Thermage Skin Tightening treatments have ushered in a new type of anti-aging and skin laxity treatment for cosmetic dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medical spas Radio Frequency Skin Tightening.
Thermage has also implemented a new business model that charges the physician for each Thermage treatment by 'deactivating' a treatment tip after a set number of pulses or a specific time, even if the tip is still usable. This leaves the cosmetic dermatologist or plastic surgeon in the position of having treatment tips that would still work, except that they've been artificially turned off.
With tips costing up to $800 for a single treatment and medical practices under increasing pressure to maintain profitability, many doctors are turning to third parties to 'reactivate' these Thermage tips for additional use by bypassing the counter inside the chip and effectively resetting the device to allow for continued use.
According to Thermage, they disable tips to ensure patient safety.
Thermage's position on reactivating Thermage tips is this:
"The largest study of Thermage is a four year study conducted by Weiss, and it only involved 600 patients. The claims in the Stevens publication are also wildly inconsistent with immense quantities of Thermage quality and reliability data we have compiled on our own products. We know for a fact that the dielectric membrane (the surface sending the RF pulse) on our Thermage treatment tip will break down when subjected to a tiny fraction of the repeated use this publication alleges can be done. Dielectric breakdown can result in patient harm." (Thermage statement)
Potential complications can arise from treating patients with damaged Thermage tips that can include burns or the destruction of underlying fat that can leave permanent depressions in the skin. But, with more and more plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists looking to squeeze out a profit wherever they can and grey-market suppliers able to sell a reactivated Thermage tip for hundreds of dollars below the retail price, refurbishing or reusing Thermage tips may be used in an increasing number of cosmetic practices and medical spas.
Thermage has also implemented a new business model that charges the physician for each Thermage treatment by 'deactivating' a treatment tip after a set number of pulses or a specific time, even if the tip is still usable. This leaves the cosmetic dermatologist or plastic surgeon in the position of having treatment tips that would still work, except that they've been artificially turned off.
With tips costing up to $800 for a single treatment and medical practices under increasing pressure to maintain profitability, many doctors are turning to third parties to 'reactivate' these Thermage tips for additional use by bypassing the counter inside the chip and effectively resetting the device to allow for continued use.
According to Thermage, they disable tips to ensure patient safety.
Thermage's position on reactivating Thermage tips is this:
"The largest study of Thermage is a four year study conducted by Weiss, and it only involved 600 patients. The claims in the Stevens publication are also wildly inconsistent with immense quantities of Thermage quality and reliability data we have compiled on our own products. We know for a fact that the dielectric membrane (the surface sending the RF pulse) on our Thermage treatment tip will break down when subjected to a tiny fraction of the repeated use this publication alleges can be done. Dielectric breakdown can result in patient harm." (Thermage statement)
Potential complications can arise from treating patients with damaged Thermage tips that can include burns or the destruction of underlying fat that can leave permanent depressions in the skin. But, with more and more plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists looking to squeeze out a profit wherever they can and grey-market suppliers able to sell a reactivated Thermage tip for hundreds of dollars below the retail price, refurbishing or reusing Thermage tips may be used in an increasing number of cosmetic practices and medical spas.
About the Author:
For the most current information on Thermage and other nonsurgical cosmetic medical treatments visit the Thermage & Fraxel physician forums at Medical Spa MD, a medical community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Aesthetic Physicians with more than 2,000 Members worldwide.Medical Spa MD.
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