If you receive a Sofwave consultation, this is usually the first question you’ll hear.
“How many pulses would you like?”
When the numbers 100, 200, and 300 are placed side by side, it naturally reads as if the larger number means something stronger. But these numbers do not indicate intensity. To compare them, you first need to know what they are counting.
Pulses are a count, not an intensity
A pulse is a count, not an intensity
Sofwave · specifications as stated in the Korean product information
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 11.5 MHz |
| Circular transducers | 7 |
| Target depth | 1.5 mm |
| One pulse means | one activation |
| Status | Interpretation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| A common misreading | 300 pulses = 3x stronger | A bigger number reads as more energy, but it is not a measure of intensity. |
| What it actually means | 300 pulses = pressed 300 times | The energy per activation is the same. What changes is how many times. |
So a pulse count on its own says little. It means something only alongside which areas were treated.
Secret Clinic
Sofwave is a device that uses ultrasound. According to domestic official materials, it uses 11.5MHz ultrasound, contains seven circular transducers, and is designed to act at a depth of 1.5mm within the skin.
Here, one pulse means activating this transducer once against the skin. Each activation delivers energy over a set area.
So 100 pulses means it was applied 100 times, and 300 pulses means it was applied 300 times. It does not mean the energy delivered in one shot is tripled. This is usually where misunderstandings arise when people compare only the numbers in consultations for Sofwave in Gangnam.
So the numbers come from the area covered
The same 300 pulses is not the same treatment
With the same total, how it is divided decides how much each area receives
| Scenario | Description | Distribution | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · cheeks only | one area receives all of it | Cheeks | 300 pulses in total |
| B · cheeks, jawline and neck | the same total shared by three areas | Cheeks | Jawline | Neck | 300 pulses in total |
Block widths illustrate the idea, not actual ratios
A and B share a number but are different treatments. When comparing pulse counts, ask which areas they covered.
Secret Clinic
The process of determining the number of Sofwave pulses is simple. Since one pulse covers a fixed area, the number of times needed follows from how much of the area must be covered without missing anything.
If it’s only both cheeks, the number needed there is used. If the treatment extends down to the jawline, a few more are added. If the neck is included, more are added again. The number is the result of this accumulation. There is no initial strength called 100 or 300.
Once you understand this point, one important fact becomes clear. Even with the same 300 pulses, the treatment is completely different depending on where they are used. Using 300 pulses densely only on the cheeks and distributing 300 pulses across the cheeks, jawline, and neck means each area receives a different amount.
That is why simply comparing the number of pulses received elsewhere has limited meaning.
To compare, you need to know which area and how many pulses.
There is no official standard saying how many pulses should be used
What is stated — and what is not
Based on the Korean product information for Sofwave
Stated
- Intended use
- Improvement of wrinkles on the cheeks, chin, brow and neck
- Frequency
- 11.5 MHz
- Circular transducers
- 7
- Target depth
- 1.5 mm below the skin
Approval details can be checked on Korea's MFDS medical device portal.
Not stated
- A recommended pulse count per area
- Medical grounds for the 100/200/300 tiers
- The area a single pulse covers
The 100 / 200 / 300 tiers are not stages set by the manufacturer — clinics group areas.
The number 300 carries no medical authority on its own.
Secret Clinic
This is something worth stating clearly.
Official domestic materials describe the device’s intended use and technical specifications, but they do not list recommended pulse counts by area.
The 100, 200, and 300 ranges are not treatment stages set by the manufacturer, but a configuration created by the clinic to organize and explain the treatment scope.
This does not mean it is wrong. Defining the range in advance makes guidance easier. However, if you take these numbers as medical stages, your judgment will be off. The number 300 does not have medical authority in itself.
So in a consultation, the question to ask is not “How many pulses are best?” but “How much of my face are you planning to treat?” Once the scope is decided, the pulse count follows from that.
When increasing the number is not the answer
Expanding the area and applying more to the same spot are different matters. In the following cases, increasing the number may not be the answer.
· If sagging is less of a concern than hollow cheeks — widening the coverage area does not fill in a hollowed area
· If the skin is thin and easily irritated — repeated application to the same spot may prolong redness
· If there was significant discomfort in a previous treatment — adjusting the settings first is better than increasing the amount
· If the goal is clearly one area under the chin — treating that area properly is more appropriate than broadening the scope
The same applies to increasing the number of lifting sessions. Tissue needs time to respond and settle, and that time does not get shorter just because more treatment is done.
At Secret Clinic, when determining the number of pulses, we do not choose the product configuration first. We decide which area to treat, then determine the number needed to cover that scope.
You should first check the approved treatment range
According to official domestic materials, the intended use of this device is “a device used to improve the cheeks, jaw, eyebrows, and neck wrinkles.” The approval does not simply say “face”; it specifies the areas like this.
The fact that the approved areas are defined this clearly also matters in consultation. When you hear the explanation, it is good to check whether the discussion falls within this scope.
You can directly check the current approval details by searching the product name in the product information section of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s medical device e-complaint portal.
What to ask during a consultation
If you are comparing several dermatology clinics on Gangnam-daero, it is more practical to ask the following rather than asking about the pulse count.
· Which areas are planned for treatment
· How many pulses will be used for each area
· Why that scope — what changes do they see in your face now
· Which areas do not need to be treated right now
At Secret Clinic, consultations are conducted in this order as well. A consultation that answers the final question is generally more trustworthy. It is easier to explain what to leave out than what to add.
Limitations and risks to know
Because this is a heat-based procedure, pain may occur during treatment. It is often felt more sensitively in areas close to bone or where the skin is thin.
Temporary redness or swelling may appear after treatment, and it usually subsides without any special care. In rare cases, heat-related skin damage or blisters may occur, so if you feel something unusual during treatment, please let us know right away.
The changes you get are not permanent. Aging continues even after treatment, so it is better not to think of it as a one-time procedure.
Also, if you are pregnant, if there is inflammation or a wound in the treatment area, or if you recently had another procedure in the same area, you should discuss whether to proceed first. Secret Clinic also checks these items first during the consultation.
In summary
Keeping the order right
A pulse count is not chosen. It follows from what you decide first.
When the order is reversed
- Pick a package first → Fit the face to it
The order we work in
- What has changed → Areas to treat → Pulse count
What a consultation should settle is the area, not the number. Once the area is set, the number follows.
Secret Clinic
The number of Sofwave pulses is a count, not an intensity, and that count comes from the area that needs to be covered. So if you compare only the numbers, they do not have meaning.
It is also good to remember that official materials do not define recommended pulse counts by area. 100, 200, and 300 are a guide for explanation, not medical stages.
In a consultation, what needs to be decided is not the number, but the scope. Once the scope is set, the number follows.
