Evaluation of microfocused ultrasound for improving skin laxity in the lower face: A retrospective study

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a newer microfocused ultrasound (MFU) device on the lower face laxity. Subjects who underwent MFU therapy for skin tightening were enrolled in the study. The primary outcome measure was overall improvement in skin laxity of the lower face that was evaluated by improvement on jawline irregularities, marionette line, and submental laxity. Assessments were obtained from two blinded dermatologists paired pre- and post-treatment photographs with Investigator-Global-Aesthetic-Improvement-Scale (IGAIS) and from subjects with Subject-GAIS (SGAIS). A total of 24 subjects were evaluated on a median of 4.3 months after 1 session MFU application. According to IGAIS, 5 subjects (20.9%) demonstrated improvement and 15 subjects (62.5%) had no change. Four subjects (16.7%) were scored as worsening. According to SGAIS, 11 subjects (45.9%) reported an improvement whereas 9 subjects (37.5%) reported no change. There was a statistically significant difference between the improvement rate assessed by the investigators and the subjects, where investigators scored lower (P = .006). No serious adverse effects were observed. The relatively high improvement rate observed by the subjects' self assessments compared to investigators evaluation from the photographs suggested that we need to find new evaluation methods other than photography which may reflect what subjects feel but we cannot see.