Thermage FLX vs Onda Same Comparison, a Different Question
Thermage FLX and Onda answer different questions. One is a face question and one is a body question. Thermage’s radiofrequency firms facial skin at the dermis around 3-5mm; Onda’s Coolwaves reach body fat near 20mm. Your physician reads which region you are asking about at RE:BERRY near Gangnam Station in Seoul.
Thermage FLX vs Onda Lifting
Thermage FLX
Thermage vs Onda · Gangnam Seoul
Thermage FLX and Onda answer different questions. One is a face question and one is a body question. Thermage’s radiofrequency firms facial skin at the dermis around 3-5mm; Onda’s Coolwaves reach body fat near 20mm. Your physician reads which region you are asking about at RE:BERRY near Gangnam Station in Seoul.
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Thermage FLX vs Onda: how do I even choose between them?
Start with the region, not the device. Thermage FLX is a monopolar radiofrequency treatment aimed at the facial dermis at a 3-5mm working depth, so it is the answer when your concern is loose, crepey, thinning skin on the face. Onda uses Coolwaves microwave energy that travels to roughly 20mm and works in subcutaneous fat, so it is the answer when your concern is a fuller body contour or a soft double chin. They are not rivals for the same job; they are two tools for two different depths, in two different regions. At RE:BERRY Gangnam the physician reads which question your face and body are actually asking and matches each concern to the tool built for that depth.
Effects & Progress
Effects & Progress
Thermage FLX heats the facial dermis, contracting collagen at once and renewing it over the months that follow. It is a skin answer for the face, not a fat answer for the body.
First days: on the face RF path, early firmness appears as heated dermal collagen contracts. Mild warmth or pinkness settles within hours, and same-day makeup and travel are fine on either the face or the body path.
Weeks 2-4: if a body Onda plan was chosen, a fuller contour begins to soften as treated fat responds; on the face path the skin often already feels denser to the touch.
Month 3: the peak window. On the face path, dermal collagen renewal reaches its fullest tone-and-texture change; on the body path, the Onda contour settles into its result. Response speed varies by individual.
Maintenance: a facial RF result generally holds well past the first year, and where both regions were treated your physician sets the spacing before any repeat step at RE:BERRY.
Treatment Process
How the Region Decides the Device — 4 Steps from Reading to Aftercare
※ Illustrative images are AI-generated to help explain the treatment process.Effects & Progress
Effects & Progress
The cleanest way to separate Thermage from Onda is by what each one heats and where. Thermage FLX places its radiofrequency in the facial dermis at a 3-5mm depth, so the treated collagen contracts immediately for early firmness and then renews across the weeks after, refining tone and texture. That makes it the answer for a face question: crepey skin, enlarged pores, a jaw edge where the skin itself has slackened. It is engineered to stop at the dermis, which is the same reason it is not the tool for the deep body fat that Onda addresses.
Facial skin concerns rarely sit in a single point; crepey texture, open pores, and a loss of tone spread across the cheeks and lower face as the dermis thins. Thermage FLX heats a broad dermal volume in each pass, so the regenerative stimulus reaches the whole treated area at once and fine lines and pores refine together across the treated area. This is a facial skin-quality result. A body contour change from Onda is a different kind of outcome at a different depth. Knowing whether your question is about skin or about shape is what makes each treatment land where it should. Results vary by individual.
The Thermage FLX face session is non-invasive: the radiofrequency passes through intact skin, so there is no needle and no wound, only mild warmth or brief redness that fades within hours. Makeup, dinner, and same-day travel are all fine. That easy recovery is what makes a region-by-region plan practical for an international guest, because a facial RF session and a separate Onda body plan can be spaced across a single Seoul visit without either one pinning you to a recovery window. Each region keeps its own schedule and its own review, and nothing about the face path forces downtime onto the trip.
The face path runs on genuine, officially registered fourth-generation hardware, and the trust is built into the workflow rather than asked for. Before the session the sealed single-use Thermage FLX tip is shown to you and confirmed before it is opened, and your starting condition is documented under standardized clinic lighting. During treatment the platform re-tunes energy before every pulse so no zone is overdriven, and surface cooling with handpiece vibration keeps the deep warmth manageable. Where a body plan is added on Onda, the same in-front-of-you verification carries to that device too, so each region is treated on hardware you have seen confirmed.
