Could I have scar tissue from SculpSure?

Question

I had sculpture done about a year ago on my knees. Two treatments. For the past 6 months my legs from knee up to waist hurt every day. I started seeing a massage Therapist and he told me I have scar tissue above my knees causing the pain and that the treatment prob caused it. And my cellulite on my legs have doubled! I mentioned to the girls in the doctors office and they just shrugged it off. It was very expensive :(

W. John Bullis, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question and I am sorry that you are not getting the results you were expecting from the SculpSure.  Scar tissue can form in the area that was treated - this is true of any treatment that causes tissue damage, whether invasive surgery or a topical treatment, such as SculpSure, CoolSculpting, TruSculpt, etc.  The reason these devices work is because they cause tissue injury.  The body's response to tissue injury is (among other things) to make "scar tissue," which is just a lot of collagen fibers.  It is possible for nerves to get tangled up in scar tissue and cause pain, but it seems unlikely that this would occur equally in both legs and that it would spread proximally (toward your spine) from your knees.  CoolSculpting has had many cases of this sort of nerve entrapment resulting in pain, but it is exceedingly rare for SculpSure.  Massage can help, but there is no getting rid of scar tissue.  Anything you could do to get rid of it, would result in more forming.  Regarding cellulite and skin:  SculpSure may cause good reduction of fat volume, but may not give you much skin tightening.  When this happens, one may be left with some added skin laxity, which can make cellulite appear worse.  At my office, we often couple SculpSure treatments with Thermi250, a device, which is great for skin tightening, giving a nice one-two punch to both the fat and the skin.

David Chappell, MD · Answer

Treatment with SculpSure can induce subcutaneous nodules, which are thought to represent damaged fat tissue that is somewhat inflamed and tender. I have seen subcutaneous nodules persist for 6-8 weeks but not for 10 weeks. I have not seen cellulite get worse with SculpSure treatment. Did your weight remain stable after treatment? In addition to maintaining an ideal body weight, you may want to try TempSure or other more aggressive treatments for cellulite.

Daniela Atanassova-Lineva, MD · Answer

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Knees and arms treatment is not FDA approved for Sculpsure. It is commonly and safely used though. Small lumpy fat cell collections in the subcutaneous area are not uncommon, but they gradually resolve after massaging. Scarring after Sculpsure is very unusual . You may try microneedeling with PRP the areas.
Tempsure envi to smoothen the lumps after Scupsure tends to have great results.

Best of Luck,
Daniela Atanassova Lineva, MD

James Okamoto, MD · Answer

Sculpsure is very unlikely to cause “scar tissue”.  It can produce nodules in the subcutaneous fat, (they feel like fatty lumps) however these can be massaged out and will get smaller over time. Sculpsure is not intended to remove or prevent cellulite, but on the other hand it does not make cellulite worse (if anything, it would be more likely to help or have a neutral effect in the areas treated).  If you are having pain from the waist to the knees I recommend seeing your doctor to determine the cause. It doea not sound like scar tissue would be the cause of this.

Taaly Silberstein, MD · Answer

As you probably know, SculpSure is a treatment that destroys fat cells permanently and noninvasively. Therefore, it is very unlikely that you have scar tissue. What can happen, however, with SculpSure, is that you develop nodules, collections of clumped fat cells that can feel like prominent bumps. These, unfortunately, can last for months. 
They usually resolve within a few months, but I have seen them last for over a year in rare circumstances. The best way to try to get rid of them is to massage the lumps to try to break them up and drink plenty of water (about half your weight in ounces) so that your circulatory system can clear them up. The good news is that they are not dangerous, and are likely to resolve.
Good luck!

Judy Corbett, MD, FACOG · Answer

SculpSure laser therapy targets fat cells specifically without affecting skin, muscle, nerves, and other tissue so I would not expect one to have scarring from the procedure.  Mild inflammation, tenderness, and even redness can be seen in the first week or so after treatment but would not persist 6 mos.

Could I have scar tissue from SculpSure?

Answers (6)

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