Efficacy of Ultrasound for Localized Fat Treatment on Clinical and Psychological Outcomes: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: The use of ultrasound for localized fat treatment on possible psychological influences is little explored to date. Therefore, it is relevant to elaborate studies that include a placebo group in order to measure the real effects of the exclusive application of ultrasound. OBJECTIVES: To verify the influence of ultrasound application for localized fat treatment on clinical, functional, and psychological outcomes. METHODS: Thirty female participants who were candidates for localized abdominal fat treatment were included and randomly divided into three groups: control (CG, n = 10), experimental (EG, n = 10), and placebo (PG, n = 10). The CG did not receive any intervention. The EG received 10 ultrasound sessions for 20 minutes. For the PG, ultrasound was also applied for 20 minutes, but with zero intensities. Anthropometric assessment, cardiovascular parameters, circumference measurements, photography, endurance test, and subjective questionnaires were performed before and after the treatment protocols. RESULTS: The EG photographs show an improvement of 60% in the visual appearance. Regarding the other analyzed outcomes, no statistically significant differences were found between moments and groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment and posttreatment photographs analysis demonstrate visual improvement in the appearance of abdominal localized fat in the EG. However, ultrasound application, when compared with CG and PG, is not a superior method for improving clinical, functional, and psychological parameters. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2: [Image: see text]