Treatment Process
How the Region Decides the Device — 4 Steps from Reading to Aftercare
※ Illustrative images are AI-generated to help explain the treatment process.
What Each Device Delivers in Its Own Region, and How the Change Arrives
- A face answer that stays a face answer: Thermage FLX heats the facial dermis at 3-5mm with 600 monopolar RF pulses, firming skin tone without touching the fat layer below
- A body answer built for depth: Onda's Coolwaves microwave travels to around 20mm to work in subcutaneous fat on the abdomen, flanks, arms, and a soft under-chin, where a facial dermal device could never reach
- Two comfort profiles matched to two regions: the RF face session uses topical numbing and epidermal cooling, while the Onda body session is felt mainly as warmth and typically needs no numbing at all
- No wound on either path, so a same-day flight and same-day makeup hold whether you treated the face, the body, or planned both across separate visits
- One physician reads the region, maps the depth, runs the device, and reads the review — a face plan and a body plan are never handed between staff mid-course
- Genuine, registered hardware confirmed in front of you: the sealed Thermage tip and the Onda handpiece setup are both shown before use, with your starting condition documented under standardized clinic lighting
| Timeline | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| A face RF session runs about 60-75 minutes and a body Onda session about 30-45; mild warmth or brief redness fades within hours, so evening plans in Gangnam stay intact on either path | |
| On the Onda body path, contour softening becomes visible as treated fat responds; on the Thermage face path, the skin often already feels denser to the touch before the visible tightening peaks | |
| The shared peak window: facial collagen renewal from the RF path reaches its fullest tone-and-texture change, and body contour from the Onda path settles into its result | |
| A face RF result generally holds 12-24 months; a body Onda result holds around 12-18 months and tracks with weight. The physician sets the repeat interval region by region |
Thermage FLX vs Onda Lifting: Reading the Two by Region and Depth
| Criteria | Thermage FLX (RE:BERRY Gangnam) | Onda Lifting (Coolwaves) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary region | Face: cheeks, jawline, neck, eye area | Body — abdomen, flanks, arms, under-chin |
| Energy type | Monopolar radiofrequency, 6.78 MHz | Coolwaves microwave |
| Target depth | Facial dermis, 3-5mm working depth | Subcutaneous fat, around 20mm |
| What it acts on | Skin: contracts and renews dermal collagen | Fat — heats subcutaneous adipose to reshape contour |
| The question it answers | Is my facial skin loose and thinning? | Is my body or under-chin contour too full? |
| Numbing | Topical cream applied beforehand | Usually none, felt as warmth |
| Session length | About 60-75 minutes for 600 shots | About 30-45 minutes |
| Downtime | None; brief redness fades in hours | None — no redness |
| Result timing | Peaks around month 3, holds 12-24 months | Visible 2-4 weeks, holds 12-18 months |
| Published price | ₩1,990,000 (about $1,421) / 600 shots | Consultation required |
Why This Matters
The whole comparison collapses into one question: which region are you treating, and how deep does that region's concern sit? Facial skin laxity is a shallow, dermal problem at 3-5mm, so it answers to Thermage FLX. Body fullness and a soft under-chin are deep, subcutaneous problems near 20mm, so they answer to Onda's Coolwaves. Many RE:BERRY Gangnam guests carry a face concern and a body concern at the same time and treat each in its own region, letting one device do one job.
Seoul pricing is a large reason international guests route these treatments through Korea. RE:BERRY publishes the Thermage FLX 600-shot rate with VAT included, while an identical FLX session with a genuine 600-shot tip commonly costs materially more in the US, Japan, and Australia. Because the hardware is the same worldwide, the published Seoul figure is the clean number to compare against going into 2026, and Onda body planning is quoted in writing at consultation.
KHIDI's 2025 international patient survey found 41.4% of respondents rank keeping the same doctor throughout as their leading criterion. When a plan spans two regions and two devices, that continuity matters more, not less: at RE:BERRY the physician who names the region maps the depth, runs each device, and reads both the face and the body review, with no handoff between a Thermage plan and an Onda plan.
