judgment.
Thermage FLX itself is a highly advanced radiofrequency device, and in practice energy delivery,
tip characteristics, pain management and stability all have to be taken into account, which can make it somewhat demanding.
But I don't think the TTT Master title is what matters.
The title does not speak for the results.
That is because what the actual treatment room requires is an interpretation and design that fit the patient's face.
What matters more is the ability to map the patient's face based on an anatomical understanding, and to read the pattern of aging, skin thickness, fat volume and sensitivity.
Why patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic 01
The reason patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic is clear.
Thermage FLX is a fairly common device that you can get at almost any dermatology clinic, but I think the reason is the know-how to understand the nature of radiofrequency energy
accurately and to build a more effective treatment plan.
Many people think of Thermage FLX simply as a firming and lifting device, but in reality it acts positively on the skin in quite complex ways.
It promotes collagen regeneration, induces a fibroblast response, and reorganizes the dermal environment and the ECM 'soil', making the skin gradually firmer.
The key is not 'intensity' but how evenly and safely the energy is delivered to the intended layer.
As I mentioned earlier, high satisfaction can only be achieved by treating precisely, taking into account the patient's skin thickness, fat volume, degree of lost elasticity, pain threshold in each area and sensitivity.
Why patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic 02
Patients come to our clinic not only from Seoul but also from overseas, and I take great pride in this while continuing my research.
I often compare Thermage FLX to a musical instrument: even with a Stradivarius, regarded as a masterpiece, not everyone can give the finest performance.
Lifting is the same.
Even with the same device, results can vary enormously depending on the doctor, and the reasons can be summed up in roughly five points.
First, the way the face is read is different.
The face is not flat; analyzing its structure in three dimensions, distributing the shots and deciding the energy density are very important.
Second, the same 600 shots deliver the effect of 900 shots.
The key is where and how they are placed: sufficient energy is built up where it is needed, and the tip is passed over more lightly where less is needed, to produce a more effective result.
Third, levels also need to be adjusted according to pain sensitivity.
Pain thresholds differ greatly from person to person. A board-certified dermatologist must be able to assess this closely and adjust the energy intensity while communicating with the patient in real time.
Fourth, differences in how the depth of the radiofrequency energy and the skin's response are interpreted
Radiofrequency tends to linger in the outer layers of the skin, and delivering it to deeper layers requires the know-how to break the energy into small portions and deliver it densely.
Last, the treatment should be planned not for short-term effects but so that the results can be maintained for a long time.
A good Thermage FLX treatment does not end with satisfaction on the day; when patients experience their skin continuing to improve over a long period, the trust between patient and medical team can only grow.
Why patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic 03
I want to be completely honest.
I am by no means claiming to be good at it simply because I perform a large number of Thermage FLX treatments.
I would simply say that, based on extensive clinical experience, I have kept up my research and have learned, in equal depth, the methods and know-how to bring out the device's effects.
And I never treat any two patients in exactly the same way.
That is because, for each individual face, I go through a careful mapping process, almost like drawing a map, and then design concentrated energy delivery according to the areas that need it.
If 100 patients come in, I design 100 different treatments.
Why patients come from Seoul to a Haeundae dermatology clinic 04
My know-how is by no means subjective.
Generally, when people choose Thermage FLX, many receive 600 shots, and on that basis treatment is often performed at around level 2.0–2.5.
That gives a total energy somewhere in the low-to-mid 30 kJ range.
But when I perform Thermage FLX, you can expect about 1.5 times and up to around 1.8 times that — over 50 kJ.
Even though the level is around 4.0 or higher, pain scores are at most 3 out of 10, and some patients feel no pain at all and are fine going up to level 4.5.
Of course, various aids such as the triple anesthesia system or awake Matrx sedation can help, but what I am talking about
comes entirely from my know-how in raising the radiofrequency energy while reducing pain.
Again, what has made low-pain, high-output Thermage FLX possible is, naturally, the result of long clinical experience and research.
It means keeping the energy at the highest effective level while going only right up to the threshold at which pain is triggered,
breaking the energy into small portions, delivering it densely, and reducing pain so that the treatment proceeds comfortably.
Thermage FLX TTT Master is certainly a meaningful program.
That is because it presupposes the competence to teach and pass on the treatment to other medical professionals.
But I believe what creates real results on an individual patient's face is not this title,
but a deep understanding of the principles and design of radiofrequency treatment.
The ability, based on that understanding, to deliver concentrated energy to the areas that need it while minimizing pain —
that is also the pride of a board-certified dermatologist.
Not a treatment that just hurts, nor one that is vaguely weak, but one the patient can receive stably to the end
and that, as a result, brings clearer satisfaction.
If you have any further questions, feel free to knock on our door.
Many channels are open, including phone, our KakaoTalk channel, Instagram DM, Naver TalkTalk & LINE, so please feel free to contact us for a consultation.
This has been Dr. Tae Hoon Kim, board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Grays Dermatology.
The medical information on this website is general guidance only. Diagnosis and treatment may differ depending on your individual condition — please obtain an accurate diagnosis through an in-person consultation.