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Improvement in abdominal and flank contouring by a novel adipocyte‐selective non‐contact radiofrequency device
Author(s) -
Choi Sun Young,
Kim Young Jae,
Kim So Yeon,
Lee Woo Jin,
Chang Sung Eun,
Lee Mi Woo,
Choi Jee Ho,
Won Chonghyun
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.22808
Subject(s) - medicine , contouring , abdomen , visual analogue scale , body contouring , prospective cohort study , adipocyte , surgery , nuclear medicine , urology , adipose tissue , obesity , weight loss , engineering drawing , engineering
Background The demand for undergoing subcutaneous fat reduction has been gradually increasing, and there are many methods and devices for performing non‐surgical and non‐invasive fat reduction, such as high‐intensity focused ultrasound, cryolipolysis, radiofrequency (RF) devices, and lasers. Objectives This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel adipocyte‐selective non‐contact RF device for improving abdominal contouring in Asian subjects. Methods Twenty‐four Asian subjects with abundant subcutaneous abdominal and love handle fat tissues were enrolled in this prospective clinical study. They received six 45‐min weekly treatments with an RF field device over the abdominal and love handle regions. The body mass index and abdominal circumference were measured at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks post the last treatment. The thickness of the abdomen and depth of subcutaneous abdominal fat tissue were respectively assessed using calipers and abdominal ultrasonography. A subset of 15 subjects was selected by randomization for fat volume measurement via abdominal CT. For safety evaluation, serum lipid, and liver‐related blood tests were performed at baseline and at the sixth treatment session. Subjects rated their heat perception level using a four point scale and their pain score using an 11‐point visual analog scale during RF treatment. Results Twenty‐four subjects (21 females and 3 males) completed this study with an 8‐week follow‐up. The average decreases in abdominal circumference at 4 and 8 weeks post treatment were 3.48 ± 2.11 cm ( P < 0.001) and 5.12 ± 0.47 cm ( P < 0.001), respectively. The average decreases in abdominal fat thickness at 4 and 8 weeks treatment were 0.27 ± 0.61 cm ( P = 0.041) and 0.47 ± 0.60 cm ( P = 0.001), respectively. The average decreases in subcutaneous fat tissue depth at 4 and 8 weeks post treatment were 0.16 ± 0.43 cm ( P = 0.091) and 0.34 ± 0.39 cm ( P < 0.001), respectively. However, there was no significant change in the subcutaneous fat tissue volume. The mean heat perception level was 2.24, and the mean pain score was 0.74. No serious adverse effects were observed during treatment and the follow‐up periods, and there were no clinically significant changes in lipid or liver‐related levels. Conclusions The adipocyte‐selective non‐contact RF field device appears to be effective and safe for improving abdominal contouring. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:738–744, 2018.© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.