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Barel et al. Plast Aesthet Res 2016;3:368-74 Plastic and
DOI: 10.20517/2347-9264.2015.81
Aesthetic Research

www.parjournal.net
Original Article Open Access

Non-invasive focused ultrasound for

abdominal circumference reduction: does it

really work?

Eric Barel , Abraham Amir , Asaf Olshinka , Dean Ad-El 1
1
1,2
1
1 Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital (affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv
University), Petach Tikva 49100, Israel.
2 Post-Barriatric Plastic Surgery Clinic, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital (affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University), Petach
Tikva 49100, Israel.
Correspondence to: Dr. Eric Barel, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital (affiliated with
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University), Petach Tikva 49100, Israel. E-mail: eric@drbarel.com
How to cite this article: Barel E, Amir A, Olshinka A, Ad-El D. Non-invasive focused ultrasound for abdominal circumference reduction: does it
really work? Plast Aesthet Res 2016;3:368-74.
ABSTRACT
Article history: Aim: Non-invasive body contouring is a promising modality. However, due to a lack of good
Received: 29-07-2015 evidence-based data, the mechanism by which contouring occurs remains unclear. The purpose
Accepted: 27-10-2016 of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment with the Contour I™ ultrasound system
®
Published: 14-12-2016 (Ultrashape , Syneron , Israel) on abdominal circumference and to compare 2 power levels
®
for efficacy and safety. Methods: A prospective, self-controlled double-blind design was used.
Key words: Thirty-six women, aged 30-45 years, were randomized to receive treatment with the Contour I
Body contouring, at high or low acoustic outputs in 3 successive sessions, 1 month apart. Safety was evaluated by
ultrasound, adverse events, local skin reaction, and pain. Efficacy was evaluated by the change in abdominal
fat cell disruption, circumference relative to baseline and to the untreated thigh area (internal control). Patients were
liposuction, followed for 28 days after the last treatment session. Results: At 1 month after the first session,
non-invasive the mean reductions in abdominal circumference measured 1.65 cm (P < 0.001) and 0.87 cm
(P < 0.019) in the high and low-power groups, respectively. At 1 month after the last session,
the cumulative reductions in circumference were 2.56 cm (P < 0.001) and 1.49 cm (P < 0.012),
respectively. There was no change in the internal-control circumference throughout treatment.
There were no treatment-induced severe adverse events. Conclusion: Multiple successive
treatments of the abdominal area with the Contour I lead to a significant progressive reduction in
circumference. The magnitude of the reduction is directly correlated to the acoustic power output
which suggests that the technology itself is the main cause for the contouring effect.

INTRODUCTION non-invasive alternatives to traditional liposuction given
the risk of complications [1-5] and prolonged downtime.
[6]
Body contouring is one of the most popular procedures Multiple modalities have been developed including the
in aesthetic medicine. There is a growing demand for use of laser and radio-frequency assisted liposuction,

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