BodyTite: What You Need to Know

BodyTite is not liposuction, but it’s frequently combined with lipo to remove fat while tightening skin.

If fat reduction is your primary goal and your skin has good elasticity, your provider may recommend just having liposuction.

“For patients with excess fat without skin laxity, BodyTite does not necessarily hold an advantage over traditional liposuction,” says Dr. Donovan Rosas, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Celebration, Florida. “However, in patients with laxity or for whom there’s a concern about worsening laxity post-liposuction, BodyTite’s RF tightening will help.”

Studies have also found that BodyTite lipo and other forms of RFAL cause less trauma to the surrounding tissue than traditional liposuction. The heat from the RF energy causes blood vessel coagulation, while the fat is liquefied and extracted more easily through small incisions, reducing swelling, bruising, and downtime.

Pros

• A BodyTite procedure can tighten mild to moderate sagging skin on most areas of the body.
• A majority of reviewers on RealSelf are happy with their results: 80% say it’s Worth It. 
• When not paired with liposuction, this is a minimally invasive procedure with relatively little downtime .
• When combined with liposuction, it allows the provider to remove excess fat more easily than with traditional liposuction, with less trauma to the surrounding tissue and a shorter recovery.
• Treatments on small areas can be as quick as half an hour.
• Incision sites are small (about 1/8”) and carefully chosen, to reduce visible scarring. Once healed, they should be unnoticeable.

Cons

• BodyTite alone may not give you dramatic body contouring results, especially if you have severe sagging skin.
• Several RealSelf reviewers who say BodyTite is Not Worth It reported side effects that included serious burns and scars. 
• Others who weren’t impressed didn’t see significant results or were left with loose skin, new wrinkles, or contour irregularities. Results are very technique-dependent, so it’s worth finding a board-certified plastic surgeon with plenty of BodyTite experience and a solid track record of reviews from happy patients.

RealSelf Tip: While you might lose a few pounds if your treatment involves significant liposuction, BodyTite is not considered a weight loss treatment. Be sure to discuss your goals clearly with your provider to make sure that the benefits of BodyTite align with your concerns.

• Average Cost:
• $6,625

• Range:
• $2,500 - $16,000

The price will depend on the size and number of areas you get treated, as well as your plastic surgeon’s level of experience, reputation, and practice location. 

Cosmetic procedures like this one aren’t covered by insurance, but most providers offer payment plans or accept third-party financing options, such as CareCredit.

See our complete guide to BodyTite costs

The BodyTite photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

According to a recent study, you’re a good candidate for a BodyTite procedure if:

• You’re in good health and close to your ideal weight. To make sure that the results last, many providers ask that patients maintain a steady body weight for six months before the procedure and maintain their weight after the procedure.
• You have mild to moderately loose skin (not significant laxity or sagging).
• You’re physically active but can’t get rid of pockets of fat or mild gynecomastia (“man boobs”).

BodyTite isn’t recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have an autoimmune disease that affects healing.

Studies show that BodyTite is safe and well-tolerated by patients, with a quick recovery time. The FDA has cleared the device for use on the stomach, arms, chest, knees, and thighs.

To help keep patients safe, the BodyTite device is monitored by a computer that regulates the temperature, lowering your risk of burns from thermal energy.

However, it’s important to find a provider who understands appropriate device settings and will carefully monitor your tissue temperature, to determine whether to increase or decrease RF levels for optimal body sculpting. 

As we mentioned above, some reviewers on RealSelf have reported burns and scarring, showing that BodyTite can go wrong in the hands of an inexperienced (or inattentive) provider. 

Again, choosing an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon can reduce your risk of side effects and complications like burns, scars, or nerve damage.

RealSelf Tip: During your consultation, discuss whether you’ll have local anesthesia with IV sedation or general anesthesia. While the procedure is safe with local anesthesia, people have different pain thresholds, particularly when undergoing liposuction.

Dr. Kevin R. Hanz, a plastic surgeon in Dallas, puts it like this: “Would you consider having liposuction alone under local anesthesia? If the answer is yes, I would move forward confidently [with that]. Many patients seek out procedures under local or minimal anesthesia. For larger areas, it’s nice to have IV sedation.”

Here’s what to expect during your procedure.

• The BodyTite device has two probes connected to a handpiece. Once the anesthesia has taken effect, your surgeon will make a small incision in the treatment area to insert the RF-energy-transmitting probe.
• The other electrode-based probe will glide along your skin’s surface, as your provider moves the handpiece.
• RF energy will flow between the probes, generating heat.
• This heat will liquefy fat cells, cause the collagen fibers in your skin to contract and tighten, and trigger a natural healing response that will stimulate new collagen production over the coming weeks and months. 
• If you’re coupling your BodyTite treatment with liposuction, your surgeon will then use a cannula (a thin tube) to suction out the excess fat.
• If you’re not having lipo, the liquified fat will be metabolized by your body over time.

It takes 30–45 minutes for each treatment area. Patients often have multiple areas addressed, so a full procedure typically takes one to three hours.

Related: From High-Tech to High-Def, How Popular Tools and Techniques Are Reshaping Liposuction

Most patients resume normal activities within three to five days, depending on the scope of their treatment.

You should be able to return to low-impact activities within one to two weeks, but your provider will probably advise you to wait four to six weeks before resuming high-impact activities like running, weight training, and hot yoga.

Immediately after your treatment, your skin might feel tender and sore. You could also have some swelling, bruising, redness, and even numbness. 

“Numbness and swelling occur, to some extent, in about a third of patients,” says Dr. Jonathan Zelkin, a plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California. “If liposuction contouring is performed simultaneously, that number can bump up to 50%. The good news is, it’s temporary. I have seen complete recovery in anywhere from four weeks to six months.”

If you do have numbness, it probably means that your nerves were bruised. As Dr. Zelkin explains, “The BodyTite procedure is knifeless. The probes used are blunt-tipped, meaning they are highly unlikely to actually divide branches of the sensory nerves.” 

You’ll be advised to wear a compression garment for up to two months, to optimize results and reduce pain and swelling.

You should see some skin tightening and body sculpting results immediately after your BodyTite procedure, especially if you also had liposuction for fat removal.

Your final results from the liposuction should be apparent within about three months, once most of the swelling has gone down.

Your skin will continue to firm from the boosted collagen production for up to a year.

Related: The Best Surgical and Nonsurgical Fat Reduction and Skin Tightening Procedures for Every Trouble Spot

BodyTite results can last for years, for patients who maintain their body weight within 5 to 10 pounds. While this skin tightening procedure won’t stop the aging process, skin should continue to look better than if you hadn't had the treatment.

If you've also had lipo, the fat that was removed will be gone for good. Just keep in mind that remaining fat cells in or near the treatment area can still expand, so your results will last as long as you maintain a stable weight.