Noninvasive body contouring combination tips

A cosmetic practice’s success in noninvasive body contouring hinges on having the right combination of options to meet patients’ demands. After all, the aging process is multifaceted; so, it makes sense that offering a single treatment modality to address all the signs of aging wouldn’t be successful, says Park Avenue, N.Y., dermatologist Neil Sadick, M.D.

Dr. Sadick“A combination treatment approach allows physicians to meet patient expectations, allows for greater patient satisfaction and can ultimately result in increased patient retention in clinical practices,” he says.

Dr. Sadick was among the panel members presenting during today’s “Comprehensive Non-invasive Body Contouring” session at the 2016 American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) annual meeting in New Orleans. His topic: “Combination Treatments for Your Body Contouring Center.”

The key, according to Dr. Sadick, is to invest in a variety of complementary, rather than overlapping, devices. For example, skin tightening and fat removal are important options that help patients achieve whole-body rejuvenation goals and allow physicians to attract more clients.

Combination approaches for noninvasive body sculpting can be achieved using skin tightening technologies, such as shockwaves or radiofrequency (RF) and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF), after cryolipolysis or light-based treatment with Sculpsure (Cynosure), according to Dr. Sadick.

“This two-stage treatment strategy allows [for] improving skin laxity while reducing adipose tissue, resulting in a comprehensive result,” he says.

Dr. Sadick offers these best practices for combining devices in noninvasive body contouring:

• For body sculpting, perform the fat reducing treatment before using a skin tightening device, because subcutaneous fat reduction is likely to increase laxity, which will ultimately need to be treated. Moreover, skin tightening treatment can help reduce side effects, such as edema, that may occur after cryolipolysis or other fat reduction procedures.

• For combination approaches for the face, perform skin tightening procedures, such as ultrasound, prior to injecting the face with fillers. Why? You’re likely to need less filler and the improved laxity will help achieve more natural results.

• Best candidates for combination noninvasive body contouring are patients with mild laxity and localized adiposities (submental, abdomen, flanks). Liposuction, on the other hand, is ideal to treat more severe volume of fat tissue in larger areas, such as the back, thighs or buttocks, Dr. Sadick says.

Disclosure: Dr. Sadick is a board member of Venus Concept and receives honoraria from Endymed, Solta, Cynosure, ThermiRF and Galderma.