Adipose tissue, or fat tissue, is made up of adipocytes (fat cells) that contain cytosolic triglycerides. When their triglyceride concentration is increased, adipocytes can swell dramatically, leading to unwanted excess adipose tissue that can be aesthetically dissatisfying. Eliminating the unwanted adipose tissue in a noninvasive manner has resulted in devices that utilize high-intensity focused ultrasound, low-level lasers, or radio frequency.
For our device, we plan to use radio frequency (RF), which has the ability to reduce the thickness of fat through an electrical current that is quickly alternating. This current increases molecular collisions, generating heat that induces apoptosis, or programmed cell death. It’s important to note that there are no significant effects to surrounding structures, such as skin and muscles.
Once apoptosis occurs, it causes the cell membrane to denature and contained lipids and other materials are released. These materials are considered to be waste by the body and are naturally removed. By maintaining adipocytes at a specific temperature, apoptosis can be induced in several adipocytes. The death of these adipocytes reduces the amount of fat originally there.
References
Boisnic, S., Divaris, M., Nelson, A. A., Gharavi, N. M., & Lask, G. P. (2014). A clinical and biological evaluation of a novel, noninvasive radiofrequency device for the long-term reduction of adipose tissue. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine,46(2), 94-103. doi:10.1002/lsm.22223
Choi, S., Kim, Y., Kim, S., Lee, W., Chang, S., Lee, M., . . . Won, C. (2018). Improvement in abdominal and flank contouring by a novel adipocyte-selective non-contact radiofrequency device. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine,50(7), 738-744. doi:10.1002/lsm.22808
