Fighting post-lipo fibrosis with more fibrosis?

• RF microneedling for fibrosis after vaser? How stupid is that?

• The solution to too much collagen is not yet more collagen

• Instant fat loss! Instant skin tightening! Instant fibrosis removal! Well, it doesn’t work that way…

• So what am I to do? How, as a consumer, am I to know what to choose?

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

RF microneedling for fibrosis after vaser? How stupid is that?

I recently saw a client who suffered from fibrosis after vaser liposuction, which is known to cause fibrosis.

In fact, vaser / smart lipo / bodytite liposuction are based on burning the skin at 60-90ºC (they call it “coagulation”) and causing controlled fibrosis (they call it “neocollagenesis”) in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat) and the hypodermis, in order to harden the skin with fibrotic collagen (they call it “skin tightening”).

The problem is that quite often the fibrosis is not that “controlled”, given that even plain liposuction causes fibrosis very, very often (almost always, in fact).

The solution to too much collagen is not yet more collagen

So when you suffer from fibrosis you want to have a treatment that actually breaks down fibrotic collagen (i.e. progressively stronger massage and/or ultrasound, applied by an experienced therapist) rather than one that creates more fibrotic collagen.

On the other hand, RF microneedling is also based on burning the skin at 60-90ºC (depending on the machine used) and creating not that well “controlled” fibrotic collagen/“neocollagenesis” on the hypodermis and dermis.

There is a reason that microneedling is called ‘collagen induction therapy’ and RF microneedling goes one step further in producing fibrotic collagen by combining needling with extreme RF heat.

So I was really surprised that this client was recommended RF microneedling for fibrosis after vaser lipo. You don’t fight fibrosis by creating more fibrosis. You don’t break down collagen by creating more collagen.

This is dangerously ignorant, especially when it comes from a surgeon, who should know better how different skin technologies work and think twice about the recommendations they give to their patients.

Instant fat loss! Instant skin tightening! Instant fibrosis removal! Well, it doesn’t work that way…

The problem is that in today’s instant gratification society people actively look for instant, painful, expensive miracle procedures (in this case vaser lipo) to magically tighten the skin and lose the fat “forever”.

Of course, nothing is “forever” in this universe and even more so on the human body.

And when things go wrong, people keep looking for yet another instant, painful, expensive miracle procedure to repair the damage of the previous instant, painful, expensive miracle procedure (in this case, RF microneedling) and blindly trust the first person of authority who will promise that to them.

Of course, this is not how the body works. For proper skin tightening multiple SAFE skin tightening procedures are required (e.g. deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency provided by a well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist). And to break fibrosis, again, multiple massage / ultrasound treatments are required by well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist.

Especially with fibrosis there is no other way than going gradual and slow. If you try to reduce it faster you will irritate the tissues and you will produce more of it.

And I see that at the clinic all the time: people blindly trust instant miracle-type medical procedures and then they get their skin injured as a result. And authority figures in the aesthetic industry routinely propose HIFU, RF microneedling, extreme intensity RF and all sorts of other fibrosis-inducing procedures to break down fibrosis. The amount of ignorance and misinformation is astounding.

My advice to all these people is: “You do not need to have treatment specifically with us, you can have post-lipo treatment elsewhere. Just don’t get further injured with the wrong procedure that you have in mind.”

I have seen it so many times happening in the past. People are recommended vaser to break down vaser-induced fibrosis (it was a disaster) or cryolipolysis-induced fibrosis (also ended up in disaster). They are recommended HIFU to break down post-RF microneedling fibrosis (who thinks of that stuff?). And on and on and on…

So what am I to do? How, as a consumer, am I to know what to choose?

It’s simple, you don’t need to have any specialist knowledge, you just need to know two things.

Firstly, anything instant or one-off carries very high risks, which are ALWAYS underplayed by the practitioners who offer them. If you try to go from A to B with a supercar at 200mph on Britain’s narrow roads, chances are that you will crash. Opt for low-risk, gradual results, instead of high-risk instant miracles. Common sense.

So avoid anyone who promises you instant (instant means trouble), permanent (there is no “forever”) with 1-4 (too few), very painful (no need for pain), extortionately expensive (can you smell a rat?) procedures.

Secondly, to choose the right person or clinic, talk to 3-4 practitioners/clinics, hear what they have to say and then use your common sense to decide who is just wants your money, promises you instant miracles or are ignorant and who is honest, down to earth and/or knows what they are talking about.

Thirdly, for fibrosis reduction, be prepared for lots and lots of massages and (responsibly applied) ultrasound treatments (we are talking 10, 15, even 20 sessions). 1-4 sessions will not cut it.

And never go for RF microneedling, HIFU or other collagen-producing treatments to break down already too much collagen (which is what fibrosis is).

Common sense again, which is lacking more and more in our industry, in the pursuit of profit and with poor training and understanding of the underlying science.

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.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound 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 or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)