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Body-sculpting procedures are becoming increasingly popular. Although lipoplasty remains the most common procedure, nowadays, the risks, costs and lengthy downtime associated with surgical procedures for fat reduction have led to the development of a number of non-invasive techniques. Non-invasive body contouring now represents the fastest growing area of Cosmetic Dermatology. This review describes the mechalipectonism of action, efficacy, safety, and tolerability of suction, ultrasound, laser and radiofrequency assisted lipoplasty, ultrasound liposuction, laser assisted liposuction, as well as cryolipolysis, focused ultrasound, and high intensity focused ultrasound and injection lipolysis, the noninvasive methods with temporary effects such as radiofrequency and low-level laser therapy are mentioned as well. The articles cited were identified via different PubMed searches. Invasive procedures have a lengthy recovery and more risks; the non-invasive treatments reviewed can be administered on an outpatient basis, have fewer complications and require analgesia but no anesthesia. The published literature suggests that, although liposuction continues to be the most common procedure, noninvasive techniques for subcutaneous fat reduction such as cryolipolysis, focused ultrasound and high intensity focused ultrasound may be appropriate options for non-obese patients requiring modest reduction of adipose tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fractionated radiofrequency (RF) induces deep dermal heating and leaves the epidermis less affected, useful to treat acne scars effectively with reduced downtime. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of volumetric and fractional RF to treat acne scars, by combining two RF modalities in one treatment: skin tightening (TC) and fractional skin resurfacing (FSR). Material and method: An open, prospective, unicenter, one-arm study was done including 30 healthy patients with acne scars who received up to three treatments of a combined modality of two different procedures in each treatment session: skin tightening (TC) using the volumetric radiofrequency (RF) handpiece and fractional resurfacing (FSR) using fractionated RF hand piece with a bipolar RF volumetric and fractionated device (3DEEP EndyMed Pro™), at 4-week intervals. Changes in acne scars, skin texture, pore size, pigmentation irregularity, and complications were assessed up to 6 months post-treatment by digital clinical photography and standardized images obtained with Vectra 3D™ and VISIA-CR® systems. Subjective improvement was assessed by satisfaction questionnaires both for patients and treating clinicians. Results: Twenty two patients finished the study follow up, 7 patients observed more than 75% improvement on their acne scars (23%), 6 patients noticed a 50-75% improvement (20%), 8 subjects noted 25-50% improvement (27%) and just one subject felt less than 25 % improvement (4%). Conclusion: Combined RF is a conservative treatment, requiring multiple treatment session to achieve cosmetically satisfying results. It is safe and effective for aesthetic improvement of inflammatory acne ice pick scars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Combining treatment modalities for fat disruption and body shaping has been frequently performed to achieve a synergistic effect. These modalities are usually used with time intervals between treatments due to safety concerns. Focused ultrasound is a well-known method to disrupt fat tissue. This technology has a high safety proile when using cavitation effect as opposed to a thermal effect. Objective: To prove that treating with focused ultrasound technology and radiofrequency in one session is safe and can achieve meaningful results. Patients and method: Twenty-four subjects were treated in the abdo- men during a single session which included radiofrequency treatment (Reaction™, VIORA) immediately before and after a treatment with non-thermal focused ultrasound (Contour I, UltraShape™). Two ultra-sound treatment protocols were used, each in 12 subjects. Subjects were evaluated at day 7, 14 and 28 after the day of treatment. Safety variables included adverse event collection for the whole study population and clinical laboratory evaluation in 12 subjects. Primary eficacy variables included circumference measurements. Results: Only one mild adverse event was reported and was attributed to faulty operation of the radiofrequency device. Lab tests were normal throughout the study. At 28 days, combined ultrasound-radiofrequency treatment resulted in mean circumference reductions of 3 and 3.4 cm depending on the ultrasound protocol used; 93% of subjects experi- enced a circumference reduction greater than 1.5 cm. Conclusions: Focused ultrasound combined with radiofrequency, in one treatment session to disrupt fat tissue for the purpose of body contouring, is safe, effective and well tolerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]