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Your Medical Director
Dr. Yoon-Gon Ryu
- Medical Director, RE:BERRY Aesthetic Clinic Gangnam — Korean MOHW Medical License No.131644
- Manufacturer-appointed KOL invited to teach injection and energy-device technique to Korean peers
- Regular Member, Korean Academy of Aesthetic Medicine
- Co-manages every case with Dr. Yejin Oh (Korean MOHW Medical License No.144238)
- Featured in Authority Magazine (2026)
Medically reviewed by Dr. Yoon-Gon Ryu, CEO / Medical Director, RE:BERRY
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The Evidence Behind RF Facial Tightening, and Why Depth Separates It From Onda
Thermage FLX is a fourth-generation monopolar radiofrequency device. A 6.78 MHz current passes between the treatment tip and a return pad, and tissue resistance converts it to heat across a broad dermal volume at a 3-5mm working depth while the epidermis is cooled. This is a facial-skin mechanism by design: the energy is engineered to stop at the dermis, which is precisely why it is not the tool for the deep subcutaneous fat that Onda's Coolwaves reach near 20mm. The two devices are separated not by brand rivalry but by the physical depth each one is built to heat.
Evidence in Asian skin matters for a Seoul clinic. A Japanese series applying non-ablative monopolar RF reported measurable facial laxity improvement sustained through six-month follow-up with no scarring or pigmentary change, which reflects that RF heating is chromophore-independent and does not target melanin. A dedicated 66-patient lower-face study of the multiple-pass, low-fluence algorithm (the technique used across all 600 shots at RE:BERRY) confirmed progressive contour gains through six months, giving the facial protocol its footing in the region where most guests are treated.
Kushikata N, Negishi K, Tezuka Y, Takeuchi K, Wakamatsu S. Non-ablative skin tightening with radiofrequency in Asian skin. Lasers Surg Med. 2005;36(2):92-97. doi:10.1002/lsm.20136
Bogle MA, Ubelhoer N, Weiss RA, Mayoral F, Kaminer MS. Evaluation of the multiple pass, low fluence algorithm for radiofrequency tightening of the lower face. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(3):210-217. doi:10.1002/lsm.20472
The face region reaches beyond the cheeks and jaw. Multicenter periorbital data measured objective brow elevation six months after a single monopolar RF session, supporting the delicate eye-area indication that keeps the whole facial job inside the RF device, with no need to send it elsewhere. A large 14-physician survey covering 5,700 monopolar RF facial treatments found visible tightening in the large majority of cases at six months under the multiple-pass, moderate-energy approach, alongside markedly better comfort than the original single-pass technique, the same approach the physician applies across every one of the 600 shots.
Fitzpatrick R, Geronemus R, Goldberg D, Kaminer M, Kilmer S, Ruiz-Esparza J. Multicenter study of noninvasive radiofrequency for periorbital tissue tightening. Lasers Surg Med. 2003;33(3):232-242. doi:10.1002/lsm.10225
Dover JS, Zelickson B; 14-Physician Multispecialty Consensus Panel. Results of a survey of 5,700 patient monopolar radiofrequency facial skin tightening treatments: assessment of a low-energy multiple-pass technique leading to a clinical end point algorithm. Dermatol Surg. 2007;33(8):900-907. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2007.33191.x
Safety across many passes is what lets a facial session run long enough to cover the region in one visit. Follow-up of 290 patients across nonablative RF treatments recorded only transient, self-resolving reactions with no lasting complications, consistent with the same-day travel guests routinely manage after a 600-shot face session. Onda's body results, by contrast, are read on a fat-contour timeline of a few weeks, a different region, a different depth, and a different clock entirely.
de Felipe I, Del Cueto SR, Pérez E, Redondo P. Adverse reactions after nonablative radiofrequency: follow-up of 290 patients. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2007;6(3):163-166. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2165.2007.00322.x
Thermage FLX vs Onda: the Questions International Guests Actually Ask
Thermage FLX vs Onda: which one should I choose?
Choose by region, not by name. Thermage FLX treats the face: monopolar RF heats the facial dermis at a 3-5mm depth to firm loose, thinning skin. Onda treats the body: Coolwaves microwave reaches subcutaneous fat around 20mm to reshape a fuller contour or a soft under-chin. If your concern is facial skin quality, that is a Thermage question; if it is body or fat contour, that is an Onda question. Many guests have one of each and treat both in their own region.
Are Thermage FLX and Onda actually competing treatments?
Not really. They are compared constantly because both are non-surgical and both use heat, but they act at completely different depths on completely different tissue. Thermage's RF stops in the facial dermis at 3-5mm and works on skin collagen; Onda's Coolwaves travel to roughly 20mm and work on subcutaneous fat. A device engineered for the dermis cannot reach the fat layer, and one built for fat is not aimed at facial skin tone. They divide the work rather than fight over it.
