Does VelaShape work?

It works my wife had it done and she still see's results. I have a friend who had it done at a different location and the results were ok. When they talked about the experience I think the difference was technique. Like anything else there are still "user errors."

Hello Jill, To answer your question properly, we have to clarify some assumptions that are stated in the question. The participants on RealSelf.com who have posted their experience on VelaSmooth/VelaShape first of all are few in number (approx 20 people) compared to the actual number of people that are getting treatments.  Also, the majority of these negative experiences have come from the same national franchise chain that does not have a medical doctor present or that is actively involved with the training and supervision of the treatments.  Therefore, the negative comments from these people do not represent what is actually going on among the many reputable physician-directed medical spas in the United States.  Having a good, actively involved medical director should be something that everyone looks for in a medical spa for any treatment that you are looking to have. To directly answer your question on VelaShape - it does work; in fact, very well.  It was the first and only FDA approved Class II Medical device to receive clearance for cellulite reduction (VelaSmooth approved June 2005), and first approved for non-invasive cicumferential reduction/body sculpting (August 2007).  Other devices such as endermologie, triactive, etc. are actually not medical devices (they are "over-the-counter" household devices that do not require medical supervision) or were only FDA approved for other uses (such as tissue heating for aches and pains, physical therapy uses). Doctors are offering this VelaShape treatment not just because it is FDA approved (vs. the non-approved lipodissolve, etc), but because the great majority of them really are getting results.  With the VelaSmooth, it was more difficult to get results because we had to work harder with the device, longer treatments and required 8-10 treatments.  But we learned to do it well, and it was consistent, and much better than the other endermologie treatments that was the alternative.  With VelaShape, it works much quicker than VelaSmooth because it is 2 1/2 times more powerful.  In our practice I have no problem personally guaranteeing results after 5 treatments.  But many of them already see the improvements after the first treatment. People are buying these services because of many reasons (these are generalizations, and exceptions do exist): In physician-run practices with well experienced and trained staff, clients purchase the service because they are educated well during the consultation and feel confident in their ability. At non-physician directed facilities, and large franchises (as per the complaints on this site), sometimes their main focus is on BUSINESS.  There is a sales machine at work in these facilities.  Your personalitiy and purchasing behavior is sized up upon walking in, you get approved for an additional credit line of several thousand dollars (and you feel like you won the lottery), and there "just so happens" that the promotion/deal is ending today. And clients feel pressured into signing a contract right away. Even with the VelaShape, however, if a provider does not perform it well, they will not deliver the results.  But if they really understand how it works, and perform the treatment well with newer more aggressive protocols, the results are amazing.  As an example, if someone is only an average cook, and goes out and buys a $50,000 kitchen, they will probably still be an average cook.  The problem is not with the kitchen; it's the person.  But with some additional direction and training, they could be amazing. As you can tell from my responses to questions on VelaShape, I am a firm believer in the treatment, and we have 3 VelaShapes in our offices.  But I am just as frustrated as those people with bad experiences at the practices that are causing these problems.  I would hope that people who are researching treatments or non-invasive body contouring and cellulite treatment do their due diligence in checking out various facilities, and ask what type of guarantee or expectation that their clients receive.  Or ask for references of other clients that they can contact (may not always be possible due to HIPAA privacy laws).  Ask about their protocols, and how they've changed over the past year (there have been updates) and what techniques they are using to improve upon the protocols. Wish you the best, John Shieh, MD, Medical Director, RejuvaYou Medical Spa 

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I had smartlipo done 6 months ago with bad results. I have an abdomen that is now hard and lumpy. After numerouse ultrasounds and message I went to get a second opinion from another doc. He said I could try 12 treatments of Velashape at $100 a session. He can't guarantee me it will smooth out these hard lumps from my smartlipo, but said it might help? Anybody use Velashape for this reason? I hate to throw any more money away.