SculpSure for the thighs and back in London

The inner thigh, the outer thigh and the back were cleared in the US in 2017, each on its own trial. They are the areas where SculpSure's measured change is smallest: about a tenth of the fat layer on the back and under a tenth on the thighs. We say that plainly, and we treat them in a 25-minute cycle per area with normal activities straight away. Every treatment is led by Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383, at Sculpsure Clinic, 8 Devonshire Place, London, W1G 6HP, with the price in writing at a free consultation.

What the studies measured

• Back, 55 people (the trial behind the 2017 clearance): the fat layer 10.6% thinner at twelve weeks after one treatment.
• Inner thigh, 61 people: 8.0% thinner at twelve weeks after one treatment.
• Outer thigh, 52 people: 7.2% thinner at twelve weeks after one treatment.
• Satisfaction: 83 to 98% across the body trials, which are the maker's studies.

What it does and does not do

SculpSure reduces a bulge on the back, the bra line's lower neighbour, or on the inner or outer thigh by a measured fraction of its fat layer. It does not tighten loose skin on the inner thigh, which a tightening treatment addresses, and it does not treat cellulite, which is a feature of the skin's structure rather than a bulge. The US clearance sets a BMI of 30 or less for the body, and the maker says it is not for weight loss. Bra fat, above the back area, is not a cleared SculpSure area and has no published study, which we say plainly; we treat it in our practice, and the bra fat page sets it out.

The session and after

The applicators are fitted over the bulge on a belt, up to four at once, so both thighs or both sides of the back can be treated in one cycle of 25 minutes. It feels hot, with contact cooling running throughout; the energy can be adjusted, as it was in the published studies. Red and warm afterwards, then tenderness, swelling or a firm feeling for one to three weeks, with normal activities throughout. The result shows from about six weeks and is best at about twelve; in our practice we photograph the area again then. The side effects page has the other risks.

Who it suits

In our practice, an adult close to the weight they want with a stubborn bulge on the back or the thighs and a BMI of 30 or less. A realistic expectation is a change of about a tenth of the fat layer or less. Your clinician checks your suitability at the consultation. The back, inner thighs and outer thighs pages take each area on its own, the knees page covers the area below, the abdomen and flanks page the area above, and the full guide the rest.