Reflections on the OLIGIO lifting device — where the heat lands, and how much, matters more than the name
“Is OLIGIO better, or something else?” This is the question I hear most in lifting consultations. At first I also went looking for device-versus-device comparisons. The more I read, the more I felt the question was wrong. What decides the result of RF lifting is less the device name than at what depth, how much, and in whose face the heat lands. Here I set out how I see and use the OLIGIO KISS at Miso Clinic, in light of radiofrequency studies from 2025–2026. No prices or photos are included.
The short answer
OLIGIO KISS combines monopolar radiofrequency and focused ultrasound in one body. There is still no study showing that this particular device is superior. Searching again in October 2026, I found no human study using OLIGIO KISS itself. Studies of the same technology family say some fairly clear things, though. At the same output, a face with thin fat heats much more (in a model, 69 °C with 2 mm of fat versus 45 °C with 8 mm); tip size changes how deep the heat reaches; and a 230-person randomised trial comparing a new RF device with an established one found similar results. So rather than “which device is stronger”, I first ask “how should the heat be divided for this face’s skin thickness and fat”. Miso Clinic in Daegu (4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, +82-53-428-2700) decides from the face whether to use RF alone or add focused ultrasound, and opens genuine Wontech tips right before treatment to show the lot number.
First, how far does the evidence for OLIGIO KISS itself go?
To begin honestly: searching PubMed again in October 2026, I found no human study of the face using OLIGIO KISS (registered in Korea as The Great RF Sonata, Wontech).
For the base OLIGIO unit (monopolar RF) there is a study of 20 women after one session, followed to 24 weeks. Jawline and nasolabial areas improved at 12 weeks; there was no control group. A Korean study combining focused ultrasound and monopolar RF exists, but it did not use Wontech equipment and the between-group difference was not significant (p=0.7373). Details are in Why OLIGIO KISS puts two devices in one.
The manufacturer itself described putting the two energies in one device less as a breakthrough and more as simplifying how doctors buy and use equipment. I think that description is accurate. The value of this device is not a new principle but being able to choose between two kinds of heat in one sitting.
Why does the same output heat people differently?
A 2026 study in Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering answers this fairly directly. Monopolar RF (6.78 MHz, 120 W) was applied under identical conditions while only the fat thickness under the skin changed — 2, 4, 6 and 8 mm — first in a computer model, then checked in pork tissue.
| Fat thickness under the skin | Tissue temperature after treatment |
|---|---|
| 2 mm | 69 °C |
| 4 mm | 60 °C |
| 6 mm | 55 °C |
| 8 mm | 45 °C |
It is a model and pork tissue, not a human face, so the numbers cannot be carried over directly. The direction is clear, though: a face with thin fat gets much hotter at the same output, and a thicker one heats less.
This is why I do not answer “how many shots?” with a number straight away. The same shot count means different things inside a face with little cheek fat and one with more. The link between skin thickness and fat is covered in Skin thickness, fat volume and lifting.
Is it true that RF makes your cheeks lose fat?
It is a very common worry. In 2026 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open published a result pointing the other way.
25 lean women (BMI under 21) received low-energy continuous monopolar RF five times, three weeks apart. At 18 weeks, ultrasound showed facial fat thickening from 14.73 mm to 16.33 mm. The authors said they started from the concern that strong pulsed RF can reduce facial fat in thin people.
This should not be read as “RF fills out your cheeks”. One centre, 25 people, no control group, and not an OLIGIO device. What I take from it is more modest: what RF does to fat may depend on how the energy is delivered. So I am careful with plans that put a lot of strong energy into a thin face, and for cheeks that are already hollow I suggest filling the hollow first rather than RF.
Tip size — wide and deep, narrow and shallow
A Korean study in Lasers in Medical Science (2026) treated 14 people each with a 3×3 cm or a 4×4 cm monopolar RF tip, once, and compared skin biopsies before and two months after.
The wide tip gave higher collagen density in all dermal layers, especially in people in their 20s and 30s. In those over 60, the narrow tip gave higher collagen density in the upper dermis. The authors concluded that a wide tip tightens deeper and more strongly, and a narrow tip may suit older skin.
With 28 people, the conclusion cannot be stretched far. Still, it matches my clinical sense that young thick skin and thinned skin should not be heated the same way. With OLIGIO KISS I also think about the broad cheeks separately from thin areas around the eyes and mouth.
Is a new device better than an old one?
Lifting devices get new names every year. How many trials actually test whether the new one is better? Not many. One is a Chinese multicentre randomised trial in Lasers in Medical Science (2026).
