Is There Anyway to Anticipate Potential Fat Loss or Side Effects from Thermage?

I concur with the other physician comments, the current protocol for Thermage of no anesthesia, with treatment to minimal pain tolerance does not result in fat loss. The results frequently take 3 to 4 months to be visible, and ultimately patient satisfaction is in the 85-90 percent range.

When Thermage first came on the market, some people experienced small "divots" in the skin (usually around the thin temple area) that represented fat loss because there was excessive heat in a certain area. The current Thermage protocol uses constant patient feedback and if the patient feels an area being worked on is too hot, the technician will immediately lower the energy settings. You may perceive that you have "fat loss" if you demonstrate some... more

Having performed Thermage for ten years, I have never had a patient with fat loss. The patients who had the side effect of fat loss were treated many years ago before anyone knew that if you turned the power up too much there might be this problem. Actually, the problem with Thermage is that the results of skin tightening are inconsistent. Some people have tightening but some do not. Instead of Thermage, we now perform a series of radiofrequency skin tightening treatments using the... more