As we age, our skin begins to naturally lose its firm texture for various reasons, from basic wear and tear to environmental causes to weight fluctuations. This common concern drives many people to search the internet for the best ways to tighten their skin. 

If you have grown increasingly frustrated with loose, sagging skin, wrinkles, or fine lines on your body, know this is a prevalent issue! The aging process is a natural and normal part of life. Still, it prompts many of us to seek an effective method for improving skin texture and addressing skin laxity to achieve a sharp, younger-looking appearance. 

A litany of skin-tightening treatments exists on the market, ranging from invasive lift procedures to nonsurgical treatments, creams, and everything in between.

This post will focus on a middle-of-the-road treatment offered in a minimally invasive setting–Renuvion®. It is designed to provide quick, dramatic, and long-lasting results while avoiding the surgical nature of options like skin lifts and tummy tucks. 

If you're looking to rejuvenate your figure by tightening and toning loose skin, Renuvion Technology may be the answer. This procedure uses an innovative approach to deliver effective results in one seamless sitting. 

Let's delve into how Renuvion works, what type of skin tightening results it provides, recovery pointers, and more. 

What is Renuvion®?

Renuvion, formerly known as J-Plasma, is a medical device that combines helium plasma and a proprietary radiofrequency (RF) energy to tighten the skin of treated areas.

Surgeons use Renuvion to stimulate collagen production, resulting in skin tightening, by carefully heating subcutaneous connective tissues directly beneath the skin. Collagen is essentially the skin's inner scaffolding, so by producing new collagen, Renuvion helps tighten the area and restores lost volume.

When accompanied by AirSculpt fat removal, which already provides some modest skin tightening, Renuvion delivers a dramatic difference by instantly helping the treated area's skin contract to its newly slimmed shape. 

How Does Renuvion Skin Tightening Work? 

Renuvion® combines radiofrequency energy and helium plasma, applied through tiny entry points using a thin wand. This cold plasma energy precisely contracts loose skin tissue and stimulates rapid collagen production. 

Unlike a tummy tuck or arm lift, this technique does not involve invasive skin excision. Instead, the procedure is performed through minuscule entry points just a couple of millimeters wide. These are so small they do not require a scalpel to be made, and they heal without stitches.

Surgeons place a thin handheld wand through these entry points, delivering a balanced cold plasma energy application just below the skin's surface. The helium helps cool the area to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the procedure.

This method provides a dramatic yet delicate effect on tissue by sending pulses into the skin, resulting in soft tissue contraction that surgeons often notice right away. Although results are instantaneously observable, patients enjoy continual improvements over the following six to nine months as the body heals and produces new collagen.

Is Renuvion Technology New? 

Renuvion was first developed more than 20 years ago under the J-Plasma brand. This technology has been adopted in various surgical applications due to its proven ability to safely and effectively apply energy to a specific region while minimizing any effects on surrounding areas. 

More recently, cosmetic specialists, including plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, and physicians, have developed new uses for Renuvion thanks to its unique ability to deliver controlled heat to target body parts.  

Who Is An Ideal Candidate for Renuvion?

Renuvion is excellent for tightening loose skin without more invasive excisional surgery. If you have mild to moderate sagging skin on the body, anywhere from chin to ankle, this procedure can offer a minimally invasive solution with a short recovery time. 

Generally speaking, anyone who qualifies for liposuction is a good skin-tightening candidate. This includes patients within 30 pounds of their ideal weight, not smoking, and in good overall health without internal bleeding or clotting concerns.

Common areas patients want to tighten are:

• The submental area (underneath the jaw)

• Arms 

• Male Chest 

• Thighs

• Abdomen 

• Back Bra Rolls 

What Happens During Renuvion Procedures? 

Renuvion treatments call for a thin wand to be gently inserted through tiny access points created on the target area. The skin is numbed with a topical solution, and small entry points are made.

After these initial steps, a local anesthetic solution is administered to numb the target areas internally. Once the region is fully numbed, controlled plasma energy is applied underneath the skin via the thin Renuvion wand, delivering real-time skin tightening benefits.

Renuvion can be performed under local anesthesia while the patient is fully awake. This is safer and reduces the risk of side effects compared with general anesthesia.

Here at AirSculpt, the patient first has fat removed. If they also choose to receive Renuvion, the skin tightening commences afterward. Skin tightening can also be performed alone if desired.

Most standalone Renuvion treatments take about 20 minutes to an hour to complete. When combined with another body contouring treatment like AirSculpt, the process will take 90 minutes to three hours, depending on the size and number of treated areas. 

How Does Renuvion Compare With Other Skin Tightening Procedures?

Renuvion offers a much-anticipated alternative to more invasive surgeries like a leg lift or tummy tuck. Such treatments require more extensive incisions to pull and remove excess skin and may call for drains and stitches afterward.  

Renuvion is an ideal option for those who do not want skin-excision surgery, including those who would not medically qualify for such treatments. 

The minimally invasive Renuvion approach allows surgeons to provide moderate skin tightening results with less risk and shorter recovery time than more invasive techniques.

What Are The Advantages of Combining Fat Removal With Renuvion?

Combining Renuvion with fat removal like AirSculpt provides a comprehensive transformation. Renuvion requires no extra entry points, as everything can be done through the freckle-sized openings made for all AirSculpt procedures. 

Although AirSculpt does provide some modest skin-tightening benefits, Renuvion can further enhance results for patients who removed larger amounts of fat or those with poor skin elasticity. 

Some common treatments combined with Renuvion include:

• AirSculpt Fat Removal

• Fat Transfers

• Mommy Makeover 

• Abdominal Etching

• Liposuction Revisions

• Cellulite Removal

• Male Breast Reduction

• Submental Liposuction

How Is Recovery After Renuvion?

Most patients can return to work within two days, but you should avoid exercise and strenuous activity for roughly two weeks. Mild pain and swelling are expected near the treatment site for a few weeks, and the compression garment provided to you should be worn at all times according to the surgeon's instructions. 

Here are some tips and pointers for enhancing your recovery:

1. Drink lots of water and avoid too much sodium.

2. Eat balanced, healthy meals heavy in protein and low in sodium and carbs.  

3. Avoid alcohol.

4. Do not try to diet at this time.

5. Wear your compression garments. 

6. Walk 30 to 45 minutes per day. 

7. Rest and avoid heavy activity for the first couple of days. 

8. Return to strenuous workouts after two weeks.

Renuvion Scarring

Scarring concerns are minimized because the entry points made with Renuvion are so small, roughly two millimeters in diameter. Ultimately, the light scarring heals to resemble a small freckle-sized blemish at worst. 

When Do Renuvion Results Appear? 

Patients notice tighter skin as soon as they leave the operating room. As the skin of the treated body part produces new collagen, it will continue to contract to its newly slimmed shape.

Final results can be expected between three and six months after Renuvion skin tightening. 

How Much Does Renuvion Cost?

Renuvion costs can vary depending on the size of the treated area, the number of treated areas, your geographic location, and additional factors such as the type of procedures paired with skin tightening. That said, because AirSculpt never uses general anesthesia, our patients avoid having to pay for anesthesiologist fees.

According to the popular review website RealSelf, the average cost for Renuvion is $6,441.