230 people were randomised to one session with a new monopolar RF device or a long-established one (Thermage CPT — a device Miso Clinic does not have). At 90 days the improvement rate was 100% vs 98.1%, no difference. The trial was designed to show “not inferior”, and it did.
My reading: when devices on the same principle are properly compared, results are usually similar. The advantages of a new device tend to lie in pain, cooling, speed and handling more than effect. I see OLIGIO KISS the same way. I do not say it works better than other devices, and no such study exists.
Is it better to combine RF and focused ultrasound?
This is probably the main reason people choose OLIGIO KISS, and the evidence is mixed.
- A study where the combination did better — a Chinese split-face randomised trial in J Cosmet Dermatol (2025, 26 people). Focused ultrasound was given to the whole face and microneedle RF added on one side; at three months the added side scored better on wrinkles and improvement. But that RF uses needles and is a different device from monopolar RF such as OLIGIO.
- A study with no difference — a 2023 Korean study in Medical Lasers. There was no statistical difference between the combined focused ultrasound + monopolar RF group and the comparison group (p=0.7373). This also did not use Wontech equipment.
So I do not say “doing both is always better”. Because they work on different layers (RF heats the dermis broadly, focused ultrasound places points at a set depth), it makes sense to combine them only in a face with problems in both layers. For skin that has only thinned without deep sagging, RF alone is often enough. The difference between the two is in HIFU and RF are not competing.
For reference, Miso Clinic has no dedicated focused-ultrasound device such as Ultherapy or Shurink. Focused ultrasound is used as the function built into OLIGIO KISS.
Pain differs from face to face
An interesting record appeared in Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol (2026). 46 people having monopolar RF were asked about pain on each side separately; regardless of order, the left side hurt more (7.12 vs 6.62 out of 10). People aged 42 or younger reported more pain than older people.
That study did not use OLIGIO either, and why the sides differ is still unknown. What I take from it is one thing: pain has to be checked by what the person says, not by machine numbers. So we do not over-anaesthetise thin skin. You need to be able to say “that is hot now” so heat does not build up in one spot.
How we use it in the clinic
- We sort the face first. Is the main problem thinned skin and lost elasticity, deep sagging that blurs the contour, or both? This decides whether to use RF alone or add focused ultrasound.
- We look at fat and skin thickness. A face with little cheek fat and thin skin can heat more at the same output, so we avoid plans that push a lot of strong energy.
- We ask about heat during treatment and listen. That is why thin skin is not over-anaesthetised.
- We do not do RF if you have metal or electronic implants. We also do not treat that day during pregnancy or with inflammation in the area.
- We open genuine Wontech tips right before treatment. We show the lot number on the package and record which tip and how many shots were used, as the basis for the next session. OLIGIO has no genuine-product card scheme, so we do not issue a card.
I believe these five things shape the result more than the device name. Being able to choose between two kinds of heat without changing devices makes it easier to put this judgement into practice. That is exactly what I value in OLIGIO KISS.
What we do not yet know
- There is no human study of the face using OLIGIO KISS itself.
- There is no study comparing OLIGIO KISS with other lifting devices under the same conditions.
- There is no study setting the order or interval for combining RF and focused ultrasound.
- There is no human-face standard for adjusting output to facial fat thickness.
When studies shorten this list, I will update this column. Until then I will say only this much: it is a device that makes it easy to choose between two kinds of heat in one sitting.
Frequently asked questions about OLIGIO
Does OLIGIO KISS work better than other lifting devices?
There is no basis to say so. There is no human study using OLIGIO KISS itself, and no study comparing it with other devices under the same conditions. In a 230-person randomised trial of a new RF device against an established one, results were similar.
Will OLIGIO make my cheeks lose fat?
That concern exists when a lot of strong energy goes into a thin face, so we are careful. A 2026 study (25 people, a different device, no control group) even found facial fat thickened after repeated low-energy treatment. We only say it may depend on how the energy is delivered.
Does the same number of shots give the same result?
No. A model experiment showed tissue gets hotter the thinner the fat under the skin is (69 °C with 2 mm, 45 °C with 8 mm). How the heat was divided across your face matters more than the shot count.
Do RF and focused ultrasound always have to be combined?
No. There are studies where the combination did better and studies with no difference. We combine them only in faces with both skin thinning and deep sagging; when only the skin has thinned, RF alone is often enough.
Does OLIGIO KISS hurt a lot?
It varies. Monopolar RF studies record younger people feeling more pain and the same person feeling the two sides differently. Miso Clinic does not over-anaesthetise thin skin and asks you to report heat during treatment so it does not build up in one spot.
How can I check the OLIGIO tip is genuine?
