Are There Any Side Effects with the Vanquish Treatment?

Thank you for your question. Vanquish Me is a medical device that uses radio-frequency (RF) energy to selectively target fat cells for destruction. Most patients that are treated with Vanquish Me will have no significant side effects and go about their daily activities. Since RF energy is heat generating, there is a small risk of a focal area of skin getting too hot where perspiration exists resulting in a blister. This can be avoided by using a fan to keep the skin dry and an attendant in the room at all times. The other side effect which we have seen is occasionally a patient may develop an area that feels like a small ball and is tender where rapid fat destruction has occurred. These usually resolve in 7-10 days and can be massaged.

I’d say that the most common side effect seen with Vanquish treatments is fat necrosis nodule formation which is a tender small knot where fat cells have died rapidly and accumulated.There are several things that can be done to help prevent these nodules from forming, such as drinking plenty of fluids before and after the treatments, using a treatment such as Cellutone acoustic wave therapy after your treatments to improve lymphatic flow to remove the dead fat cells, and being monitored closely during your treatments to ensure that you are not developing any hotspots. If you were to develop a fat necrosis nodule, they typically go away within a week or two, and really are not a terrible thing because it shows how rapidly the cells are being killed, but the next treatment should be delayed until they are non-tender so that more fat cells do not accumulate and make the nodule bigger.

Other much less frequent side effects can be aching muscles in the area of treatment, red skin, very infrequently burns to the skin, and  increased blood flow during menses.

Most of the time, however, there are no side effects at all.

Vanquish ME is an amazing, safe, effective, one of a kind body contouring treatment designed to eliminate fat from unwanted areas. This is the first non-invasive, no pain, no contact, no downtime device used to eliminate unwanted fat from the abdomen, flanks, upper back, thighs and bra line. Vanquish ME uses radiofrequency energy to gently warm the fat layer and kill unwanted fat cells while protecting the skin and muscles. There is a mild, gentle warming sensation during treatment similar to that of a heating pad.

The Vanquish ME treatment panel fits over the abdomen and flanks, but never touches the skin, to reduce the size of the tummy and love handles. However, the panel can also be adjusted to treat the back of the waist to eliminate an unwanted muffin top. Different panels are used to treat the thighs. Treatment sessions are 45 minutes and a series of four to six weekly sessions is recommended. You can expect to lose several inches from the treated area with noticeable results seen within a few treatments and maximum results two months after the last session. Individual results may vary and some patients may require more treatments or wish to undergo an additional series of treatments to target additional areas of the body.

Vanquish ME is intended for individuals close to their ideal body weight that struggle with stubborn areas of fat deposition, resistant to dietary and exercise measures. However, I have seen several large patients benefit from it as well. Sometimes, it's simply to jump start their weight loss process. It is not a substitute for liposuction, which allows a greater volume of fat removal, and it isn’t for weight loss. However, for some patients that are not candidates for surgery or who do not wish to undergo surgery, Vanquish ME may be a good treatment option. It destroys fat cells so as long as weight and diet are maintained, the results following treatment are likely to be permanent. The fat cells are naturally flushed out of the body over the course of time allowing gradual and natural-looking results. Patients love that they can change the look of their body without it looking obvious that they’ve had work done.