XERF
Dual-frequency radiofrequency
Mild redness or swelling may occur and commonly settles within 24 hours. Gradual changes develop over the following weeks and months; longer-term independent evidence is still limited. [5] [6]
About XERF at MA360 ↗
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Skin tightening
Medical Aesthetics 360°Patient aftercare
Call 1300 338 307 ↗Your recovery, step by step
Skin tightening
aftercare
What to do today, when to restart your routine, and which symptoms need attention.
XERF · Thermage FLX · Ultherapy PRIME · Sofwave · HIFU
This guide covers non-invasive tightening that leaves the skin surface intact. RF microneedling, resurfacing lasers, peels and surgery need different wound care. For combination treatments, also read the microneedling guide or resurfacing laser guide as relevant.
Severe pain, blisters or worsening swelling?
Check the warning signs and get help promptly.
Today & tomorrow
Four simple steps for today
Keep the treated skin clean, comfortable and protected. Mild warmth, redness or puffiness can occur; it should ease rather than become progressively worse.
Cleanse gently
Wash with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser. Use your fingertips, then pat dry. Avoid scrubbing, cleansing brushes and vigorous rubbing.
Moisturise if your skin feels dry
Apply a plain, fragrance-free moisturiser with light pressure. Stop any product that causes stinging or burning.
Soothe warmth if needed
Rest a clean cloth dampened with cool water on the area briefly, then remove it. Repeat for comfort. Do not put ice directly on the skin or press firmly.
Protect from the sun
Use broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 50+ on exposed, intact skin. Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors; reapply every two hours outdoors and after sweating, swimming or towel-drying. Add shade, a hat and protective clothing. [1]
No dressing is usually needed. These treatments are intended to leave the skin surface intact. Blisters, weeping or broken skin need same-day assessment.
Gentle care is for comfort while the skin settles. A fixed recovery period is not required for everyone. [2] [4]
Restart your routine
When can I get back to normal?
Use the checks below to decide when to restart. You do not need to wait an arbitrary number of days if the skin is already comfortable.
Work & walking
Usually the same day
Continue normal daily activity if you feel well. Stop and rest if an activity increases discomfort.
Makeup
When skin is calm
Apply once the surface is intact, cool and comfortable. Use clean hands or applicators and light pressure. Remove gently if it stings.
Exercise & heat
Pause while hot or swollen
Skip strenuous exercise, hot yoga, saunas, steam rooms and very hot showers while the area is warm, swollen or tender. Restart when comfortable; ease back if flushing or discomfort returns.
Retinol, acids & scrubs
Pause if sensitive
Set aside retinol, exfoliating acids and scrubs while there is redness, tenderness or stinging. Restart familiar products one at a time when cleansing and moisturising feel comfortable.
Massage & facial tools
Avoid firm pressure
Do not knead, rub hard or use gua sha or massage devices over a tender or swollen area. Gentle skincare application is enough.
Your treatment
What to expect after your treatment
Find the treatment name on your receipt or treatment record. These are typical reactions, not a reason to ignore severe or worsening symptoms.
Thermage FLX
Monopolar radiofrequency
Redness usually settles within 24 hours. Swelling can last several days and occasionally longer. Most people return to normal activity promptly; visible change may develop over two to six months. [2]
About Thermage at MA360 ↗Ultherapy PRIME
Microfocused ultrasound with imaging
After face or neck treatment, redness often settles within hours; swelling can last up to around three days. Tenderness may last two weeks, and altered sensation can last longer. Report new, worsening or bothersome numbness; new facial weakness needs urgent assessment. [3]
About Ultherapy PRIME at MA360 ↗Sofwave
Parallel-beam ultrasound
Mild redness or swelling may settle within hours. Normal activity and makeup can usually resume the same day if the skin is comfortable. Changes develop gradually over about 12 weeks. [4]
About Sofwave at MA360 ↗Other HIFU
Focused-ultrasound devices
Redness, puffiness and tenderness can occur; altered sensation has also been reported. [12] HIFU covers different devices and settings, so a single recovery timetable does not fit every treatment. Check your treatment record for the device name; use the warning signs below if symptoms worsen.
About HIFU at MA360 ↗The trend matters. Mild symptoms should become easier to manage. Call MA360 if redness, warmth or swelling is not starting to improve after 48 hours, or if any symptom is troubling you. Do not wait 48 hours for a warning sign.
When to get help
Know when to get help
Choose the level of help below. Do not wait for a contact-form reply when symptoms are urgent.
Seek emergency medical care now
- Difficulty breathing, or rapidly increasing tongue or throat swelling.
- Sudden facial droop, arm weakness or trouble speaking.
Go to an emergency department now for sudden vision loss, new double vision, severe eye pain or new difficulty swallowing. [8] [9]
Same-day assessment
Call MA360: 1300 338 307
- Severe pain or pain that is getting worse.
- Blisters, a burn, broken skin, weeping or crusting.
- Rapidly increasing swelling or a marked new difference between the two sides.
- Spreading redness, pus, fever or feeling unwell.
- New or worsening numbness, or facial weakness. Sudden facial weakness needs emergency assessment.