Miso Clinic uses only genuine Wontech tips and opens the package right before treatment to show you the lot number. OLIGIO has no genuine-product card scheme, so we do not issue a card.
Where can I get an OLIGIO consultation in Daegu?
Miso Clinic is at 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, in front of Exit 1 of Kyungpook National University Hospital Station. +82-53-428-2700. Weekdays 11:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–16:00, closed Sundays and public holidays.
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Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by Lee Chi-Hak, MD, director of Miso Clinic, Daegu. The treatment standards and injection design set out here are the ones we use in practice.
| Medical director | Lee Chi-Hak, MD |
|---|---|
| Address | 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea · Exit 1, Kyungpook National University Hospital Station |
| Phone | +82-53-428-2700 |
| Hours | Weekdays 11:00–19:00 (lunch 13:00–14:00) / Saturday 10:00–16:00 (no lunch break) / Closed Sundays and public holidays |
| Columns | All clinical columns |
| Reference library | All booster and device references |
References
- OLIGIO KISS registration — Korean MFDS medical device information. Product name The Great RF Sonata (Wontech), approved 1 September 2023. Monopolar RF (OLIGIO) + focused ultrasound (Ultraskin Tightan). PubMed search on 2026-10-17 (Oligio, Wontech, Ultraskin, Tightan) found no human study using OLIGIO KISS.
- Human study of the OLIGIO unit — Shin JM et al., Cosmetics 2024;11(3):71, DOI 10.3390/cosmetics11030071. 20 women, one session, 4/12/24 weeks; significant jawline and nasolabial improvement at 12 weeks; no control group.
- Korean study combining focused ultrasound and monopolar RF — Lee SK et al., Medical Lasers 2023;12(4):237–242. Between-group p=0.7373. Not Wontech equipment.
- Fat thickness and tissue temperature — Ye P et al., Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering 2026;37(2):82–92, PMID 41553929, DOI 10.1177/09592989251407753. 6.78 MHz, 120 W monopolar RF; finite-element model with 2/4/6/8 mm fat, validated in pork tissue. Post-treatment tissue temperature 69/60/55/45 °C.
- Repeated low-energy monopolar RF and facial fat — Kim JS et al., Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2026;14(8):e7972, PMID 42602736, DOI 10.1097/GOX.0000000000007972. 25 women with BMI under 21, 115 W continuous, 5 sessions 3 weeks apart; ultrasound total fat 14.73 → 16.33 mm at 18 weeks. Single centre, no control group, biopsy in one participant.
- Tissue changes by tip size — Suh DH et al., Lasers Med Sci 2026;41(1), PMID 42439958, DOI 10.1007/s10103-026-04951-z. 28 people (3×3 vs 4×4 cm, 14 each), one session, biopsy before and at 2 months.
- Non-inferiority randomised trial of a new monopolar RF device — Wang Z et al., Lasers Med Sci 2026;41(1), PMID 41758257, DOI 10.1007/s10103-026-04841-4. Multicentre, assessor-blind; 230 enrolled, 212 analysed; new device vs Thermage CPT, one session. GAIS improvement at 90 days 100% vs 98.10%, no difference. No serious adverse events.
- Side and age differences in monopolar RF pain — Wang Y et al., Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2026;19:577283, PMID 41924292, DOI 10.2147/CCID.S577283. 46 people, randomised treatment order; left VAS 7.12 vs right 6.62 (p<0.001); higher in those aged 42 or younger. Device: Thermage FLX.
- Split-face randomised trial of focused ultrasound + microneedle RF — Wang R et al., J Cosmet Dermatol 2025;24(10):e70455, PMID 40980871, DOI 10.1111/jocd.70455. 26 people; combined side better on GAIS and WSRS at 3 months. Microneedle RF, a different device from monopolar RF.
- Korean Medical Service Act — Article 56(2) prohibits treatment-experience testimonials, comparisons with other clinics and superlatives in medical advertising. This is why the column carries no reviews, before-and-after photos or prices.
- Miso Clinic treatment criteria — From the OLIGIO KISS page and the director’s confirmations: genuine Wontech tips only, opened right before treatment with the lot number shown; no genuine-product card scheme; RF alone or with focused ultrasound decided at consultation; no dedicated focused-ultrasound device (Ultherapy, Shurink) — the function inside OLIGIO KISS is used; thin skin not over-anaesthetised; no RF with metal or electronic implants. Source of the sentences written as “I” or “we”.
Everything in this column is general information and does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. Effects and side effects vary with individual skin condition, age and underlying illness, and the same result is not guaranteed for everyone. Any decision to proceed should be made in an in-person consultation with a physician.