How does ultrasound cavitation reduce cellulite fat? [Research]

What is ultrasound cavitation?

Ultrasound-induced cavitation is a phenomenon that occurs when high-intensity sound waves are used on certain tissues, such as human skin.

When the intensity of the sound waves is strong enough, the ultrasound waves can create small gas bubbles in the tissue. These bubbles can then quickly collapse, releasing energy in the form of heat and force.

Research has shown that this process can reduce the amount of fat and shrink the size of fat cells in the skin.

How ultrasound cavitation shrinks fat cells: What ex-vivo skin samples show

The exact way that ultrasound-induced cavitation reduces fat and shrinks fat cells is not fully understood, but studies have provided some information.

In experiments using skin samples, exposure to short ultrasound cycles caused a significant shrinkage of fat cells (-23%, P < 0.001).

Analysis of the tissue showed that the process of cavitation destabilised the fat cell membranes and the intercellular fluid.

This destabilisation may be caused by the merging of small vacuoles (fluid-filled sacs) or the formation of clusters of these vacuoles on the fat cell membranes.

The resulting pores in the fat cells' membranes, which are about 0.5-1.5 micrometers in size, allow the fat from fat cells to leak out.

What the living tissue biopsies show

Similar effects were observed in fat tissue samples taken from people who had received ultrasound treatment for fat reduction.

The size of fat cells in the treated areas was significantly smaller than in untreated areas.

This effect was particularly noticeable one day after the final treatment and remained visible after 12 days. Analysis of the tissue showed that scattered fat droplets from inside the fat cells were present in the surrounding tissue and near blood/lymphatic vessels, but there was no longer any leaking of the fat from fat cells.

No other cells or tissues affected apart from fat cells

It is important to note that the effects of ultrasound-induced cavitation on fat cells do not seem to cause injury or inflammation in the surrounding tissue and do not affect other cells in the area.

This suggests that, when used correctly, ultrasound-induced cavitation does not create harmful conditions in the tissue.

Previous studies on animal skin have also found that this process can reduce fat cells without harming the skin, blood vessels, nerves, or connective tissue.

Safe and effective

Overall, the research shows that ultrasound-induced cavitation can significantly reduce fat and shrink fat cells in human skin.

The process appears to destabilise the outer layers and fat-filled space inside fat cells, leading to the leakage of the fat.

Furthermore, these effects do not cause harm or inflammation and are specific to fat cells.

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Histological and Ultrastructural Effects of Ultrasound-induced Cavitation on Human Skin Adipose Tissue

• Research paper link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25289235/

• Abstract: Background: In aesthetic medicine, the most promising techniques for noninvasive body sculpturing purposes are based on ultrasound-induced fat cavitation. Liporeductive ultrasound devices afford clinically relevant subcutaneous fat pad reduction without significant adverse reactions. This study aims at evaluating the histological and ultrastructural changes induced by ultrasound cavitation on the different cell components of human skin. Methods: Control and ultrasound-treated ex vivo abdominal full-thickness skin samples and skin biopsies from patients pretreated with or without ultrasound cavitation were studied histologically, morphometrically, and ultrastructurally to evaluate possible changes in adipocyte size and morphology. Adipocyte apoptosis and triglyceride release were also assayed. Clinical evaluation of the effects of 4 weekly ultrasound vs sham treatments was performed by plicometry. Results: Compared with the sham-treated control samples, ultrasound cavitation induced a statistically significant reduction in the size of the adipocytes (P < 0.001), the appearance of micropores and triglyceride leakage and release in the conditioned medium (P < 0.05 at 15 min), or adipose tissue interstitium, without appreciable changes in microvascular, stromal, and epidermal components and in the number of apoptotic adipocytes. Clinically, the ultrasound treatment caused a significant reduction of abdominal fat. Conclusions: This study further strengthens the current notion that noninvasive transcutaneous ultrasound cavitation is a promising and safe technology for localized reduction of fat and provides experimental evidence for its specific mechanism of action on the adipocytes.