If the clinic is unavailable: seek same-day medical care. For help finding the right service, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222, available 24/7. [10]
Arrange a review for persistent tenderness, altered sensation, a new lump, indentation or colour change—even if it appears weeks later. These should be assessed rather than covered up or massaged. [2] [3] [7]
Device safety information informs the warning signs. The same-day and 48-hour check-in points are practical triage thresholds, not predictions of how long every reaction lasts.
Results & photos
Give your results time
The skin can settle before a visible result appears. Early swelling can make the area look firmer, so allow time before comparing results.
First few days · let the skin settle
Focus on comfort and watch the direction of symptoms. Early tightness or puffiness is not the final result.
Following weeks · changes can be subtle
Collagen remodelling takes time. Visible improvement varies with the device, treatment area and starting skin laxity.
Around three months · compare photographs
Use a three-month check as a practical review point. For a treatment series, count from the final session. Some RF results continue to develop towards six months. [2] [4] [6]
Make your photos useful
- Use your pre-treatment photos as the starting point.
- Match the room, lighting, camera height and distance.
- Take front, three-quarter and side views with the same relaxed expression and no beauty filter.
- Compare at around three months; take a later set if the result is still changing.
Keep expectations realistic. Improvement is gradual and varies. A visible lift is not guaranteed. XERF research includes a small, manufacturer-supported study with short follow-up; this does not establish long-term results for everyone. [6]
Common questions
A few more answers
Can I take something for discomfort?
For mild discomfort, paracetamol may be an option if you can normally take it. Follow the pack dose and do not combine products containing paracetamol. If you have liver or kidney disease, take other medicines or are unsure it is suitable, check with a pharmacist. Severe or increasing pain needs assessment, not repeated painkillers. [11]
Should I stop anti-inflammatory medicines?
Do not stop or change prescribed medicines to try to improve collagen results. No medicine change is part of this aftercare routine. If you need additional pain relief, check its suitability with a pharmacist.
Do I need collagen powder or special supplements?
No special supplement is part of this routine. Eat regular, balanced meals and drink normally. Collagen powder has not been shown in the device-specific sources used here to improve the treatment result.
Can I book another treatment straight away?
Do not add an extra energy treatment, peel, microneedling session or firm facial massage while the area is inflamed or tender. Before booking treatment over the same area, give MA360 the date and device used so the next session can be planned around recovery and your existing course.
I am not sure whether my reaction is normal.
Call 1300 338 307. Tell the team which treatment you had, when symptoms began and whether they are improving or worsening. Check when to get help first if a symptom is severe or appeared suddenly.
Sources
Evidence behind the advice
Sources are linked beside the advice they support. Manufacturer documents describe device-specific recovery; peer-reviewed research describes treatment outcomes; public-health sources support sun protection, medicines and emergency care.
What the evidence can tell us: exact skincare, heat and exercise waiting periods have not been established by strong comparative trials across all these devices. The comfort measures and restart checks in this guide are practical precautions, not proven collagen-boosting rules.
- 1. Cancer Council Australia · Sunscreen advice ↗
Public-health guidance for SPF, application and reapplication. Sun protection supports skin health; it is not proof of a stronger tightening result.
- 2. Thermage · Patient information & safety information ↗
Manufacturer guidance: normal activity, expected reactions, adverse effects and gradual results. Read the safety information as well as the treatment overview.
- 3. Ultherapy PRIME · Instructions for use ↗
Manufacturer safety information for expected redness, swelling, tenderness and nerve-related effects. Device-specific durations must not be generalised to every HIFU platform.
- 4. Sofwave · Patient FAQs ↗
Manufacturer guidance on same-day activity and makeup, temporary redness or swelling and gradual change over about 12 weeks.
- 5. Cynosure Lutronic ANZ · XERF patient information ↗
Manufacturer information on short-term recovery. Marketing claims do not guarantee an individual outcome.
- 6. Weiss et al., 2026 · Dual-frequency monopolar RF study ↗
Prospective study of 39 people, two treatments four weeks apart and follow-up to 90 days after the final session. Manufacturer-supported, without a control group or blinded outcome assessment; long-term durability remains uncertain.
- 7. Sofwave · Safety information ↗
Manufacturer-listed potential adverse effects include significant pain, persistent redness or swelling, pigment change and skin injury.
- 8. healthdirect · Emergency symptoms and urgent care ↗
Australian emergency guidance for breathing problems and possible stroke symptoms.
- 9. NSW Health · Ophthalmic emergencies ↗
Urgent eye presentations requiring emergency assessment, including sudden loss of vision and severe eye pain.
- 10. healthdirect · Contact & 24-hour health advice ↗
National nurse helpline: 1800 022 222, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- 11. healthdirect · Paracetamol ↗
Medicine information and safe-use advice. This guide does not provide an individual dose.
- 12. Contini et al., 2023 · Microfocused ultrasound systematic review ↗
Peer-reviewed review of facial tightening studies across ultrasound platforms. Reports temporary reactions and less common altered sensation; devices and treatment protocols differ. Full journal PDF hosted by an author’s clinic.
Source links checked 9 October 2026. Recovery and results vary with treatment settings, area and individual response.