Investigating the Role of Radiofrequency in Back Contouring after Massive Weight Loss

Background: The increasing prevalence of obesity and thehigh success rate of bariatric surgery have made the presentationof skin sagging and obesity on the back difficult. Severalcontouring techniques have been described for the treatment ofsuch difficult deformities.Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the aestheticresults of two energy-assisted liposuction techniques; Radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL) and VASER-assistedliposuction (VAL) in back contouring of patients with massiveweight loss.Patients and Methods: A total of 163 consecutive patientsunderwent surgery between January 2017 and January 2021.106 patients (the study group-A) underwent RFAL(BodyTite RF platform, Invasix Corp.). Fifty-seven patients(the control group-B) underwent VAL (VASER-Lipo system;Sound Surgical Technologies, Louisville, Colo) alone withoutusing the BodyTite RF platform.Results: The mean age was 31.5 years. The mean follow-up time was 29 months (range: 12-60 months). The estheticsatisfaction in group A was rated as excellent by 48 patients(45.28%), good by 40 (37.74%), fair by 9 patients (8.49%),and poor by 9 patients (8.49%). In group B, 29.82% of patientshad an excellent and good result, while 70.18% rated the resultas average to poor due to the increase in excess skin. Earlycomplications occurred in 8 patients (7.55%), including minortip hits burn (6 cases), a mild burn, and a seroma withouthematoma.Conclusions: Radiofrequency-assisted liposuction providesa safe and effective treatment for back contouring aftermassive weight loss while avoiding more invasive surgicalprocedures.