Many people desire the effects of full skin resurfacing for fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scarring, but the downtime of most associated procedures and the possible risks keep many people from enduring the pricey procedures of CO2 or erbium lasers, Fraxel, and others. To fill the need for a machine that gave the effects of these procedures, but without the downtime, pain, and cost, Venus Concepts created the Venus Viva system. Dr. Rueckl and his staff helped with the FDA study for this technology and it received its approval in mid-2015.
What is Venus Viva and what does it do?
The Venus Viva combines NanoFractional Radio Frequency (RF) and SmartScan technology into a system that delivers proven results through a skin heating process that offers minimal discomfort to the patient. Venus Viva designed for use in dermatological procedures for ablation (removal) of soft tissue and resurfacing of the skin. The unique system allows the technician to manually control ablation and coagulation for enhanced treatment efficiency and patient comfort. The use of NanoFractional RF delivers energy through the epidermis, to the dermis, to generate heat and initiate skin change, rebuilding collagen and fibroblast stimulation, all resulting in tissue remodeling. Because the system is “color blind” meaning it has no laser or light to it, the Venus Viva allows for all skin types and locations (except eyelids and lips) to be treated. Benefits of this treatment include the reduction of wrinkles, skin laxity, scars, acne scars, pores, textural irregularities, tone, and superficial skin lesions.
During the FDA trial our patients with melasma also found that this treatment helped clear many of their discolorations too. Due to the unique nature of the treatment head and the RF delivery, the majority of the ablation from the procedure occurs under the skin, as sublative rejuvenation, allowing for less downtime for the patient, less surface skin removal, and better results than treatments done with traditional fractional lasers. See the illustration below to understand the difference between traditional fractional lasers and the Venus Viva. It shows how the Venus Viva tips’ pins go deeper into the skin and affect the underlying levels, as opposed to removing more surface skin and damaging the top level. The Venus Viva is unique in that the tips have 1,000 pulses and can be reused in subsequent treatments (by a single patient only) if not all pulses are done with one treatment. This allows the treatment to cost less than other fractional devices that have single-use tips. Venus Viva treatments are most effective when done as a series of treatments, with at least 3 treatments being completed, usually in 4-6 week intervals. Multiple treatments are needed for full effects and you will continue to see your improvements develop, becoming more and more noticable 2-6 months after your series is completed. This series of treatments can also be combined with other treatments including Venus Freeze, Lumecca, or Laser Genesis, and additional procedures done by Dr. Rueckl, to enhance the effects of the Venus Viva, if desired.
What areas are treated with Venus Viva treatments?
Most patients elect to have Venus Viva treatments to their face, although some patients also have their necks and/or chests treated. The only areas that are not able to be treated with Venus Viva are the eyelids and lips. To see a before and after photo gallery, and to read more about the procedure itself, please visit http://www.venustreatments.com/venus-viva/.
What is a Venus Viva treatment like?
Before you begin a Venus Viva series, you will discuss the procedure with Dr. Rueckl or one of the certified technicians, sign a consent, and if desired, take pre-treatment photos. After that a topical anesthetic will be applied to the area being treated to reduce any associated discomfort. Many offices charge extra for topical anesthetics but we have always believed that your comfort should come first, so we include this at no charge for any procedures in our offices. The topical cream is kept on for about 15-20 minutes. To allow the applicator to have full contact with the skin, the Venus Viva needs to be done on dry skin, so no gels or lotions will be applied. The treated area will be fully cleansed with alcohol prior to treatment; this allows any residue to be removed for full contact of the Venus Viva applicator. Additionally, unlike other procedures, the Venus Viva does not use an air chilling system to pre-cool the area, though one may be applied post-procedure or post-treated site to cool the skin and calm redness. To perform the treatment, your technician will use the Venus Viva system with the applicator to treat your specific area with individual shots of energy. During the treatment the technician may adjust the settings to treat different areas with different depths of energy. You will feel warm during the treatment and you might experience what can be compared to a pin prick or rubberband snap with different pulses. Some areas will experience these sensations more than others, but never should you feel so much pain that the procedure is intolerable. When the area is fully treated, your technician may have you sit with the cold air chiller for a few minutes to calm redness or any heat you feel. The technician will remove your tip and label it for future treatments since each tip has a total of 1,000 individual pulses to be used. Your technician will also apply hydrocortisone to any needed sites and give you a post procedure kit to take home. Your treatment will take approximately 45-60 min for the face, and longer or shorter for other areas treated.
What kind of results can I expect from a Venus Viva treatment?
Shortly after the treatment there will be moderate redness and some light swelling of the treated zone in patterns the size of the treatment applicator. The redness should stop after a few hours, and the swelling should go down within 12-24 hours. You should apply the products given to you at your treatment as needed to moisturize the skin, and you should not use any aggressive products or a Clarisonic for a few days. This will help the healing process. As the sites continue to heal you may experience itchiness, which can be halted with a simple over-the-counter allergy pill if you desire or by applying hydrocortisone. Do not scratch, itch, or pick at the sites. After about 24-72 hours, you will notice small pin-point crusts in each ablated spot where the electrode pins of the treatment head contacted the skin. These will naturally exfoliate and can easily be covered with makeup. You should have realistic expectations and remember that multiple sessions will be necessary. Venus Viva results will continue to develop over the coming months, as new collagen is created. Each session will further ablate and resurface the skin, resulting in a reduction of wrinkles, skin laxity, smaller pores, textural irregularities, and scarring. Again some patients with melasma will also notice the breaking up of various pigment. Follow-up treatments will be needed in the future to maintain results and are offered at a discounted rate after the initial treatment package is completed. Most often people elect to have maintenance procedures done every 6-12 months.
How much does a Venus Viva treatment cost?
Venus Viva treatments are $600 per treatment. After your inital treatment series of three is completed, maintenance priced treatments are offered at significantly reduced rates. Our prices are based upon our technicians’ high level of experience, the care you receive, our value-added benefits, the direct supervision of a Board-certified dermatologist, and the consumable costs for our treatments. While other offices may offer different pricing structures, we are confident that you will not receive the same level of care from any other facility.
