Is This Much Bruising Normal After Liposonix? (Photo)

Question

I had Liposonix on my arms 3 days ago. While there was no bruising on the day1 (just soreness/tenderness), palm-sized deep purple bruises appeared on each arms the next day. On day 2 I started taking homeopathic Arnicar pellets and applying Arnica gel to the bruise and saw minor improvements on day 3 (ie. today) It has been 3 full days after the procedure, is this amount of bruising normal? At this rate, is it likely that the bruises will go away in 2 weeks? What can I do to speed up the process?

Frank P. Fechner, MD · Answer

Bruising, temporary redness and swelling after a Liposonix
treatment are not uncommon and do not affect efficacy of the treatment.The Liposonix device sends high-intensity
ultrasound energy to the targeted area. Skin is not harmed but the fat tissue beneath the skin is permanently destroyed.

Rigo J. Mendoza, MD · Answer

The amount of bruising on your arms seems normal for Liposonix.  We typically see more bruising with Liposonix than we do with our SmartLipo patients.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Many factors affect bruising after Liposonix treatments, but because the focused ultrasound is destroying fat cells, there is a range of normal. Arms seem to be a bit more prone to bruising so what I see in the photos is not too worrisome.

Victoria Karlinsky-Bellini, MD · Answer

Bruising is normal after Liposonix.  While some people bruise and others don't, I believe it has not bearing on the end results of the procedure.  Just like any bruise, these will also go away in time.  Arnica will help somewhat but within 2 weeks they should mostly be gone regardless of using Arnica or any other modality to reduce bruising.

Susan Van Dyke, MD · Answer

I see bruising more commonly after Liposonix when high energy/low pass techniques are used. There are several different ways that the treatment can be done, it is a choice your medical provider makes when treating you.   There does not seem to be any difference in overall results though the high energy method is quicker and may be more uncomfortable.  Bruising may also be more common in the "thinner" areas like arms and legs than abdomen or trunk.  Since arms are not FDA approved at this time there is not as much data available to analyze. In the end bruising to this extent does not seem to be a worrisome development and should resolve within two weeks. Arnica and compression garments may help in speeding the resolution.

Terrence Higgins, MD · Answer

Bruising can occur with liposonix procedure. This will resolve as any bruising would. Arnica orally and topically can be helpful to expedite. Bruising or the lack of bruising has no bearing in the effectiveness of the treatment.

Samuel Sohn, MD · Answer

Bruising is a normal side effect of a Liposonix treatment as well as some edema (swelling) in the treated area. Not all patients will bruise after a treatment and some might bruise much worse then yours. Liposonix is a deep treatment so the bruising can take anywhere from 2-5 days to surface. Just a reminder, the degree of bruising does not validate how effective the treatment was for you. Most bruises can resolve in a matter of 7-10 days and using warm compresses a couple times a day to the bruised areas can potentially help resolve it faster.

Reps B. Sundin, MD · Answer

This amount of bruising is normal after liposonix, although some patients do not experience any bruising.  It should fade over the next week or two..

Is This Much Bruising Normal After Liposonix? (Photo)

Answers (8)