Ultrasound Technology in Non-Invasive Body Shaping Treatments

Ultrasonic energy, or ultrasound, is a well-known technology, most often associated with the imaging devices used to give expectant mothers and fathers a first glimpse of their babies in the womb. In recent years, however, this same type of energy has been re-purposed for a completely different objective: destroying fat deposits in the human body. There are a growing number of ultrasound-based devices / treatments available for those patients looking to lose that last bit of fat that is resistant to diet and exercise.

Unlike the type of ultrasound that is used to see into a mother’s womb, the ultrasound used for body shaping treatments is much more focused and intense. More energy is transmitted into the body’s tissues, but over a smaller area at one time. Fat cells are destroyed by application of the ultrasound energy via the process of lipolysis. During this process, over time some of the fat cells that have been treated will die, and then be excreted through the body’s natural metabolic systems. This means that the treated area will in effect have less fat cells. Furthermore, with fat cells, once they are gone, they are gone for good – they do not grow back. This reduction in the presence of fat cells creates the desired body shaping results.

Specifically, the ultrasound energy heats the fat cells beneath the skin to cause them to die and be flushed from the body, in much the same way that RF devices do. For potential patients looking to compare the two technologies, the differences include: the number of treatments needed to show the desired results, the level of discomfort experienced by the patient and skin tightening.

In RF treatments, there is a much lower level of pain / discomfort for the patient. There is also the added benefit of skin tightening through contraction and new collagen production over time. However, several treatments will be required, over a period of months, to achieve the same results in fat reduction that are accomplished with only one ultrasound treatment. To recap, ultrasound treatments require only one visit to gain the same results as multiple sessions of RF, but they are more painful and do not offer the added benefits of skin tightening available with RF.