A radio-frequency device that helps to tighten skin, including around the vagina.
A non-invasive fat removal device for sculpting.
A hair grafting device that promises rapid procedures.
Dr. DiBernardoBarry DiBernardo, M.D., FACS, director of New Jersey Plastic Surgery in Montclair, is praising all of these devices as “up-and-coming winners for this year.” Dr. DiBernardo, who’s a consultant, trainer and researcher for each of the device manufacturers, spoke about them during a session on Hot Devices in 2016 at The Aesthetic Meeting in Las Vegas, the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Here are the devices:
ThermiRF, an injectable radio frequency technology device that applies heat.
Dr. DiBernardo praises its ability to tighten skin in contrast to other devices. “There are a lot of devices that can reduce fat, but you can still have skin hanging there,” he tells Cosmetic Surgery Times.
According to Dr. DiBernardo, the device has shown success at tightening skin in the neck and around the eyelids. It can also be applied to abdominal, arm and breast skin.
Related: Nonsurgical neck tightening: What works best?
He also highlighted an add-on component of the machine known as ThermiVa, which provides vaginal tightening.
Plastic surgeons should be cautious about using the device at the correct temperature, he says. “The beauty is that a probe is monitoring the temperature under the skin and a thermal camera monitors the temperature above the skin.”
SculpSure, a laser treatment for non-invasive lipolysis of the flanks and abdomen.
“It works faster than previous devices and has more versatility for more parts of the body,” Dr. DiBernardo says. “The applicators are flat so you can use it almost anywhere in the body compared to those hose-curved applicators that had to fit certain curves and certain dimensions.”
Related: A closer look at Sculpsure
He cautions that SculpSure must be reserved for the proper patients. Someone who’s overweight should get liposuction or a tummy tuck instead, he says.
SmartGraft, a hair-grafting device that promises to do a better job of preserving hair until implantation.
“It’s added a lot of improvements over previous devices,” Dr. DiBernardo says, and streamlines several steps so the grafting procedure can be performed more quickly.
As for cautions, he advises that “you need to be experienced at hair transplants to use these kind of devices.”
Disclosures: Dr. DiBernardo reports being a consultant, trainer and researcher with ThermiAesthetics (ThermiRF), Cynosure (SculpSure) and Vision Medical (SmartGraft).
