High intensity focused ultrasound efficacy on abdominal fat remodeling in female runners

ABSTRACT The search for aesthetic treatments has become increasingly frequent nowadays and one of the dysfunctions that bothers women the most, especially, is lipodystrophy, popularly called “localized fat”. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) can reach a specific volume (in millimeters) within the body cavity without damaging other tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HIFU in reshaping abdominal fat in female runners. A Randomized Clinical Trial was conducted with 46 participants, aged between 18 and 65 years, using HIFU for 30 min/week, for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the change in adipose tissue thickness through anthropometric and ultrasound measurements, in the eighth week post-treatment and the secondary outcomes were adverse events and participant satisfaction. The HIFU group had a mean reduction in waist circumference of 1.7 cm (p<0.001), umbilical circumference of 3.5 cm (p<0.001), and abdominal circumference of 3.8 cm (p<0.001), in addition to a significant reduction in several variables (opposite to the control group), except for lean mass and visceral fat. No moderate or severe adverse effects were observed on physical examination. Only 5 of the 23 patients in the HIFU group described mild erythema, which resolved spontaneously within one day. Through the application of a questionnaire on the degree of satisfaction, all 23 participants in the intervention group reported complete satisfaction. We conclude that the HIFU protocol is effective and safe in reshaping abdominal fat in female runners.