A Systematic Review of the Clinical Efficacy of Micro-Focused Ultrasound Treatment for Skin Rejuvenation and Tightening

Abstract

The demand for non-invasive skin-tightening techniques is continuously on the rise, as now numerous patients seek safe and effective alternative body, neck, and facial aesthetic surgical procedures. Microfocused ultrasound (MFU) has been recently introduced as a novel energy modality for skin rejuvenation to produce a more significant wound healing response at various levels, including strong collagen remodeling and long-lasting clinical response. This literature study was intended to find the role and efficiency of using micro-focused ultrasound therapy in male and female patients aged 35-65. A total of 139 articles were extracted from the PubMed and Science Direct electronic databases. After a thorough evaluation and following the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 10 full-text articles were relevant to the study. The goal was to analyze and examine the effects and benefits of MFU treatment to improve the skin. In addition, all of the patients were evaluated to report the harms and risks associated with MFU treatment. The literature study results revealed that significant improvements in the overall aesthetics of sagging of the mid and lower face could be accomplished by using a micro-focused ultrasonic treatment plan. Patients report no considerable side effects, and the results were also long-lasting. MFU treatment can activate deeper tissues without causing injury to the epidermis, which sets it apart from all other skin tightening methods. Better improvements rates have been reported by both patients' self-assessment and clinical investigators' evaluation.

The efficacy and safety of the high‐intensity parallel beam ultrasound device at the depth of 1.5 mm for skin tightening

“…Ulthera® generates energy in short duration range of 25–50 ms with high frequencies of 4, 7, and 10 MHz propagating to an approximate focal depth of 4.5 , 3.0 , and 1.5 mm to create thermal coagulation in different skin layers 9,10 . Specifically, the 4.5 mm transducer is used to target the SMAS, whereas the 3.0 mm and 1.5 mm transducers target the collagen and elastin in the dermis layer of the skin 9,11–13 . Likewise, the intense focused US device, such as Doublo™, HIRONIC Co. applying 4 MHz, 4.5 mm probe and 7 MHz 3.0 mm probe also showed the efficacy in lower face and neck skin laxity correction 14 .…”

“…9,10 Specifically, the 4.5 mm transducer is used to target the SMAS, whereas the 3.0 mm and 1.5 mm transducers target the collagen and elastin in the dermis layer of the skin. 9,[11][12][13] Likewise, the intense focused US device, such as Doublo™, HIRONIC Co. applying 4 MHz, 4.5 mm probe and 7 MHz 3.0 mm probe also showed the efficacy in lower face and neck skin laxity correction. 14 However, some complications from MFUs have been reported in those conventional transducers.…”

Evidence-Based Medicine for Nonsurgical Facial Rejuvenation

“…They determined that MFU yielded significant improvements in the aging face. 42 They highlight a prospective study by Lu et al of 25 patients who underwent MFU (level 3 evidence) that showed a significant decline in mean wrinkles score after 3 months (p ¼ 0.0222). However, while a 0.47 mm brow lift was also seen at 3 months, this returned to baseline after 6 months.…”

Vulvar Rejuvenation Using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU): Fundamentals and Technique

“…The reason for these findings is the thermal action of HIFU on the fibrous tissue constituting the SMAS ("lifting effect"), as well as on the collagen of the reticular dermis Despite the remarkable immediate effect on the skin, HIFU has proven to be even more efficient in the long term. Authors [18] reported that the interval for a reevaluation, in order to judge the results, may vary from 2 to 6 months; however, Suh et al (2016) [19] treated individuals with a total of 3 sessions of Focused Ultrasound with intervals of 4 weeks between sessions.…”

“…The distance between the lines of TCPs ranges from 2 to 5 mm [18]. This might be adjusted to make with it occurs automatically during the delivery of TCPs using "multiline" transducers, but with the use of "single-line" transducers.…”