Does the Skin Tighten Up with Liposonix?

Liposonix uses focused ultrasound for noninvasive fat reduction. Because it generates heat in the tissue, there is presumably some effect on collagen with tightening. Keep in mind that the treatment is focused at a depth of about 3/4 of an inch, and its specifically intended to have no effect on the skin for safety reasons. Having said that, I do believe that we are seeing some tightening with Liposonix, but if the skin is obviously loose then you may not be a good candidate. This is also true BTW for laser liposuction such as Smart Lipo; although there is some skin tightening, it is not very significant.

Tightening of the skin may be a secondary benefit of the Liposonix treatment and this adds promising innovations in the management of patients who wish to have non-surgical fat removal without liposuction. 

While it is not the main reason to use this device, our patients have noticed a modest amount of skin tightening in the areas that were treated with Liposonix.  There is no quantitative way to measure the degree of tightening, but based on our experience and patient feedback there is contracture from the heat generated by the device under the skin. 

Liposonix is a
non-invasive procedure that is designed to remove stubborn fat that does not
respond to diet and exercise. You may feel slight tightening in the area that
is being treated. My suggestion is to consult with your doctor to make sure you
are a good candidate for Liposonix.

Liposonix uses focused ultrasound, just like Ulthera or Ultherapy.  The sound waves can be focused at very deep tissues with pinpoint precision.  There is no question that the technology works, and works well, but their are some limitations.  Pain management can be a real problem, and without proper anesthesia, the complete treatment cannot be completed.  One can dampen the energy, and increase the number of passes, but this will increase the cost and take much longer.  It should also be noted that diet and exercise are very important, because without it, the patient will not see as much improvement, and certainly will not retain the loss.  We have removed up to 3 inches with one treatment!

A newer treatment than Liposonix is TruSculpt made by Cutera. It uses RF energy to heat the fat cells, permanently killing up to 30% visibly in problem areas. Results are often accompanied by skin tightening because of the sustained heating of the skin. Unlike Liposonix, the Trusculpt is not at all painful and pain medicine is not required. My office has the device and we have seen excellent results treating abdomen, love handles, inner and outer thighs, banana roll, saddle bag area, upper arms, inside and outside the knee and more. 

There is some modest skin tightening with Liposonix in patients who have pretty good skin turgor to begin with (skin bounces back when pinched) but it's barely noticeable in patients with moderate to severe skin laxity.  I would not recommend doing this procedure for skin tightening--if you get some, think of it as a bonus.  Skin tightening can be enhanced by combining it with a procedure such as Thermage or Titan, which can be about 20-30% depending upon how many treatments are performed.  But none of these procedures would come close to the tightness achieved with an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.  

It can be used on the abdomen, waist, thighs and buttocks.  It uses ultrasound to heat up and remove fat in the desired area.  It will not affect skin tightening, but thermage, a radio-frequency device, can be used to tighten collagen after any liposonix procedure.  Check with your board certified dermatologist to see if you are a candidate for these treatments. Best to you.

 

Yes, in our patients we have noticed tightening of the skin in the treatment area. Skin tightening results we theorize will vary depending  on skin laxity and thickness. To date patients seen in follow up the skin tightened together with the loss of fat.  

From conversations with physicians in Canada (who have had approval for Liposonix long before the US) I hear that Liposonix is in fact tightening the skin. It is not FDA indicated for that but we have noticed on patients with abdominal fat who undergo Liposonix that there does seem to be some tighteing going on!