Efficacy and Safety of Microfocused Ultrasound With Visualization in Abdominal Skin Laxity: A Randomized, Comparative
Vasanop Vachiramon1, Korn Triyangkulsri1, Wimolsiri Iamsumang1
1Division of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Background And Objectives:
Microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) has been approved for the treatment of skin laxity on several areas including the eyebrows, neck, and submental area. This study aims to determine the efficacy of MFU-V for the treatment of abdominal skin laxity using two different treatment protocols.
Study Design/Materials And Methods:
Thirty female patients with abdominal skin laxity were enrolled. Each side of the abdomen was randomly assigned to receive a single session of single-plane MFU-V treatment (4.5 mm) or dual-plane MFU-V treatment (4.5 and 3.0 mm). Improvement scores (0-10) were assigned by a blinded physician and patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment.
Results:
Twenty-eight female patients completed the study. The physician-evaluated mean improvement scores in single-plane treatment were 3.03 (±1.26), 3.43 (±1.35), and 2.18 (±0.86) at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up, respectively. For dual-plane treatment, the scores were 3.11 (±1.23), 3.39 (±1.34), and 2.02 (±0.79). There was no statistically significant difference between single- and dual-plane treatment at each time point. A similar pattern of improvement was observed in patient-rated mean improvement scores. Patients who had undergone childbirth had significantly higher physician and patient-rated mean improvement scores than those who had not in both single- and dual-plane treatments. In addition, a significant reduction of mean waist circumference was observed in patients who had undergone childbirth. The median pain scores were 5.25 for single-plane treatment and 4.29 for dual-plane treatment (P = 0.20).
Conclusion:
Both single- and dual-plane MFU-V treatments showed comparable efficacies in treating abdominal skin laxity. The effect is more pronounced in patients who had undergone childbirth. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
