SoftLift Laser in Sydney

SoftLift, sometimes written Soft Lift, is a non-ablative laser treatment on the Alma Hybrid. It uses the 1570 nm wavelength on its own to heat the deeper layer of the skin through microscopic columns, while the surface stays intact. The aim is new collagen and elastin, so skin becomes firmer, smoother and denser over the following months, with very little downtime.

Water in the skin absorbs the 1570 nm light and turns it into heat. The scanner places that heat as a fine grid of columns reaching into the dermis, with untouched skin between them. The heat sets off the skin’s repair response, and new collagen and elastin form over weeks to months. Because nothing is removed from the surface, recovery is quick.

No. A CO2 laser is ablative: it removes tiny columns of the skin’s surface, which is why it needs more recovery. SoftLift uses only the non-ablative 1570 nm laser, so the surface stays intact. The Alma Hybrid has both. PixelPeel is a light CO2 setting, and Hybrid Lift combines CO2 and 1570 nm for deeper change.

A laser that heats the skin without removing its surface. Ablative lasers, such as CO2, vaporise microscopic columns of the surface, so the skin has to grow it back and recovery takes days. Non-ablative lasers, such as the 1570 nm laser used for SoftLift, pass through the surface and heat the layer beneath. The skin repairs from the inside, and recovery is measured in hours.

They work on the same principle: a non-ablative fractional laser that heats columns in the skin to stimulate collagen, with little downtime. The wavelengths differ. SoftLift uses 1570 nm, which reaches the dermis. Others use 1440, 1550 or 1927 nm, which target different depths. Which suits you depends on your skin and your concern, and that’s a conversation for the consultation.

Most people feel warmth and a prickle of heat as the scanner passes. The applicator has built-in cooling. Numbing cream is rarely needed, but can be used if you’d like it.

Short. Expect redness and warmth for a few hours, like mild sunburn. Some people have mild swelling, dryness or sensitivity for a day or two. Most go back to normal activities the same day or the next.

Usually from the next day. Give your skin the rest of the treatment day to settle, then use gentle make-up and SPF.

Usually a course of three, about a month apart. Some skin benefits from more. Dr Brandon sets a realistic plan in consultation, not a standard number.

Skin can look fresher within a week or two. Firmness and density build over three to six months as new collagen forms. The result is best judged a few months after your last session.

The collagen you build stays, but ageing doesn’t stop. Many people keep their result with an occasional maintenance session, daily SPF and good skincare. Dr Brandon will advise on timing for your skin.

It can firm skin with early laxity, gradually. It won’t lift sagging skin, jowls or deep folds the way surgery does. If laxity is your main concern, Dr Brandon will tell you honestly whether SoftLift is the right tool, or whether another approach would serve you better.

It’s often described that way, and it does firm the skin. The more accurate word is thickening. SoftLift builds collagen and elastin in the dermis, so skin becomes denser, firmer and smoother over months. It doesn’t lift or reposition tissue. For sagging, jowls or deep folds, Dr Brandon will talk you through what would.

Because it fits into a lunch break. A session takes 30 to 45 minutes, numbing is rarely needed, and the redness afterwards settles over a few hours, so most people go back to work the same afternoon. The “lift” is a gradual firming of the skin, not a surgical one.

Non-ablative 1570 nm laser suits a wider range of skin tones than ablative CO2 laser, because the surface isn’t removed. Deeper skin can still darken after heat or irritation, so settings are chosen with care, and a test patch may be suggested first.

SoftLift is a medical laser treatment, so it carries risks, and they’re discussed before anything happens. The common effects are mild and short-lived: redness, warmth, mild swelling, dryness or a rough feel for a day or two. Less common are a temporary change in pigment, especially in deeper skin tones or after recent sun, and a cold sore flare in people who get them. Blistering or scarring is rare. Your medical history is screened, settings are chosen for your skin, and the treatment is performed under medical supervision.

Yes. The neck is one of the most common areas, especially for crepey or thinning skin. It can be treated on its own for $750, or with the face for $1,100.

Yes. Crepey skin and fine lines around the eyes are among the most common reasons people choose SoftLift, and the area is treated as part of the face. Protective eye shields are worn throughout.

Yes. The settings are chosen for the skin in front of us, not the gender. Men’s skin treatments are also offered through Male by Cleon.

There’s no set age. It suits skin that’s starting to show fine lines, thinning or early laxity, often from the mid-thirties on. Earlier, it’s used as prevention. Later, it’s used as maintenance alongside other treatments. Your skin decides, not your age.

SoftLift around the mouth, for the fine vertical lines above the lip and around the lip border. It’s $400. It isn’t a surgical lip lift and doesn’t change the shape of the lip. It improves the skin around it.

At Cleon, SoftLift is $750 for the face or the neck, $1,100 for the face and neck together, and $400 for the Laser Lip Lift. Prices are per session. Most people have a course of three.

No. SoftLift is a cosmetic treatment, so there’s no Medicare rebate, and private health insurance doesn’t cover it.

Usually, yes, with the right spacing. Tell us what you’ve had and when, and Dr Brandon will set the order and timing so each treatment does its job.

Yes. Because the surface stays intact, SoftLift is more forgiving than CO2 laser. Avoid tanning and sunburn for about four weeks before and after, and wear SPF 50+ every day.

Avoid tanning and sunburn for about four weeks beforehand. Tell us about any medicines, including blood thinners and anything that makes skin sensitive to light, recent isotretinoin, and any history of cold sores. Dr Brandon gives you a full pre-treatment plan at your consultation.

SoftLift isn’t used during pregnancy, including IVF, or where there’s an active infection, an active cold sore or skin cancer in the area. Recent isotretinoin, a history of keloid scarring, epilepsy, bleeding disorders and some other conditions and medicines need care or rule it out. Your medical history is reviewed before any treatment.

Often. LED light therapy, skin needling, PRP and prescribed skincare can all sit in the same plan, on different visits. When more change is needed, PixelPeel or Hybrid Lift can follow. What belongs together, and in what order, depends on your skin.

Cleon by Dr Brandon is at Ground 02, 46a Macleay Street, Potts Point, a short walk from Kings Cross station. It’s close to Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo and the CBD, and easy to reach from the Eastern Suburbs.

Cleon is a doctor-led clinic. Dr Brandon assesses your skin and sets the plan, and treatments are performed by our clinical team under his medical supervision.