April 30, 2021
Up until quite recently there haven’t been a ton of non-surgical options that could provide sustained skin tightening. We’ve been enjoying the results of non-surgical treatments like CoolSculpting for moderate fat reduction, but it’s super rare to have a treatment that offers both skin tightening and fat reduction in one fell swoop. What’s more, it’s also fantastic to have a non-surgical treatment that can be paired with surgical procedures to offer a more dramatic result, with less scarring and a shorter recovery period.
So what’s this magical treatment that seems to tick off all the right boxes?
Answer: BodyTite, the non-surgical skin tightening and fat reduction procedure.
We recently launched BodyTite treatments at The Plastic Surgery Clinic and MD Beauty Clinic, the non-surgical side of our practice, and we have to say we are loving what we’re seeing, and so are our patients. BodyTite uses radiofrequency technology subdermally (under the surface of the skin) in order to shrink tissue, melt fat, and stimulate the production of collagen in the body. We’ve seen a 70% reduction in tissue after just one BodyTite treatment, meaning that the skin tightening results for the right patient are absolutely amazing.
What we love about BodyTite is that it’s a treatment that we can offer as part of a surgical procedure, or something that can be done all on its own, depending on your body goals and needs.
So if you’re looking for moderate skin tightening and fat reduction in areas such as the abdomen, upper arms, thighs, breasts, back (great for that bra roll), and even the knees, we’ll probably recommend doing BodyTite on its own.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more dramatic results, or if there is more unwanted fat that you’d like to remove for a more sculpted and contoured shape, BodyTite can be paired with what’s called radiofrequency-assisted liposuction, or RFAL. In this case your surgeon will incorporate a very narrow tube, also known as a cannula, to suction out excess fat.
When you undergo liposuction on its own, you may be left with loose skin when the fat is removed, which is really more of a concern if you have more skin laxity already or if your skin’s elasticity has decreased. In that case we would recommend BodyTite to eliminate unwanted fat and tighten the skin at the same time to create a better result. It really depends on your body and your needs, but we love helping you find the solution that will get you the most of what you want.
But we can also pair BodyTite with other procedures, like a tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) for instance. Oftentimes a tummy tuck is required to achieve the more dramatic result that a patient is looking for and can address specific concerns like diastasis recti, where the abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy, creating more abdominal fullness that can only be repaired surgically. BodyTite can be combined in nearby areas to enhance the effects of the tummy tuck.
And even beyond that, BodyTite can easily be paired with other popular procedures like breast augmentation—for example, increasing volume in the breasts while decreasing volume in the bra rolls if you’re looking for that kind of total transformation. We love BodyTite because it’s super versatile and can easily add a little something extra to a surgical procedure, if that’s what you’re looking for.
BodyTite can be done under local anesthetic, but it’s generally more comfortable under general anesthetic (which is how it’s performed in combination with surgery) or some light sedation. Once your anesthetic is administered your doctor will make a small incision in the skin through which a probe will be inserted.
The device itself has two probes: one that is inserted subdermally, and the other that glides along the skin’s surface. Radiofrequency energy passes through the probes, generating heat. This heats up and effectively liquefies fat cells, while also causing collagen fibres in the skin to contract, all of which creates this desired tightening effect. The temperature at which your doctor will heat the tissue will be dependent on your needs.
The BodyTite procedure can take anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on which area(s) of the body are being treated. When combined with surgery, the procedure time could be a bit longer.
There is definitely some downtime following your BodyTite treatment and the length of your recovery is really dependent on whether you had BodyTite combined with surgery, or whether you had it done on its own.
BodyTite on its own requires about a week of downtime. You’ll be sore, and may have some swelling, bruising, redness, general tenderness, and possibly some numbness. You’ll be able to engage in low impact exercise about 1-2 weeks following your treatment, however no high impact workouts for about 6 weeks. This gives you some idea of the downtime you can expect, but each person’s medical history is different, and it’s important to follow your doctor’s specific guidelines for you very carefully.
If you’ve combined your BodyTite treatment with surgery then you’ll have to account for more downtime and time off work.
When you’ll see your results really depends on whether you had BodyTite done all on its own or in combination with another treatment. If you’ve combined BodyTite with liposuction or a tummy tuck then you will definitely see results immediately, especially in terms of fat reduction, though these will not be your final results. Your results will continue to improve in the months following your procedure as swelling subsides and your body totally heals.
As far as skin tightening goes, you should see results within a few months of your treatment and they will also continue to improve for a year following BodyTite, as your tissue shrinks and heals.
BodyTite results are long lasting if not permanent. If you maintain your general habits, basically maintaining your weight at the time of your procedure, your BodyTite results will last for a long time. However, your body is not immune to aging and so you may see an increase in skin laxity over time, but it will still be minimal comparative to if you did not have the procedure at all.
Did we answer all your questions? Our goal is to ensure you have the best information possible to make your decision. If you still have questions, we’re here to help.
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