NuEra tight: efficacy and safety in the treatment of the appearance of cellulite with minimal downtime

Background: Cellulite is a complex aesthetic problem caused by a complex interplay of dermal-fascial septae, lipodystrophy, and inadequate skin elasticity, but reliable solutions for this condition remain elusive. Objective: To evaluate a novel radiofrequency-based body contouring device cleared by the FDA for the temporary improvement in the appearance of cellulite in the thighs and abdomen (NuEra; Lumenis, Ltd., Yokneam, Israel). Methods: A prospective cohort trial was designed to first collect subjective patient and provider reported outcome measures of safety, comfort, and efficacy of the NuEra system in treatment of thigh cellulite in 9 participants. Following review of this data, the second portion of the trial was conducted using the NuEra system to treat the abdominal area in the same patients, collecting anthropometric measurements using a 3-dimensional imaging system (Vectra M3; Canfield, Parsippany, NJ, USA). Treatment protocol specified 5 treatments at approximately 1 week intervals with a final treatment after a 6 week delay. Results were assessed at the time of the treatments and at two month following the last treatment. Likert scales were used to evaluate subjective provider and patient experience and a standardized cellulite assessment scale was used to rate the pre and post treatment photographs. Results: Patients rated the overall level of comfort at 4.3 and satisfaction as 3.3 on a 5-point scale. Pain scale scores during treatment averaged 1.4 on a 5-point scale. Providers reported very high levels of satisfaction with the ease of the treatment (4.3 on a 5-point scale). Evaluation of standardized photographs showed an average improvement of 0.53 (standard deviation [SD]=0.53), with the average pre-treatment score of 2.2 (SD=0.62) and post-treatment score of 1.64 (SD=0.68). The average reduction in waist and hip circumference measurements was 0.99 cm (SD=2.68 cm) and 0.71 cm (SD=1.44 cm). Conclusion: Radiofrequency based body contouring is a safe, effective, and well tolerated treatment for thigh cellulite. KCI Citation Count: 0