What Should an Ultherapy Price Quote Actually Include?

An Ultherapy price rises with shot count, but two quotes with the same number of shots can still land at different final totals. The gap usually comes down to three things: how shots are split across treatment depths, what services the posted price already includes, and whether 10% VAT is added on top. Before comparing quotes, check whether all three are written down next to the shot number.

Hello, I'm Dr. Kim Yeonjin, director of UH CELL Clinic's Gangnam branch. I serve as Allergan faculty and as an Ultherapy Z Key Doctor. In this article, I want to walk through what a shot count alone does not tell you about an Ultherapy quote.

What Depth Does 300 Shots Actually Treat?

Ultherapy Prime's clinical trial registration on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's ClinicalTrials.gov registry lists transducer tips at 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 3.0mm, and 4.5mm, and the device delivers energy while visualizing the tissue layers in real time with built-in ultrasound imaging. Three hundred shots concentrated in one deep layer is a different treatment plan than 300 shots split across several depths, even though the number on the invoice is identical.

A narrative review on microfocused ultrasound published through the U.S. National Library of Medicine's PMC summarizes a split-face study by the Sasaki research team: the side treated at three depths showed larger improvement at both the 180-day and 360-day marks than the side treated at two depths. Because of that finding, I diagnose skin thickness and the location of laxity first, then design the depth allocation around that diagnosis rather than starting from a target shot count.

What Is Included in the Quoted Price?

Article 45 of Korea's Medical Service Act requires medical institutions to post non-covered procedure prices so patients can check them easily, and a clinic cannot charge more than the amount it has posted. That rule is useful for patients in a practical way: if you ask whether numbing cream, post-procedure calming care, and additional treatment areas are already folded into the posted number, you can work out the real final cost before you book.

Two quotes that list the same shot count can still differ once you account for what sits inside that number. One clinic's price may already include numbing and aftercare, while another lists those as separate line items. Either approach is reasonable on its own, and the totals become comparable only once you know which model applies to each quote.

Is the 10% VAT Added Separately?

According to a 2013 Kormedi report, an amendment to Article 35 of the Enforcement Decree of the Value-Added Tax Act extended taxation to cosmetic skin procedures starting in 2014, and the added VAT is 10% of the price. If a quote is marked "VAT not included," you need to add that 10% before comparing it against a quote that already has tax built in.

Once you have a quote in hand, it helps to check for these three lines specifically:

• How the total shot count is distributed across which treatment depths
• Whether numbing, aftercare, and any additional treatment areas sit inside the posted price
• Whether the listed amount already includes 10% VAT or adds it separately

FAQ

Does doubling the shot count double the result?

A direct, proportional link between shot count and outcome is hard to confirm from the available evidence. The variable that made a measurable difference in the reviewed research was the number of depths treated, not the raw shot count, which is why I base the amount of treatment on skin thickness and the specific area of laxity rather than on a target number.

Are the forehead or neck included in the same quote?

Per the PMC review, the device's FDA clearance history in the United States started with eyebrow lift in 2009 and later expanded to neck and submental lifting and to improving decolletage lines. Adding an area changes how shots are allocated across depths, so it's worth confirming that every treatment area is written into the quote rather than assumed.

When does the result show up?

The ClinicalTrials.gov registration describes the improvement as gradual, appearing as collagen remodels over time. I'd suggest judging the outcome over a period of months rather than from how the skin looks immediately after the session.

Individual skin response and recovery time vary. Please consult with a physician for a diagnosis and treatment plan suited to your skin.