InMode vs Thermage

InMode or Thermage

InMode or Thermage: which radiofrequency device fits your face?

The short answer

Both are radiofrequency devices held at Rewind Plastic Surgery, and the clinic's records describe them doing different work. InMode delivers bipolar current through two handpieces: FX, aimed at fat under the chin and in the cheeks, and Forma, aimed at skin firmness. Thermage FLX is a monopolar device that heats the dermis to contract collagen and stimulate new collagen, with lifting and skin texture among its recorded effects. A face with surface fat to reduce points toward InMode FX. A face whose complaint is skin laxity alone can be a case for Forma or for Thermage, decided at the examination.

Sources: Rewind's Korean device documentation and published price list. Session length and comfort protocols are published for neither device and are not estimated here.

The quickest way to read the comparison is to ask whether fat is part of the problem. Thermage's record lists firmer, smoother skin and softer fine lines, and it names no fat reduction. InMode's record names fat reduction first, through FX, and firmness second, through Forma.

The two are also sold differently. Thermage FLX is listed as one face plan at a fixed shot count. InMode is listed per handpiece and per session, so its total depends on how many visits the doctor recommends.

Mechanism

Why bipolar InMode and monopolar Thermage heat tissue differently

Radiofrequency devices differ mainly in the path the current takes. That path decides how deep the heat goes and which tissue absorbs it.

01Bipolar

InMode's short circuit

Current runs between two electrodes on the InMode handpiece, so the heated zone sits in the tissue directly beneath them. That is what allows one handpiece to be built for fat and another for the dermis.

02Monopolar

Thermage's longer path

In a monopolar system the current leaves the treatment tip and travels toward a return pad placed on the body, spreading heat through the dermis beneath the tip. Rewind's record describes collagen contracting and fibroblasts being stimulated to form new collagen.

03Overlap

Where the two devices meet

Forma and Thermage both aim at collagen in the dermis. Early multicentre work on monopolar radiofrequency around the eyes, and later studies of low-energy, multiple-pass technique on the lower face, describe the tightening response Thermage is associated with.

04Gap

Where they part ways

Only InMode, through FX, carries a fat-reduction purpose in the clinic's record. A patient whose fullness is fat, treated with Thermage alone, is working on the skin over the problem and leaving the problem in place.

Pricing

InMode and Thermage FLX prices at Rewind compared

The two devices are priced on different units, so compare the plan you would actually have: an InMode course of the recommended length against a single Thermage face plan.

List rates before value-added tax. InMode lines are per session, multiplied by the count the doctor recommends; the Thermage line is one plan at the shot count shown. Rewind also offers an elasticity package built around Thermage at a higher shot count, quoted at the consultation.

After treatment

Aftercare after InMode compared with Thermage

Rewind issues separate written instructions for each device, and the Thermage sheet asks for more patience.

For both devices the clinic's record gives a durability of six months to more than a year, varying with skin and plan, so longevity is no reason to prefer one. Reported radiofrequency risks include burns, blistering and altered sensation. Declare implanted electronic devices, pregnancy and earlier treatments in the area.

Questions

InMode vs Thermage: questions before choosing a device