Bipolar Radio Frequency as an Adjunct to Face and Body Contouring: A 745-Patient Clinical Experience.

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency (RF) technology has ushered in a new paradigm in body contouring for patients with mild to moderate skin laxity who desire fat removal without exacerbating skin laxity issues. The authors utilized a bipolar internal RF device as an adjunct to liposuction and found the device to simpler and more accurate than previous technologies. OBJECTIVES Our study aims to review our clinical experience with bipolar RF assisted liposuction (RFAL). METHODS A review of our large experience with bipolar RFAL was completed, with evaluation of the nuances from appropriate patient selection and specific treatment areas. The authors treated 745 patients from January 2017 to January 2020 at two centers. A retrospective chart review was performed of the first and last 50 patients treated at each center (for a total of 100 patients in each group), to assess trends in outcomes and adverse events. RESULTS Results were generally excellent from physician evaluation, and overall patient satisfaction was high (96%). The two most common adverse events were temporary swelling (9%) and nodules (8.5%). Selected examples of a variety of cases are reviewed. CONCLUSIONS The ability to tighten skin with a minimally invasive tool adds much to the contemporary approach to the body contouring patient with skin laxity. Adverse events were minimal and greatly decreased after an initial short learning curve. Bipolar RFAL is a strong addition to our surgical armamentarium and has become one of the essential tools for our practices.