J-Plasma (Renuvion) in Turkey

The device works by heating the fibrous layer under the skin so that it shrinks slightly, the way collagen contracts when heated. That produces a real but limited effect in skin that still has good elasticity and is only slightly loose after fat removal. It is most often used on the neck, the arms, the abdomen and the thighs after liposuction, where a small amount of extra contraction can make the difference between smooth and slightly crepey.

It is not a substitute for a lift. Skin that has been stretched by pregnancy, major weight loss or age, and that shows stretch marks or folds, has lost the structure that contraction depends on. For that skin the only treatment that changes anything is removal, and the scar that comes with it. A surgeon who proposes plasma for skin that needs excision is offering the less honest option because it is easier to sell.

• Mildly loose skin after liposuction

  The situation the device was designed for. Expect a modest improvement in tone, not a transformation, and expect it to develop over months.

• Neck and under the chin

  One of the specific areas for which the device was cleared, and a place where small contraction is visible. Still a heat device near nerves.

• Skin with stretch marks or folds

  Not a candidate. Contraction depends on structure the skin no longer has. This needs a lift or a tuck, and plasma will disappoint.

• Thin skin, darker skin tones, previous burns

  Higher risk of visible colour change and scarring from heat. This deserves a specific conversation rather than a standard consent form.

For the liposuction it is usually combined with, see liposculpture or laser liposuction, and for the operations that actually remove loose skin see tummy tuck and arm lift.

1. 1

   Assessment of the skin

   Pinch and recoil, stretch marks, folds. This is where plasma is ruled in or out, and it cannot be done from a photograph.
2. 2

   Liposuction first

   The fat is removed through small incisions. Plasma is almost always an addition to liposuction rather than a procedure on its own.
3. 3

   The probe under the skin

   Through the same incisions, the probe is passed in the plane the fat came from and energy is delivered in passes. This is the step that carries the burn and gas risk.
4. 4

   Managing the gas

   Helium is released under the skin and has to be allowed out. Ask how the surgeon does this, because trapped gas is one of the reported complications.
5. 5

   Compression and the first weeks

   A garment, swelling, and areas that can feel firm or numb. Burns declare themselves in this period and need to be seen promptly.
6. 6

   Months for contraction

   Skin tightening from heat develops slowly. Judge the result at several months, and expect modest rather than dramatic change.

• Anyone whose skin needs to be removed. Stretch marks, folds and skin that stays put when pinched are not treated by contraction.
• Anyone expecting a lift without a scar. That is the promise the marketing makes and the device does not keep.
• Anyone with darker skin or a history of poor scarring. Heat-related colour change and scarring are more likely and more visible.
• Anyone who cannot be reviewed promptly afterwards. Burns and gas problems declare themselves in the days after, and they need someone to look at them.
• Anyone offered plasma without liposuction being discussed. The device is cleared for use after liposuction. Used alone for tightening, it is being used outside the conditions that clearance set.

• Whether it is an addition to liposuction or quoted alone. It should be the former. A standalone plasma quote for skin tightening is a warning sign.
• How many areas are treated. Priced per area alongside the liposuction of the same area.
• Anaesthetic and setting. Local with sedation or general, day case or overnight, depending on how much liposuction is being done.
• Single-use components. The probe is a consumable and is a real part of the cost.
• Garments and aftercare. Compression, dressings and how many reviews are covered before you fly home.
• What managing a complication would cost. Burns and gas problems are not hypothetical for this device. Ask who pays if one happens.

The clinic listing on this page shows each clinic's current price with a note of what it covers. For instalments, see payment plans. For the liposuction itself see liposculpture and for skin that needs removing see tummy tuck.