i am a highly active sports person looking to lose a few in stubborn areas. i did the liposonix procedure on my inner and outer thighs (20+ squares altogether, 3 passes for each square). the first shocker was that it was not the doctor who identified and marked out the treatment areas or administered the treatment. it was an aesthetician. the role of the doctor was mainly to "advise" and take any questions or concerns. all in all, I probably only spent five minutes with the doctor. ffr.

i won't go into the details of how the spritz your skin with water and then administer the ultrasound. there are demos for that elsewhere online. i am here to share what the clinics do not tell you:

the pain was unbearable. I've had tattoos done before, all larger than the size of my hand and one even in my inner thigh area. i would describe this as bone-chilling pain, and would rate the pain at least three times that of getting a tattoo. the aesthetician mentioned that pain varies between patients. to me, it felt like a mixture of hot iron on the surface of my skin, multiple prickly shocks (sometimes like an IPL, sometimes like static) on the surface of my skin, and a strong concentrated laser-beam-like pain that drove deep into my muscle/nerves/hamstring. The hamstring parts were the worst. for several passes, i felt a distinct zap and crackle, and i'm not too sure if that meant that the water was getting excited to another physical state (think sizzling water droplets on a hot iron surface).

post-treatment: the treatment areas felt sore. i would describe the area as tender, except that i cant be sure because i lost all sensation in the treatment areas and could not feel my fingers touching the surface of the treatment area, and several areas were even lumpy. i tried gently grazing my skin with my fingernails, and could not feel that either.

while the doctor mentioned to expect "some bruising" and that i "would be able to go back to my daily life and competitive sports", he did not mention that the bruising will extend from my crotch to my lower-mid thighs in all its gloriously black, purple and maroon. i feel like the doctor was negligent in taking into account my lifestyle and failed to advise me accordingly. if you've played paintball before or seen paintball bruises, post-liposonix felt just like that to me. the healing process is also similar. except that instead of getting hit with one paint pellet, you got rained on mercilessly.

it has been 8 days. i applied cold compress to the area daily, and also gently massaged the bruises for circulation. There is some improvement, my bruises are currently homogeneously brown across. i am still unable to wear shorts and skirts. and my training cannot resume due to the discomfort and pain.

the swelling also still persists, to the extent that i am now unable to fit into my pants (my thighs went up about two dress sizes). i resorted to wearing leggins and jeggings to work.

i also feel like liposonix might not be good for your skin: i came away with several new moles and freckles, particularly in areas where the swelling has yet to subside or where i felt the crackle, fizzle and pop on my skin during the treatment. the pain still persists, and the sensation to my skin has not yet returned.

i was not given post-treatment anti-inflammatory medication or pain killers, but was offered to purchase green tea extract diet pills to speed up the metabolism in order to make the treatment more effective. i declined to purchase this.

i might not recommend this treatment even if it did yield results.

mild bruising, although felt absolutely no sensation in the areas where liposonix was administered

the frightful bruising has almost subsided. we attempted to take photos of it but it did not show in the pictures. my partner did eyeball it though, and confirmed that the skin is still looking a bit sallow and grey. the pain from the bruises still persists though.

i worry most about a lump in my right inner thigh which i would describe as (apologies for the weird descriptions going forward) the size of a large scallop. i felt around the area and found that this lump was mainly made of 3 horizontal swellings, the largest is relatively thick as a thumb. i thought this to be weird as muscle tissue in the legs usually run vertical, and i have no idea as to what would cause 3 horizontal swollen strips. to the touch, the swelling is knuckle-hard.

also, i am experiencing immense itching. it feels like the sting of a mild heat rash, much less like a mosquito bite. i feel the itch but i am not too sure where it is coming from exactly. i have not attempted to scratch and nothing has broken the skin surface.

the burn marks seem to have gotten darker, likely because the subsiding bruising is allowing the burn marks to reveal themselves.