“Ultrashape does work if you don't go here”

Ultrashape does work if you don't go here and you know what to look for to maximize treatment. At {edited - name is shown above to registered users} I had Ultrashape performed. A series of 3 treatments on my thighs, buttocks and abdomen. I only lost 1 cm per treatment which was quite perplexing for me as, other than these stubborn spots, I am quite fit. I am 5"7 and 140 lbs. I exercise avidly, weight training 2 days per week, elliptical trainer 3 times a week for an hour, and run 10 kms. twice a week. Everywhere but my trouble spots I am cut. After much research into Ultrashape I discerned that I am the perfect candidate so I forked over almost $10,000 to the {edited} which lauded the same results put forth in clinical trials by Ultrashape. The problem is that they don't observe the working protocol in order to achieve the results. Most pointedly as contained in an abstract from a clinical trial: Thirty six patients between 21 and 60 years old, 33 females and 3 males with diagnosis of lipodismorphism, were treated for localized adiposities in several parts of the body: abdomen, flanks or/and tights in three sequenced sessions of approximately 1000 ultrasonic pulses each one, made one month apart. I received half that number of pulses in each treatment, hence my below average results. So I went looking for more information and discovered this: The patient´s position affects fat thickness and texture. Position 3 causes more thickness and the fat is softer. It can be improved with the help of elastic banding and specially designed cushions. Utilisation of elastic banding and cushions: Cushions are used to position the area to be treated as parallel as possible to the surface of the treatment table and to improve patient comfort and stability. Banding is used to approximate the end of the ellipse in order to reduce tension and to increase fat thickness in the area to be treated with the Ultrashape. The technicians who worked on me basically laid the tape on me , barely applying any pressure to the fat which did not isolate it for the machine to be able to pick up the number of pulses it would have required to give me the full treatment I had paid for!! Nor did they use any cushions to position me even though the special Ultrashape positioning pillows and cubes were on another table in the room. When I asked one of the technicians what they were for she was at least honest and told me they were for positioning patients but that I didn't need them! I just laid out flat on the table with a tiny little pillow under my head. I fully believe that they are aware of the proper working protocol because the last technician I had was a really kind woman and took pity on me because I'd just had my measurement a month after the second treatment and still only a centimeter of loss in all 3 areas. She did my last treatment and she cinched me up tight with the tape for the first time!! It's 8 days later and I've lost 4 cm already around my butt!! So it does work but you have to make sure the place you have it done is ethical and not trying to prey on people like me who just desperately want what they pay for to work. Thank god I had that one last treatment because I had actually started to buy in to the nasty consultant feeding me that there are some people it doesn't work for. They did allow as how they'd be so kind as to let me pay for as many more treatments as I need at the rate of $800 apiece. At the rate they do treatments that would have only cost me about another 10 grand or so. The transducer, which is the handheld piece of the Ultrashape machine, has to be replaced after so many pulses and it's expensive so between doling out the absolute minimum pulses they can in order to produce just the most minimal results and preying on the fact that they know even the littlest improvement could cause people to continue to throw good money after bad they have got quite a con job going on here. I tried every day this week to get the consultant on the phone and left message after message. She knows I've figured out their scam and thinks that ignoring me will make me go away. She does not know me very well. I am meeting with a class action lawyer on Monday and am hoping that others who have had similar experiences will want to join me. There are so many people on the web who have not had good results that I have to believe that there are other places out there conning people too. This is the start of my internet campaign to enlighten people like me as I wish someone had done for me before this company ripped me off.. One of the technicians who performed one of my procedures did tell me that Dr. {edited} had recently decided he couldn't do liposuction anymore and I know that is much more expensive so I theorize that he's looking to replace that revenue by reducing the efficacy of Ultrashape in order to prey on people who hope and pray that Ultrashape will work and suck them dry of all the money he can. RealSelf editor note: RealSelf.com guidelines require that you only reference the practice or doctor in the field provided, not in the body of your review.

Updated on Apr 20, 2008:
To tell how many pulses you are getting, the number appears at the bottom of the monitor right after they position the markers on you. There will be the number of pulses on one side at the bottom of the screen and another number next to it which reflects the pulses counting down as they’ve been administered. There’s no reason that you shouldn’t see that number and if you’ve been taped properly and aren’t too skinny for the procedure it should be in the range of 1000 or more pulses per treatment area which is 36 cm x 36cm, the size of area used in the clinical studies for Ultrashape. The clinic I went to said it was the size of 2 of my hands, which incidentally are 18 cm long but only 13 cm wide. Another way of reducing the efficacy of the treatment… I have corresponded with several people who have had good results with their treatments and they all said that they were taped up so tight they could not move in order to isolate the areas treated. The tape should be a Tensoplast type stretch adhesive bandage, not the stuff they basically just laid on me to no effect on me which was akin to packing tape and took 4 days of labor intensive scrubbing to get the adhesive off. All these factors designed to make what I paid for work as minimally as possible… If I learned just one thing from this experience it’s pay attention and don’t take anyone’s word for anything!!