Now that I’m officially divorced, I’ve decided to embark on a few body upgrades that I refer to as “a non-mom, middle-aged makeover.” While I’m incredibly fit and don’t have a lot of body fat, no matter how much I work out, there are a few areas of my body that time and gravity have left their mark on that I wanted to improve. One of those areas was my inner thighs, which basically looked like wings, but they hung from my femur rather than my arms. Traditionally, liposuction was the only way to get rid of loose skin and fat, but with advances in technology there are now less invasive options for those who don’t want to go under the knife.
After a lot of research, I decided to try first InMode‘s Morpheus8, a radiofrequency microneedling treatment that shot into the mainstream as Kim Kardashian gushed about its skin-tightening benefits on her social feeds. I had my date with Dr. Paul D. Durand, MD Careaga Plastic Surgery. After 6 weeks, I had a follow up with Dr. Durand and suggested I look into InMode’s BodyTite to get the skin tightening benefits I was looking for.
BodyTite was launched in 2017 and is performed by certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists who have received formal training in liposuction. “This is a minimally invasive, single treatment that used directional radiofrequency to deliver subcutaneous tissue coagulation and tissue volume heating,” explains Dr. Spero Theodorou, MD InMode’s Chief Medical Officer. “BodyTite is perfect for patients who have loose skin where liposuction would leave a worse aesthetic result, patients looking for skin tightening and those who don’t want a large scar from more extensive procedures (brachioplasty or tummy tuck). Patients should also have a pre-treatment consultation with their doctor to ensure they are a suitable candidate for the procedure. One treatment is required and results can be seen immediately, with the best results being noticeable after 6 months and continuing for up to 12 months.”
“The company’s proprietary BodyTite family of Radio Frequency Assisted Liposuction (RFAL) and Morpheus8 family of Subdermal Adipose Remodeling Devices (SARD) have strategically positioned InMode as the leading global provider of ‘Treatment Gap’ procedures,” Theodorou tells me about the company . “InMode’s unique product portfolio has created new categories that provide minimally invasive face and body contouring and tightening procedures that offer reliable and effective applications for physicians, with patient safety and comfort in mind.”
“BodyTite is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure where a cannula is inserted under the skin to melt the fat inside while tightening the skin above,” continues Theodorou. “Benefits for this procedure include no resection, superior body contouring, significant body tightening results (up to 40% skin contraction seen in clinical studies), uniform treatment, consistent results, less bruising, swelling and pain, less downtime and improved security.”
I chose to have the treatment right before Christmas Dr. Pat Pazmino, MD, FACS, who has been using BodyTite for two years for body contouring at his Florida practice, Miami Aesthetic. “As a plastic surgeon, I have several tools in my toolbox to tighten muscles and fascia that have become loose after pregnancy or weight loss, and six different types of liposuction to sculpt fat,” she tells me. “But I didn’t have anything that could help tighten the subcutaneous tissue or the skin. InMode helped me fill that gap. BodyTite and FaceTite Help me treat the lower surface of the skin and greatly improve the results of my body contouring.”
In his practice, Pazmino has noticed an uptick in requests for both body contouring and skin tightening. “Over the past five years, we have seen a surge of patients with loose skin interested in body contouring and tightening procedures. In the past, these patients would need invasive procedures, but they don’t care about large scars or long recovery times. InMode allowed me to help these patients by liposculpting and then tightening the overlying skin with BodyTite and FaceTite to avoid large scars.”
BodyTite patient treated by Dr. W. Hart
After a consultation and exam where I showed Pazmino some of my cosmetic concerns that I wanted to address, he felt that in addition to BodyTite I would also benefit from VASER, which is an ultrasound liposuction. “To give you the best results, we wanted to treat your skin and fat on multiple levels. Fortunately, BodyTite is a powerful technology that plays well with other techniques. If skin were a three-story house, BodyTite operates on the first floor. VASER can stabilize the foundation of the house. The combination of these two technologies allowed us to optimize your result and create a long-lasting result,” he explains to me.
I asked Pazmino if BodyTite and VASER would be considered somewhat preventative since my skin would continue to sag as I age if I chose to do nothing now? “Each patient should be evaluated by a professional who has experience with a wide variety of technologies, as there is no one-size-fits-all approach,” answers Pazmino. “However, BodyTite is a powerful way to improve skin laxity and may help patients avoid the major surgical procedures used in the past to correct skin laxity.”
BodyTite patient treated by Dr. T. Shimer
The procedure itself was virtually painless. I didn’t get anesthesia, I was probably given a Xanax to relax me beforehand. So I was awake the whole time (and of course, asking) I was treated, which was about half an hour or so. I was nervous the night of the treatment which was to be expected and the next day I was able to move around at my normal levels. After two weeks, I was back to intense workouts and my normal routine.
It has been three and a half months since my procedure and I am thrilled with my results so far and they will continue to improve over the next few months as the collagen and elastin in my skin rebuilds. I feel much more confident in the skin I’m in as a result of BodyTite.
While I have mixed feelings about certain technologies, when it comes to the field of non-invasive and minimally invasive energy-based aesthetic technologies, I’m a big supporter, especially if it saves me from going under the knife later (or at all). “It’s an exciting time in aesthetic medicine as many new technologies are being introduced that allow us to offer our patients more powerful solutions with fewer incisions and shorter recovery times,” states Pazmino. “This allows patients to achieve the best results with minimal scarring and quickly return to their active lifestyles.” I could not agree more.
