Tighten up that loose skin with Renuvion

by Courtney Caplin, MD, DMD
Cosmetic Surgery Columnist

One of my favorite things about working in cosmetic surgery is there is always newer and better technology coming out to treat the body in less invasive ways. One of the most common requests I get at my practice is the desire to tighten skin.

Many situations can leave patients with loose skin, including after pregnancy, after massive weight loss, or even after liposuction which removes the fat, but the skin is left behind.

Until recently, cosmetic surgeons had very limited options to treat this loose skin. Minimal tightening could be achieved with ultrasound and radio-frequency heat, but for anything of greater severity, the skin would need to be cut out and thrown away. 

Although the results from excising the excess skin leave a fantastic shape, there was no way to avoid a scar. For areas of redundant skin, surgery is still the answer, but for many of the less severe cases, we have a new device called Renuvion.

Renuvion uses helium plasma and radio-frequency heat to very quickly heat the soft tissue underneath the skin to cause contraction: lightening-tightening. This procedure is still more like a surgery, meaning one would want to be sedated for it, but scars are minimal. 

Several small incisions are made like liposuction, and the device uses a wand that goes under the skin to deliver the energy. Immediate contraction can be seen while the patient is still asleep on the table, but results continue to improve for months. 

Right after the procedure, the patient does swell, so the results really start to show between four to six weeks and will get better with time as the body forms more collagen and continues to tighten for up to six to nine months. The Renuvion can be used all over the body with the neck, arms, upper back, and thighs being most popular.

In addition to skin tightening, the Renuvion can also be used for skin resurfacing. It works similarly to a laser as it ablates the top layers of the skin, essentially burning it in a controlled manner. The top layer of skin exfoliates off, and you are left with brand new baby fresh skin underneath. 

You can learn more about these and other new technologies to improve and tighten your skin, schedule a complimentary consultation at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates with Dr. Caplin or Dr. Nuveen by calling (405) 842-6677.

Copyright The Gayly. 11/28/2019 @ 7:22 a.m. CST