Does Thermage melt fat?

Does Thermage melt fat? I read somewhere that Thermage melts fat and can actually make your sagging skin worse as a result. Is that true? Where does the supposed skin tightening and cellulite reduction come in?

5 answers to “Does Thermage melt fat?”

A: No, Thermage does not melt fat

By Michael S. Kaminer, M.D. - Massachusetts Dermatologist

When properly performed, Thermage should not melt fat. Fat melting was seen in the early part of this decade (2000-2004) when some physicians were inappropriately using very high energies with the device. With modifications to technology and guidelines starting in 2005, the incidence of fat melting has all but... more

A: Thermage and Fat Atrophy

By Michael Law, MD - Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

I have treated several patients with structural fat grafting who experienced fat atrophy following Thermage treatments. Patients have been very happy with results of structural fat grafting following fat atrophy. The explosion in medical aesthetic technology has resulted in a market that is flooded... more

A: Thermage does not melt fat

By Ronald Shelton, MD - Manhattan Dermatologic surgeon

Thermage does not melt fat. The radiofrequency energy from Thermacool / Thermage causes the protein infrastructure of the skin, the collagen, to tighten by contracture. This is what can lift the forehead, and with that the eyelids, tighten sagging necks, loose skin of the belly, etc. As with many procedures,... more

A: Thermage was meant to tighten the skin and improve...

By Steven Wallach, MD - Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Thermage was meant to tighten the skin and improve wrinkles, but some people using the machines were not following the protocol set for the machines. This led to excessive heat internally and, yes, causing some fat to melt. This left some people with facial atrophy (or wasting).

A: Not very positive response to Thermage

By Payman Simoni, MD - Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

There has been some time that Thermage was associated with fat atrophy. We now know that as we age we lose fat in some parts of our face. Losing more fat could worsen the signs of aging. Apparently, Thermage claims that they have modified their technology so that fat atrophy is no longer an issue. However,... more

Comments

Michael Sinclair MD
136 posts
6 Aug 2008

Thermage was supposed to be used to tighten skin, not melt fat. Unfortunately, early treatments with Thermage did lead to some fat "melting," which left a lumpy appearance. Very careful patient selection and technique are required to get good results with Thermage. If you are a regular viewer of this site, you will see that in the "real world" (people who have had procedures done), Thermage is usually ranked near the very bottom of the satisfaction list. If you are going to try Thermage despite the high failure rate, make sure you pick someone that does a lot of Thermage and has lots and lots of great testimonials from their own patients... not the testimonials supplied by the company. I have chosen not to offer Thermage at this time for the above reasons. I prefer the Lux Deep IR from Palomar to try to achieve similar results. Michael Sinclair, MD

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