What Adverse Reactions May Occur After HIFU Treatment And How To Avoid Them?

Nowadays HIFU is widely and effectively used for non-invasive anti-aging treatment(face lifting and skin tightening). There are various HIFU machines on the market(hifu 4d,hifu 7d,ultraformer mpt,ect).

The following are common and rare adverse reactions and preventive measures of HIFU treatment.

(1) Prismatic protrusions:

Prismatic protrusions are the most common reaction after HIFU treatment. This prismatic protrusion is actually a wheal (urticaria-like) reaction caused by the release of energy to the shallow layer. Usually, the probability of ridged protrusions appearing in intolerant areas such as the neck with thin subcutaneous tissue is higher.

Prismatic protrusions on the face are usually caused by high energy, poor skin tolerance, and poor fit between the treatment head and the skin. Mild ridged protrusions can disappear on their own within 1-3 days. It is recommended that if there are obvious ridged protrusions with redness and swelling after HIFU treatment, glucocorticoid ointment can be applied locally to help it disappear as soon as possible.

(2) Tissue swelling:

The high energy of high intensity focused ultrasound can cause tissue swelling in the fascia layer, but the skin is usually not red.

It usually disappears within 1 week.

(3) Burns:

Studies have shown that the depth and location of the thermal coagulation zone formed by high intensity focused ultrasound are important factors in determining the occurrence of adverse reactions and achieving ideal clinical results.

The thickness of the skin varies from person to person. The skin on the face is thicker than the neck. The thickest part of the face is the cheek, followed by the forehead. Relatively speaking, thin skin is more likely to cause skin burns.

Burns can manifest as blisters (A,shallow second degree) and ulcers (B,deep second degree).

If blisters appear, they can completely disappear without scars if they are treated in time and properly. If they are not treated properly, scars may also remain. Of course, it is also related to whether the patient has a scar-prone constitution.

If ulcers appear, scars will remain even if they are treated in time.

In order to reduce the occurrence of burns, please ensure that the probe(treatment heads) fits well(tightly and correctly) with the skin during treatment. Beauticians can refer to our video of how to perform HIFU treatment correctly.

(4) Nerve damage:

Studies have shown that there is a risk of nerve damage when the high intensity focused ultrasound is used at the superficial nerve site. Therefore, the line should be drawn in a standardized manner to avoid operating in the danger zone. The probability of nerve damage is very small if it is not operated in the danger zone. High energy parameters and overlapping treatment lines are another important risk factor for nerve damage.

Nerve damage caused by high intensity focused ultrasound is reversible. The recovery period for facial motor or sensory nerve disorders ranges from several days to several months, with an average recovery period of 3.5 months.

Beauticians should draw lines strictly according to our HIFU user manual and must not operate in restricted areas.

If you need help on using HIFU machine or performing HIFU treatment,you can always contact us.