BodyTite vs Renuvion

Do you have areas of your body with lax, wrinkly, and perhaps even sagging skin that bother you? Both BodyTite and Renuvion are excellent options for you to tighten that pesky skin while avoiding a more invasive surgical procedure.

But which one is right for you? Our plastic surgeons, Dr. John Rosdeutscher of NuBody Concepts Nashville and Dr. Mark Peters of NuBody Concepts Memphis have many years of experience achieving excellent results on their respective patients using either one of these devices. Below we’d like to share what we know and have learned.

Similarities Between BodyTite and Renuvion

Minimally-invasive Radio Frequency Assisted Lipolysis (RFAL) is the most advanced skin tightening technology on the cosmetic surgery market today. It uses radio frequency energy to heat tissues under the skin, which promotes collagen and elastin production and coagulates (i.e. shrinks) the skin, giving it better tone and texture.

• Both are FDA-approved tissue coagulation technologies used by plastic surgeons to melt fat and tighten skin
• Both are applied with a thin wand that is inserted under the skin through tiny incisions
• Both are minimally-invasive and typically heal without any sutures – though some plastic surgeons prefer to place a single stitch afterwards for even better healing.
• Both deliver controlled and targeted heat through the wand into the treatment areas, thereby shrinking (coagulating) the deeper tissues and contracting the skin
• Both are administered under local anesthesia
• Both require little downtime with a typically swift recovery of 1-2 days
• Both can be used on any area of the body such as abdomen, back, flanks, bra rolls, inner and outer thighs, and arms.
• Both can also be used on the neck and chin for a non-surgical facelift using a slightly smaller wand
• Both are most effective when combined with liposuction to suction off fat for a better overall result

Differences Between BodyTite and Renuvion

Before we get into the minor differences between these two technologies, we’d like to point out that both are very effective. Which one you choose should mostly depend on your plastic surgeon and which one he prefers and/or has experience with. Plastic surgery is as much art as it is science, meaning the tools are secondary to a surgeon’s skill.

BodyTite

• BodyTite has a sister application called FaceTite for applications to the chin and neck. Both are manufactured by inMode and are essentially the same treatments; the only difference between the two is the size of the wand – a longer wand for BodyTite, and a shorter one for FaceTite.
• Studies have shown that BodyTite consistently achieves 35% – 45% skin contraction in the treatment area. Note that this is less than what you’d achieve with excisional surgery, but much better than could previously be achieved with liposuction or laser lipo alone.
• Results can be seen immediately after the procedure but continue to improve for up to 12 months as renewed collagen production enhances the texture of the skin.

Renuvion

• Unlike BodyTite, Renuvion bolsters the radio frequency energy with helium plasma emitted through the tip of the wand.
• This allows the tissues to be heated precisely to 85 degrees Celsius and cooled down again in under one second. It means that the tissues can safely be heated to a higher temperature, which allows the surgeon to finish an entire area in just 5-15 minutes.
• Studies have shown that Renuvion can achieve 60% skin contraction. Results can be seen immediately after the procedure but continue to improve for 6-9 months.
• Renunvion can be applied to the chin and neck for a non-surgical facelift just like FaceTite, but it is marketed under the same name – the surgeon simply swaps out the probe.

Comparing Renuvion and BodyTite

The above numbers may suggest that Renuvion is superior to BodyTite. However, as we’ve pointed out, the results primarily depend on the skill of the plastic surgeon performing the procedure.

BodyTite and FaceTite may require longer heating times and more patience on part of the surgeon, but most patients don’t necessarily care about that. If you are looking for good results, it’s more important that your surgeon is well-experienced in his or her technology of choice – no matter which one.

For instance, Dr. Mark Peters of NuBody Concepts Memphis has had great success using the BodyTite technology to target cellulite in women. He capitalizes on the fact that BodyTite not only attacks fat cells but also those connective tissue strands that hold down the skin and thereby cause that dimpled look we associate with cellulite – particularly on thighs and buttocks. Dr. Peters was recently awarded First Place in the InMode Expert Clinician Awards Program for his innovative use of the BodyTite technology.

Other Skin Tightening

When it comes to any cosmetic surgery procedure, it is important to compare apples to apples. A large field of procedures gets thrown into the “skin tightening” bucket by manufacturers and marketers, but you should always make sure you compare like technologies to each other.

Below we’d like to give a very brief recap on some other technologies you’ve heard about – and why they can not be compared with BodyTite and Renuvion.

Non-Invasive Skin Tightening

If you have only slight skin laxity and do not want to undergo a procedure that requires sedation, you may prefer a series of repeat non-invasive treatments with zero downtime.

Ultrasound skin tightening: These treatments use focused ultrasound waves to heat skin by external application to induce collagen production and firm up the skin. Ultherapy® is an example of non-invasive ultrasound skin tightening.

Radio frequency skin tightening: We know this sounds confusing, but radio frequency energy can also be used externally to heat the skin and trigger collagen production. It uses the same energy source as BodyTite and Renuvion but is not the same. Exilis® is a popular non-invasive skin tightening treatment.

Microneedling: Some treatments combine radio frequency energy with microneedling to tighten the skin externally. These applications have the advantage that they are safe for all skin types. Morpheus8® is an example of non-invasive microneedling that can be applied to the entire body.

We hope that we’ve given you a better understanding of how BodyTite and Renuvion skin tightening compare to each other and what they can achieve in patients who prefer a minimally-invasive procedure to surgery. If you are ready to discuss your goals with a plastic surgeon, click the schedule button to get started!