Venus Viva-how does it differ from Thermage/other rf devices? What are the potential complications?

Thanks for your question. I always recommend you have a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to learn all of your options and all the realities associated with these procedures. The Venus Viva is the latest radiofrequency (RF) device that falls under the category of sublative rejuvenation. Our office was one of the first offices in the world to work with the original sublative device and helped with the studies which led to its FDA approval for acne scar treatments. This process uses RF energy to cause minimal epidermal injury and then with proper programming, one can reach the deeper target with varying degrees of RF energy, which allows a skilled user to treat the different types of scars a patient may have. The Venus Viva is the next generation device with more power and more “pins” to deliver the energy to a greater area during the treatment. Our office has been instrumental in bringing this treatment to the market; we have recently published two papers in the dermatology literature on it and have had very nice results in acne scars and in treating lines and wrinkles as well. One typically needs a series of treatments to have the optimum effects and adverse events with these devices are relatively mild and not serious if they occur. I am not aware of any of these devices causing scarring or other textural changes in the skin when performed correctly. Because there is minimal epidermal damage, there is also very little risk of post-treatment hyperpigmentation, although we did report two cases of this in one of our earlier publications – and we have treated hundreds of patients with these devices over the years. I am not aware of any reports of volume loss with these procedures. RF energy causes localized destruction where the energy is delivered and that produces new collagen, so volume loss is not a concern.The treatment is different than Thermage which is used for skin tightening. Viva is for texture and scars. And there will be no effect on any dermal fillers with these treatments. Those studies were done and published: lasers and RF energy do not cause fillers to melt, so this should not be a concern.I stay on top of this technology with all the companies using this technology, and you should feel comfortable with your provider and the treatments. And don’t believe everything that you find online – it may not always be correct. In the case of Viva, this should be a wonderful therapy for most with acne scars.