Can Onda be used on the face at all?
Onda is primarily a body and fat-contour device (abdomen, flanks, arms), and it is also used for facial fat such as a soft double chin, since that is a subcutaneous target it can reach at depth. What it is not is a facial skin-tightening tool for crepey, thinning dermis; that shallow, dermal job belongs to a device like Thermage FLX. At RE:BERRY the physician confirms whether a face concern is a skin question or a fat question before matching it to either device.
How deep does each device actually reach?
Depth is the whole difference. Thermage FLX places its heat in the facial dermis at a 3-5mm working depth, cooling the surface as it goes. Onda's Coolwaves microwave passes deeper, reaching subcutaneous fat at around 20mm while leaving the dermis cool. That gap of roughly fifteen millimetres is why one is a skin treatment and the other is a fat and contour treatment, and why the physician names the region before selecting between them.
What energy does each one use, and does that change how they feel?
Thermage FLX uses monopolar radiofrequency at 6.78 MHz, delivered as 600 pulses with a topical numbing cream applied beforehand and epidermal cooling during the session. Onda uses Coolwaves microwave energy through a Hi-Power handpiece and is usually felt as deep warmth, so it typically needs no numbing. The difference in sensation follows the difference in target: warming dermal collagen on the face versus heating fat in the body.
How long does each session take, and is there downtime?
A full-face Thermage FLX session of 600 shots runs about 60-75 minutes, with brief redness that fades within a few hours and no wound. An Onda body session runs about 30-45 minutes with no redness. Neither has meaningful downtime, so makeup, dinner, and same-day travel are fine on either path. When both regions are treated, they can be planned across separate visits so each area gets its own review window.
When do results appear for Thermage versus Onda?
The clocks are different because the tissues are different. Facial firming from Thermage FLX builds over the collagen-renewal window and reaches its fullest change around month three, holding roughly 12-24 months. Body contour from Onda becomes visible over about two to four weeks as treated fat responds, peaking near month three and holding around 12-18 months, with the body result tracking your weight over time.
How many sessions does each treatment need?
A face Thermage FLX plan is typically a single 600-shot session, after which the collagen change develops on its own over months. An Onda body plan is often set as a short series across visits, because reshaping a fat contour usually benefits from repeated passes; the physician confirms how many after reading your contour. So a face question is frequently one-and-done, while a body question may be planned in steps.
I have both facial skin laxity and a fuller body contour: can I treat both?
Yes, and this is common. The physician maps the facial concern to Thermage FLX and the body concern to Onda, then sets the sequence and spacing so each region keeps its own review clock, read on its own. You get one written quote covering both plans before anything is booked. Treating them as two separate questions is what keeps either device from being pushed into the other's region.
Why is Thermage cheaper in Korea than in my home country?
Seoul pricing sits well below typical US, Japanese, and Australian rates for a genuine 600-shot Thermage FLX session, and because the hardware is identical worldwide, the comparison is direct. RE:BERRY publishes its 600-shot figure with VAT included and no add-on charges, and Korean clinics run far higher energy-device volumes than most Western practices, which keeps per-session pricing competitive. Onda body planning is quoted in writing at consultation.
Does Thermage FLX work on darker or Asian skin tones?
It does. RF heating is chromophore-independent, so it does not target melanin and behaves consistently across skin tones. A Japanese monopolar RF series reported facial laxity improvement sustained through six months with no pigmentary change. That tone-independence is one reason a Seoul clinic treating guests from across the region relies on RF for facial tightening, where a light-based device would have to work around pigment.
Which is more comfortable, Thermage or Onda?
Comfort tracks the region. Onda is generally felt as mild warmth and usually needs no numbing at all, so many guests rate it very easy. Thermage FLX brings a brief wave of deep warmth with each of the 600 pulses; a topical numbing cream, surface cooling, and shot-by-shot energy tuning keep it manageable, and the physician adjusts intensity to your feedback through the session. Different tissues, different sensations, both actively managed.
Am I a candidate for either, or should I look at something else?
For Thermage FLX, good candidates have mild-to-moderate facial skin looseness and want one session with no downtime; it is not scheduled for anyone with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, or during pregnancy. For Onda, candidates are looking to reshape a fuller body region or a soft under-chin. Deep structural facial sagging responds better to SMAS-level lifting, which the physician screens for so the plan lands on the right region and the right tool.
