A potential game changer has arrived on the scene of minimally-invasive skin tightening, one of the remaining holy grails of non-surgical plastic surgery. Experts are calling Renuvion one of the most revolutionary procedures in decades due its ability to lift and firm without a lot of downtime. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Zienowicz of Rhode Island outlines the blockbuster benefits of this newcomer to non-surgical skin tightening treatments.
Industry Impact
Once in awhile a product or device is so groundbreaking that it changes the landscape of cosmetic surgery. Some experts say that Renuvion falls in that category. “It’s having an enormous impact on everything we are doing in the world of plastic surgery,” shares Dr. Zienowicz. He says the minimally-invasive procedure that lifts and tightens skin can be used anywhere on the body, including the face. “From the face to the rest of the body – so specifically in the neck area, where we’ve always dealt with a lot of thin skin that always gets lax, the tightening (from Renuvion) that I have seen is beyond anything that I have witnessed in my lifetime,” he details. “This is a real change for our profession.”
Zienowicz, who has decades of surgical experience, says Renuvion is remarkable because of the chemical element used to transform skin and tone areas on the body. The device passes ‘helium plasma’ energy under the skin. “Renuvion adds a helium beam to the tip, which creates a little flame that is extremely controlled,” explains Zienowicz. “This allows precise division of tissues and also some coagulation and some condensation and tightening of the tissues that you apply it to.”
He says besides the face, the belly area is also a popular place to focus the treatment. “For the abdomen with loose skin, it is tightening all those areas. It can also be used externally to resurface skin that has a lot of wrinkles or sun damage.”
How Does Renuvion Work?
The procedure is performed in an office setting utilizing local anesthesia only. For facial procedures, small incisions are made under the chin and earlobe from where sutures are placed to elevate certain areas of the face. The device will deliver the helium plasma through these incisions. Zienowicz says Renuvion delivers much better results than some of it’s rival technologies, including ultrasound, radio frequency or lasers and can be used on almost every skin type. “From everything I’ve seen it will be applicable to every type of skin,” he shares. “It’s basically the surgeon’s prerogative, how much energy he/she wants to be applied.”
Authorities say this procedure takes about an hour and the results will be similar to a regular facelift, without the use of a scalpel. “Scapel and incision will deliver the same kind of thing, so this is for situations where you are trying to do less injury on the outside and minimize the visible scars, explains Zienowicz. “This is just a little incision under the neck and then we can resurface some of the neck and behind the ears and tighten up the neck in a way that hasn’t been done.”
Who is a Good Candidate?
It might be easier to ask – who I a good candidate for Renuvion? The procedure has been used on men and women of varying ages from their forties to their eighties, with good results. Zienowicz feels very comfortable offering the treatment to a wide span of patients because of the outstanding results using helium. In addition to his own success, he’s hearing positive feedback from his peers. “From my colleagues who have used it, they echo the sentiment that it’s very easy to use compared to other devices.”
With the power and accompanying surge of interest in non-surgical devices and procedures, delivering one that can satisfactorily tighten skin has been long sought after by surgeons and patients alike. According to the preliminary results of Renuvion, this prize of cosmetic surgery may be finally in hand.