What are the side effects of VelaShape?

The VelaShape has some of the least side effects of the various cosmetic treatments available.

Common side effects are minor bruising, which is temporary. 

This tends to occur in about 10% of patients who seem to be more susceptible to bruising.  The other 90% do very well without any bruising.  So its not that everyone will get some bruising, its more divided into those who are susceptible and those who are not.  The bruising typically will be seen over bony areas, or in areas where there is a significant amount of loose skin, fat, and cellulite.

Another side effect is the formation of petechia, which is more commonly seen across the board.  This is due to the suction effect of the treatment.  The suction causes the capillaries at the surface of the skin to sometimes open and cause the "hickey" effect on the treated areas.  These are not the same as bruises, and they also resolve within a few days.

Serious side effects may occur if the skin is extremely loose, and it gets sucked up into the treatment head and contacts the infrared lamp lens.  This could cause a 1st degree, or even a 2nd degree burn. 

With good technique this should not happen, although it has been reported in patients with very loose skin (such as in a post-gastric bypass patient with 100-pound weight loss).  In our practice we still treat these patients with loose skin, as it helps to firm and shrink their skin for patients that wish to avoid surgical options.  In these cases, we are diligent to hold the loose skin taut during the treatment to avoid the potential problems.

Regarding long-term side effects, we have not seen any since we performed the FDA trials on the VelaSmooth in 2004, and do not expect to see any because the energies of the VelaShape are focused only in the skin and tissue down to approx. 2 cm depth.  The InfraRed light is absorbed at the surface and dissipates as it enters the tissue.  The radiofrequency electrical energy is "bi-polar" and oscillates between the two electrodes on the surface of the skin.  It does not travel deeper through the body like some "monopolar" RF devices that have a grounding patch on your back.

As an aside, there are some "Positive" side effects, and these include improvement of lymphatic flow among others.  There are findings that lymphatic massage techniques can have positive health benefits.  The VelaShape promotes the lymphatic drainage and circulation in the peripheral tissues.  Since 2004, we have had Vela patients report increased energy and well-being after having the Vela treatments.  Those reports may be due to the lymphatic drainage improvements.  Finally, the infrared light energy has also been used in Chinese medicine and other alternative medicine approaches as a helpful energy for the body.

Thank you,

John Shieh, M.D.