Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe have enthusiastically endorsed their latest beauty treatment obsession: Sofwave, a non-invasive procedure designed to tighten and tone the face and body.
About a month ago, SKIMS founder Kim, 44, praised the ultrasound-based treatment on her Instagram Stories. “Meet my new best friend! Not gonna lie… this hurts on the body but not on the face for some reason, but it’s BEYOND worth it!” she wrote.
“Probably the best machine out there for lifting and collagen production.”
Khloe, 40, who underwent the procedure at the same time as her sister, also shared a video describing it as an “amazing treatment.”
“Who doesn’t want to be lifted and fabulous? I am basically doing my entire body and face, because why not? We want that!” she said.
“And what’s so cool about it is that it has this amazing applicator. It doesn’t break or damage the skin, there’s no downtime and it’s basically like a biostimulant.”
Khloe and Kim Kardashian have praised Sofwave, an FDA-cleared skin-tightening treatment that uses ultrasound technology to stimulate collagen production, soften fine lines and wrinkles and lift the skin.
Kim shared her experience with Sofwave on Instagram, writing: “This hurts on the body but not on the face for some reason, but it’s BEYOND worth it! Probably the best machine out there for lifting and collagen production.”
Khloe also posted a video about the “amazing treatment,” saying: “Who doesn’t want to be lifted and fabulous? I am basically doing my entire body and face, because why not?”
“It’s going to repair your collagen for the next six to 12 months.”
Curious about the costly treatment, DailyMail.com booked an appointment at the upscale Skinney Medspa on New York City’s Upper East Side to try it firsthand.
The price of Sofwave, an FDA-cleared, non-invasive procedure, typically ranges from $1,500 to $5,000 per session, depending on the area treated. At Skinney, a full-face treatment costs $3,800, although new clients receive a 20 percent discount.
After experiencing Sofwave myself, it was difficult to understand how the treatment had become such a favorite among celebrities.
Preparing for Sofwave
The process begins with a patient consent form outlining potential risks, including “burn, significant pain, tenderness, changes in skin pigmentation, persistent redness and/or swelling, ulceration/erosion and bruising.”
The form also notes that some redness and/or swelling in the treatment areas may continue for several hours afterward.
Patients are advised to take Tylenol at least 30 minutes before the appointment. However, some people who have undergone Sofwave say the medication did little to reduce the discomfort.
In my experience, there was not much that could genuinely dull the pain—short of being sedated with Propofol.
Kim described the Sofwave machine, pictured, as her “new best friend.”
Jacqueline Piser, an aesthetic nurse injector, pictured, used the Sofwave device on reporter Diana Cooper’s face during the treatment experience.
Before beginning, Jacqueline Piser, the registered nurse treating me, covered my face and neck with topical numbing cream to reduce skin sensitivity.
While we waited 30 minutes for the cream to take effect, I felt as though it had given me a swollen lip and found it difficult to make facial expressions. Piser used the time to explain more about the treatment and said that nearly every patient who follows the Kardashians and saw their posts asks the same question: “What is Sofwave?”
“A lot of the time, it kind of gives us a false image of what the device could do because we don’t actually know everything that Kim K is doing,” she said.
“So the expectations with it become really, really high. But nevertheless, it’s still a really powerful device.
“If this is what we can assume she has been doing for several years, since it came out as a maintenance protocol—whether it’s every three months or six months or once a year—it definitely can help with pausing the aging process and reversing the aging process if it’s done correctly.”
Naturally, I wanted to know: How painful is Sofwave?
The New York City-based aesthetic nurse injector explained that the answer varies widely. “Pain is subjective. So for someone, it could be a breeze, and I see that all the time—that they don’t feel any discomfort during the procedure.
“And for other people, at the lowest setting, it’s the worst thing that they have ever experienced.”
Kim Kardashian said Sofwave “heats the skin to trigger collagen production” and joked that she wished she could “do it everywhere” because of its lifting effect.
Khloe praised Sofwave, saying: “It has this amazing applicator, it doesn’t break or damage the skin, there’s no downtime and it’s basically like a biostimulant.”
The actual procedure
When the treatment began, I was handed a blue stress ball to squeeze and a small massager to hold against my jawline as a distraction.
Clinics use different techniques to help patients cope during Sofwave, but for me, none was enough to take my mind off the pain.
After applying more ultrasound gel to my face, Piser started with my neck at an energy level of 3.0.
She placed the Sofwave applicator against my skin and began counting to six. The device gradually grew hotter until it reached its highest point.
The sensation did not end immediately. Once the heat peaked, it continued for roughly another two seconds—like being stung by a bumblebee—before the device rested against my skin and the nurse lifted it away.
As she counted, Piser tapped another area of my face with her free hand in an additional attempt to distract me. It did not make much difference.
