Successful treatment of submental fat using a non-focused pulsed ultrasound

The prevalence of non-invasive aesthetic treatments is increasing, with patients demanding easier, safer, and more effective non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Submental fat is usually addressed using liposuction, which is associated with significant adverse events and a long recovery. Although newer, non-invasive submental fat treatments are gaining popularity, they are often complex, require frequent injections, or have adverse side effects.

Assess the safety and efficacy of vacuum-assisted acoustic wave technology for treating submental.

Fourteen female patients underwent a total of three weekly 15-min treatments using ultrasound with a 40 mm bell-shaped sonotrode. Improvement in submental fat was assessed 3 months after the final treatment using questionnaires for the patients and physicians. Two blinded dermatologists rated each patient using the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) 5-point scale.

Both physicians rated a significant improvement in all 14 patients. Furthermore, self-evaluation of the 14 patients on a 1 to 5 satisfaction scale averaged 2.14, indicating that most patients were somewhat satisfied.

This study demonstrates that a three-treatment course with an acoustic wave ultrasound applicator with 1-week intervals leads to a significant reduction in submental fat and can be used as a novel, efficient treatment paradigm.