Thermal lipolysis linked to reduction in waist circumference

(HealthDay)—Treatment with the ULTIMA system, designed to induce the thermal destruction of fat cells using ultrasound, radiofrequency, and vacuuming, results in a significant reduction in abdominal circumference, according to a study published online June 20 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

Morkel J. Otto, M.D., from the Inner Beauty Clinic in Tiptree, U.K., conducted a single-arm exploratory study to monitor the responses of 21 patients to a single fat reduction treatment session with the ULTIMA system. Treatment efficacy was measured at the one-, two-, and three-month post-treatment visits.

Otto found that, per patient, an average of 10 zones were subjected to ULTIMA treatment. Two independent blinded reviewers correctly rated 87.5 percent of the pretreatment photographs. At three months after treatment there was a statistically and clinically significant reduction in the abdominal circumference. Within three months of treatment, physician-based assessments classified 100 percent of patients as improved; within the same time period, 92 percent of patients classified their condition as improved or much improved on self-assessment questionnaires. Immediate skin reactions were short-lived and self-resolving.

"A single ULTIMA treatment session effectively and safely resulted in visual appearance improvement and in a significant reduction in the patients' abdominal circumference, which persisted for three months," Otto writes. "Additional investigations will be required to further optimize the treatment regimen and assess its long-term sustainability."

The study was funded by Lumenis, the manufacturer of the ULTIMA system.

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