Questioning the SculpSure procedure I had on my inner thighs (Photo)

SculpSure has an indicator sound and light when it is not properly set/attached which would make it obvious to both your tech and you if it was set improperly.  Sculpsure should be monitored and manipulated as necessary during your treatment and although there is not a great deal of work to be done by the surgeon/tech during a SculpSure treatment, the intensity levels should be adjusted until you are at the highest level you can tolerate.  Not all people feel pain with this treatment so as long as you had the highest level possible, your results should be fine. 

Hello NYlady18!Thank you for your question and sharing your images.  Typically you will have some sensation of warmth with the treatment.  When you return for your second treatment, ask about the settings of your first treatment.  The treatment can go up to 1.4, and perhaps you need a higher setting.  It will be at least 6-12 weeks from the treatment before you will notice the results, so you need to give it some time to see if the treatment was effective.  I hope this is helpful.All my best!  Dr. Elizabeth“This information was provided without seeing the individual and should not be construed as medical advice.”

Hello and thank you for your question and photos.Normally the inner thighs can be very sensitive. SculpSure would not function if it was attached incorrectly. The system would completely shut down. I would follow up with your provider to see what settings they had you at. A 0.9-1.4 would be the range your provider would keep you at during your treatment. Follow your after care instructions and full results are seen at 12 weeks.Best to you,

Hi there and thank you for your question. The inner thighs are often more sensitive than other areas treating with Sculpsure because of thinner skin and a lot of nerves in the area. Having said that, some patients are extremely tolerant of any treatments and this is the reason why there is so much disparity between what one person feels and another person feels during their treatment. I've had many  patients who I thought would be sensitive to a particular area and they barely felt anything at all. Heat tolerance is so variable from person to person. That is why there are adjustments to be made during the treatment based on your described  "zone". These settings should be adjusted by your practitioner during your Sculpsure treatment to get optimal fat cell rupture and destruction. Hope this helps and please do go back for your next treatment!
Best,
Valerie Schneider MD 

If you felt no deep heating cycles then it is possible that the settings were not increased appropriately after the warm up phase.  Call and have the clinician review your chart.  If you were increased to 1.4 and had no deep warming than you must have an amazing pain tolerance and the treatment should work. I also find that the more paddles I place together the better the result. In other words instead of placing 2 on each thigh, try 4 from the inner thigh towards the posterior thigh of each leg.  As there is feathering beyond each paddle there may be synergy with 4 grouped together, although no study has been done comparing the 2 options. The FDA has approved the use of Sculpsure on the thighs, to counter the statement earlier.

Inner thighs are off label  for Sculpsure.. This does not mean that this is not an acceptable treatment, but only that the FDA is not approved it. In her thighs him to be more painful than some places, but pain with Sculpsure is highly variable. If you had no pain I would expect that your treatment level was 1.4 through the majority of the procedure. If this was the case, and wait several weeks to see any significant changes. Sculpsure is an excellent treatment for spot fat removal. It does, however, require some expertise in the person delivering  the treatment.

Thank you for your question. Typically, patients feel prickling, pinching, pressure, longer peaks of moderate to deep heat and then cooling during the treatment cycle. Cynosure has labeled this feeling as zone 4 which is needed for maximal fat destruction. If you were not in zone 4 after the first 2 minutes of the procedure then the energy should adjusted until you reached zone 4. 

You're right - the inner thigh is often a painful place for SculpSure. However, the dregree of discomfort is related to the setting of the SculpSure, so ask what the highest setting you reached was.
If you have any questions about the efficacy of your treatment, I would definitely address them with the person who "hooked you up" to the machine. If you are not comfortable that it was done properly, ask to have the physician do your next treatment.
Good luck!

The machine has settings. If you were not uncomfortable you should have ended with 1.4. Ask your provider—we start lower than usual on thighs at 0.9 and immediately start working up at 5 minutes. There is great variability on all areas but you should have gotten to the highest. This’s is not a time that you can be left alone on iPhone etc.

As long as the Sculpsure machine was running and attached, the treatment should be successful. The device will not run if it is not attached correctly. The amount of pain that each person can tolerate is quite different, and the fact that you felt no pain is wonderful. I have treated many patients with the Sculpsure without even a grimace. I would make sure to drink lots of fluids, massage the area, and give the treatment the recommended 6 to 12 weeks to reveal results. For the best result, you can expect to need two to three treatments. You have chosen one of the best non-surgical options. Hope this helps!