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She moved the device up the left side of my face, from my neck and jawline to my cheek and nose. Each section felt different, ranging from a manageable sting to what felt like excruciating pain.
Beyond the bumblebee sensation, the pain reminded me of accidentally touching a hot pan handle: there was a brief delay before my body fully registered the heat.
Although I have endured tattoos and other cosmetic treatments, including CoolSculpting, my pain tolerance was not strong enough for the recommended 3.8 energy level. I settled at 3.4, occasionally reaching 3.6.
Jacqueline explained that higher settings require “less passes.” Because I could not tolerate the pain, she lowered the energy and made “extra passes” to ensure the treatment remained effective.
The right side of my face was no easier than the left. I simply tried to endure it while repeating the familiar beauty-industry phrase: “Beauty is pain.”
Once the lower half of my face was complete, Piser said she would treat my forehead and the area around my eyes—the final and most sensitive sections.
I paused to catch my breath, then burst into tears.
The nurse gave me a few minutes alone and stepped out of the room. When she returned, she was accompanied by Dr. Carlos Rodriguez, Skinney Medspa’s medical director.
He and the rest of the Skinney team made every effort to help me cope, offering cookies, apple juice and even wine.
After asking for my consent, Dr. Rodriguez offered to inject Lidocaine into parts of my face to make the remaining treatment more comfortable.
Skinney Medspa has three New York City locations—in Flatiron, Saks Fifth Avenue and the Upper East Side, pictured—as well as a Miami location inside Saks Fifth Avenue.
The luxurious Skinney Medspa is where I received my Sofwave treatment. First-time clients can receive 20 percent off, while the procedure generally costs between $1,500 and $5,000 per session.
Skinney Medspa staff make sure clients are comfortable, offering beauty products, snacks and drinks before and after treatments.
Jacqueline also gave me an ice globe to use instead of the mini massager and held a small fan near my face while continuing the treatment on my upper face.
The Lidocaine injections helped noticeably, but they did little to settle my nerves or eliminate the discomfort around my eyes, where the skin is especially sensitive.
Post-Treatment
A full-face treatment typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. Mine lasted more than an hour and a half because I needed frequent breaks.
The nurse told me I may have had one of the most difficult Sofwave experiences she had seen. Three other clients who underwent the treatment that day had tolerated it better.
When I looked in the mirror, my face appeared glowing and tighter, although there was some redness.
There was no pain afterward. The only lingering sensation came from the Lidocaine, which left my face numb and unusually cold for several hours.
I was told that results peak after three months, when the final effects are expected to become most visible.
Although Sofwave may seem particularly suited to people in their 40s, such as the Kardashians, the treatment is available to younger adults as well. People in their 20s may use it to tighten and lift a specific area, including the skin around the knees.
Before-and-after photos of reporter Diana Cooper following Sofwave treatment. In the after photo, her hair is up; her face appears glowing and tighter despite some redness. Results can take up to three months to fully develop.
According to the team, Sofwave may also reduce the appearance of cellulite on the legs by addressing skin laxity and encouraging collagen production.
Piser explained that Sofwave works at several depths. “It’s going to tighten the fibers, tighten the muscle, help everything kind of stick back to our bones, and all of the tissues will kind of fuse together to become more lifted.
“And then on a more superficial level, it will help with texture, which is your fine lines and wrinkles, as well as pore size.”
She described Sofwave as the “best thing” older patients can choose if they have significant sagging in the lower face but do not want cosmetic surgery.
Patients who have lost substantial weight while taking Ozempic or similar weight-loss medications have also sought Sofwave to address loose skin.
The number and frequency of treatments depend on the severity of the skin laxity and the patient’s age, Piser said.
Aesthetic nurse injector Jacqueline Piser told DailyMail.com that Sofwave “is going to tighten the fibers, tighten the muscle, help everything kind of stick back to our bones, and all of the tissues will kind of fuse together to become more lifted.”
Piser said Sofwave can be a strong option for older patients with sagging lower-face skin who do not want to undergo cosmetic surgery.
Clients request Sofwave for multiple areas of the body, including the skin around the knees and the appearance of cellulite on the legs.
“For people in their late 30s and early 40s, we want to do it, I would say, once or twice a year to help with simultaneously lifting and preserving what they have.
“Someone who is a little bit older may want to undergo the treatment two or three times a year to support both the restorative and lifting processes.”
She added: “This is more of a commitment to your health and wellbeing and restorative, regenerative practices rather than an immediate solution.”
Some patients have praised Sofwave and reported noticeable results. For me, however, the level of pain and the financial commitment required to maintain the recommended treatment schedule mean I will likely choose another non-invasive beauty treatment in the future.
