PHOENIX – Patient satisfaction was 100% after treatment with a device combining multipolar radiofrequency and magnetic pulse fields for body contouring, based on data from a series of 260 adults in Brazil.
A total of 60% of patients reported "excellent" satisfaction and 40% reported "good" satisfaction when surveyed shortly after the treatment, Dr. Rafael Nunes said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.
Courtesy Dr. Rafael Nunes
Before (left) and after six treatments for lipodystrophy and laxity of the abdomen in a 44-year-old patient.
Patients underwent up to six weekly treatments for laxity, wrinkles, or lipodystrophy on the abdomen, flanks, and/or leg areas using the Venus Freeze (MP)2system. The device heats collagen fibers in the skin to produce skin tightening. "The goal is not to reduce volume, but to reshape," said Dr. Nunes, a plastic surgeon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It’s important to recognize that "if the patient stops the treatments or changes diet habits, probably the results would be totally lost," he said. "Body contouring is challenging."
However, patients who don’t want more invasive body shaping procedures, such as implants, hyaluronic acid, or liposuction, may be pleased with the simplicity of radiofrequency and magnetic pulse, he noted. "The question in our country is, what do patients want? They don’t want to go to the hospital, they don’t like invasive procedures or recovery periods."
The patients in this study had a mean age of 43 years and a mean weight of 66 kg. Ninety percent were female.
Courtesy Dr. Rafael Nunes
Before (left) and after six treatments for fat and laxiety in a 28-year-old patient.
After pretreatment with glycerine solution, the 15-minute treatments aimed for a temperature of 41-42° C and uniform erythema on the surface of a 20-cm x 20-cm area.
Side effects immediately after treatment included bruising in 2% of patients, local heat in 78%, edema in 54%, and erythema in 56%. There were no burns. No side effects were seen 5 days later, or at a 3-month follow-up visit.
"In this small study, it [the combination regimen] was a safe and effective treatment for body contouring with no pain, no down time, and high subject satisfaction," Dr. Nunes said
Dr. Nunes reported having no disclosures.
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