Clinical utility of the 2-line high-intensity focused ultrasound for skin tightening in Republic of Korea: retrospective clinical study

Abstract

Background: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a widely used procedure for skin rejuvenation because it targets only the superficial musculoaponeurotic system layer with coagulated thermal energy. However, its long procedure time is inconvenient for both the patient and the operator. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effects of 2-line HIFU.Methods: Between August 2021 and September 2022, patients with sagging and loose facial skin were treated with a 2-line HIFU (10thera ® ) following the manufacturer's recommended protocol. We evaluated patients using an automatic skin diagnosis system at the pretreatment stage and about three months after treatment.Results: All patients were treated using the 2-line HIFU. Five patients were lost to follow-up. The median procedure time was 14 minutes. The mean skin grade was 17 at pretreatment and 14 at posttreatment, showing a significant (p < 0.01) difference between the two. Conclusion:This study suggests that the 2-line HIFU can improve wrinkling and sagging of an aging face. It is believed that the shortened treatment time would improve the satisfaction levels of both the operator and the patient.

Skin tightening effecacy and safety: high-intensity focused ultrasound alone or in combination with monopolar radiofreqeuncy treatment in Republic of Korea: retrospective clinical study

“…The HIFU machine utilized in the research employed a two-line irradiating transducer, theoretically allowing for the same number of shots to be performed in a shorter duration. In our previous research, when utilizing the two-line HIFU, the average treatment time was approximately 11 minutes [13]. Also, employing 5 cm 2 sized tip for monopolar RF, which is 25% greater than conventional probes, able to perform a procedure on a wide area within the same timeframe.…”