How do I book, and where is the clinic?
Message RE:BERRY on WhatsApp with your region-by-region concerns, photos, and travel dates; a coordinator replies in English, maps the likely device before you commit, and reserves a physician slot. The clinic sits in B1-B2 of KI Tower on Gangnam-daero, a two-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10 on Seoul Metro Line 2 — about 45-60 minutes from Incheon Airport by AREX plus subway or by direct taxi. Interpreters cover eight languages on-site.
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Every device at RE:BERRY is MFDS-certified and manufacturer-verified. We never use counterfeit or grey-market equipment.
Ask About Thermage FLX or Onda by Region
Tell RE:BERRY what you want changed and where: a face concern, a body concern, or both. A coordinator replies on WhatsApp in English, maps the likely device to each region, confirms the published Thermage FLX 600-shot figure of ₩1,990,000 (about $1,421) in writing, and reserves a physician slot. The physician who names your region delivers the treatment and reads your review, and nothing is scheduled until you confirm.
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Great place! Came coz of an ad online and wanted to check out the place. They were able to fit me and my husband in right away as walk-ins. They took us to a sink to wash our faces, then took photos for skin analysis and before photos. Then they proceeded to give us a consultation ( c/o Jin Wooyoung) and advice on what...
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Science Monopolar RF facial tightening: peer-reviewed references
The evidence spine of this comparison sits on the RF side, where facial skin tightening has two decades of peer-reviewed support. Work in Asian skin documented sustained facial laxity improvement through six-month follow-up with no pigmentary change, reflecting that RF heating is chromophore-independent (Kushikata 2005). A dedicated 66-patient lower-face study confirmed the progressive contour gains of the multiple-pass, low-fluence algorithm applied at RE:BERRY (Bogle 2007). Multicenter periorbital data measured objective brow elevation six months after one session (Fitzpatrick 2003), supporting the eye-area part of the facial job, and a 14-physician survey across 5,700 facial treatments reported visible tightening in the majority at six months under the multiple-pass technique (Dover 2007). Safety follow-up of 290 nonablative RF patients recorded only transient, self-resolving reactions (de Felipe 2007), consistent with the same-day travel guests take after a face session. Onda's body-contour claims rest on separate manufacturer device data at its own subcutaneous depth.
- Kushikata N, Negishi K, Tezuka Y, Takeuchi K, Wakamatsu S. Non-ablative skin tightening with radiofrequency in Asian skin. Lasers Surg Med. 2005;36(2):92-97. doi:10.1002/lsm.20136
- Bogle MA, Ubelhoer N, Weiss RA, Mayoral F, Kaminer MS. Evaluation of the multiple pass, low fluence algorithm for radiofrequency tightening of the lower face. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(3):210-217. doi:10.1002/lsm.20472
- Fitzpatrick R, Geronemus R, Goldberg D, Kaminer M, Kilmer S, Ruiz-Esparza J. Multicenter study of noninvasive radiofrequency for periorbital tissue tightening. Lasers Surg Med. 2003;33(3):232-242. doi:10.1002/lsm.10225
- Dover JS, Zelickson B; 14-Physician Multispecialty Consensus Panel. Results of a survey of 5,700 patient monopolar radiofrequency facial skin tightening treatments: assessment of a low-energy multiple-pass technique leading to a clinical end point algorithm. Dermatol Surg. 2007;33(8):900-907. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2007.33191.x
- de Felipe I, Del Cueto SR, Pérez E, Redondo P. Adverse reactions after nonablative radiofrequency: follow-up of 290 patients. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2007;6(3):163-166. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2165.2007.00322.x
These references shape how a region-first plan runs at RE:BERRY's Gangnam clinic: the physician names the region and the target depth before any device is chosen, applies the multiple-pass moderate-energy RF technique across all 600 shots on a facial plan, and keeps face and body concerns on separate review clocks so each develops in its own window under the same licensed physician. This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.
How to Find RE:BERRY Gangnam
2 minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 10. B1–B2, KI Tower — the building with the all-black entrance you can't miss.
RE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam
B1–B2, KI Tower, 69-gil 8, Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul
서울시 서초구 강남대로69길 8, 지하1·2층 (KI타워)
Also available at: Myeongdong · Incheon Airport