Does cavitation work on visceral fat (deep belly fat)?

Ultrasound cavitation and belly/stomach/visceral fat

LipoTherapeia: Check our advanced skin tightening, phototherapy and cellulite treatments in London, based on the best technologies in the world and on more than two decades of experience over more than 20,000 sessions

• Can I remove deep stomach fat (visceral adipose tissue) with cavitation?

• How deep does ultrasound cavitation penetrate? Does it reach deep belly / visceral fat?

• Can ultrasonic cavitation damage organs?

• How about high frequency ultrasound used for physiotherapy?

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Can I remove deep stomach fat (visceral adipose tissue) with cavitation?

Visceral fat is the fat tissue responsible for the so-called “beer belly” look. It is also the most unhealthy fat you can have in your body, as it increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So it is no wonder people ask whether they can reduce visceral fat - with any method.

However, as we can see below, healthy eating, weight loss and exercise (and lately anti-diabetic injections, such as wegovy, mounjaro and ozempic) are the only ways to reduce visceral fat.

How deep does ultrasound cavitation penetrate? Does it reach deep belly / visceral fat?

High-power ultrasound cavitation is one of the two most effective SAFE methods to reduce hypodermal fat (cellulite fat) on the stomach or anywhere else on the body (deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency is the other one).

The abdominal area has the following fat tissue layers: hypodermal, subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Hypodermal fat is the most superficial fat layer and it is actually an integral part of the skin. This is responsible for the cellulite appearance, on the stomach or anywhere else.

However, cavitation does not penetrate much deeper than the hypodermis and it does not even significantly affect the subcutaneous fat (the second deepest fat layer).

In fact, ultrasound penetration and potency rapidly decreases with depth, especially at the low frequencies or very high frequencies used for fat reduction for aesthetic reasons (30-90 kHz and >3MHz, respectively).

Below the subcutaneous adipose tissue lays some fascia and then the muscles. In the stomach there are four layers of abdominal muscles.

Below that we have some more fascia and deeper still we have the internal organs.

The fat that is found above and inbetween the organs is called visceral adipose tissue (visceral fat). This is really deep.

As you understand, aesthetic ultrasound cavitation treatments have ZERO CHANCE of affecting or reducing visceral fat. No matter what any beauty therapist/doctor/other practitioner/equipment manufacturer/clinic misleadingly says, such thing ain’t happening.

Most of low frequency ultrasound energy is absorbed by skin and the fat tissue contained within the deeper skin layers (hypodermal adipose tissue). A little bit is absorbed by the subcutaneous adipose tissue and a tiny bit more by the deep fascia and the muscles. By the time low frequency ultrasound reaches the visceral adipose tissue (deep belly fat), it has already lost almost all its potency.

At the clinic we have provided thousands of ultrasound treatments over the last 14 years and it has always affected primarily the skin (including the hypodermal adipose tissue, for cellulite reduction); subcutaneous adipose tissue (a little, for some deeper fat reduction); very, very rarely the superficial muscles (a tiny bit); and never deeper.

Can ultrasonic cavitation damage organs?

And that is actually good news, because if ultrasonic cavitation did penetrate deeper it would be unsafe to use, as it would also affect the internal organs themselves and not just the fat around them (not a good idea).

Of course, aesthetic ultrasound cavitation (below 90kHz or above 3MHz) does not damage any organs (cavitation machines have US (FDA) and CE (EU) regulatory approval and have been used for decades without any problems.

As we said above, most ultrasound energy is attenuated and absorbed in the first millimetres of tissue, mainly dermis, hypodermis and subcutaneous fat.

How about high frequency ultrasound used for physiotherapy?

Ultrasound used for physiotherapy (1MHz) can indeed penetrate several centimetres, as it has a half value of 4cm.

However, physiotherapy ultrasound intensity is of quite low intensity (usually up to 12.5 Watts), as it is used to gently trigger healing changes in the tissues, not to disrupt fat cell membranes, which is what cavitation does at high intensities (anything up to 75 Watts).

Trying to apply physiotherapy ultrasound at full intensity (most machines are even capped at 10W) in a small area and for a long time, so that it gets more concentrated is absolutely prohibited (DON’T EVEN THINK OF DOING THAT AT HOME), as it can potentially cause tissue damage to your organs.

So not a good idea either.

As mentioned above, if one wishes to lose stomach fat, they should do it the old-fashioned way (i.e. exercise, nutrition and, if necessary, medication), instead of trying to destroy the belly fat with ultrasound, just so that they can keep eating unhealthily and avoiding physical activity.

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more, check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic.

Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.

The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?

Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.

Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.

Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic or via Zoom.