FlexSure is a non-invasive radiofrequency body treatment that uses a flexible applicator wrapped against the skin to heat the tissue underneath, working on contour and skin quality over a course of sessions. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics uses it at its San Luis Obispo office on the waist, back, arms, buttocks and thighs.
What FlexSure does for your body
Every other body device we run puts a flat, rigid panel against you. That works beautifully on a stomach and it is why so many treatments quietly only treat stomachs. The moment the area curves, an upper arm, an outer thigh, the roll along the side of the waist, a flat panel sits on it like a book on a football and most of the energy never reaches the tissue.
FlexSure is a wrap. It conforms to the shape of the area, holds full contact all the way around a curve, and then warms the tissue underneath for fifteen minutes at a time while you sit and read. Nothing is held, nothing is worked back and forth, and nothing needs a spare set of hands.
That warmth does two things over a course of sessions. It works on a pocket that will not move in the treated area, and it works on the quality and firmness of the skin that has lost its firmness above it. Both arrive gradually, over weeks, and both are real rather than dramatic.
What FlexSure is good at
- The curved places other body devices cannot properly sit on: upper arms, outer thighs, the side of the waist
- The roll along the back and the fold at the bra line
- Softening the look of a stomach that is close but not quite where you want it
- Firming skin quality across an area rather than shrinking one defined pocket
- Fitting into a lunch break, hands free, with nothing to recover from
- Working year round and across skin tones, because heat does not care what color your skin is
- Easing muscle soreness and improving local circulation in the treated area, which the manufacturer builds it to do [3]
Per burst, hands free. The applicator is wrapped and left to work while you sit. Nobody is holding a handpiece against you and nobody is charging you for the time it would take.
How treatment works
It wraps instead of pressing
A flexible applicator is placed against the area and secured so it holds contact all the way around the curve. That contact is the whole design. Energy only works where the applicator actually touches, and full contact on a curved area is exactly what a rigid panel cannot give you.
The tissue underneath warms up
Radiofrequency warms the tissue below the surface while the skin above stays comfortable. Most people describe a steady, pleasant heat, like a heat pack that works from the inside. You sit there. Nothing is being done to you that you have to brace for.
Your body responds over weeks
Warmed tissue repairs and remodels, which is the same process behind every heat-based treatment on this site. It is gradual. Nothing looks different when you stand up, some of it shows over the following weeks, and the fullest version arrives months later. [1]
Treatments in a typical radiofrequency course. [1] That is more sessions than a laser treatment needs and each one is shorter and easier. Know the number before you start. [1]
Where the flat machines cannot reach
If you have been told a body treatment is not suitable for your arms, or you booked one for your outer thighs and the result was underwhelming, this is usually why. It was a shape problem, not a you problem.
| The area | Why a flat panel struggles | What a wrap does |
|---|---|---|
| Upper arms | An arm is a cylinder. A flat panel touches a strip down the middle and lifts away at both edges. | Holds contact the whole way around, so the whole arm is treated rather than a stripe of it. |
| Outer thighs | The saddlebag curve falls away sharply. Panels either slide or sit proud of the skin. | Follows the curve down the outside of the hip and stays in contact. |
| The side of the waist | The one place on the torso that is convex in two directions at once. | Bends in both directions and stays flush. |
| Back and bra line | A folded, uneven surface that shifts when you breathe. | Conforms to the fold instead of bridging over it. |
| Stomach | Nothing. This is the one shape flat panels handle well. | Works fine, and so does the laser treatment for a defined pocket, which is often the better choice here. |
That last row matters. On a flat stomach pocket we will often point you at the laser instead, because it is fewer sessions for a defined pocket of fat. This one earns its place on everything above that row, and on skin quality across a whole area rather than one bulge.
Areas we treat
Abdomen and waistline
Contour and skin quality across the whole area rather than one bulge.
Flanks
The side of the waist, where full contact is hardest to get and matters most.
Back
Folds and the roll at the bra line, treated as a shape rather than a spot.
Upper arms
The area most often ruled out elsewhere, and the clearest argument for a wrap.
Buttocks
Skin quality and contour, where a rigid panel has never sat properly.
Thighs
Inner or outer, following the curve rather than bridging it.
Always have had a great experience here.
The Coastal difference
Three body machines, and the honest answer about which one
Running one body device means every patient gets that device. We run three, which means the interesting question at your consultation is which one, or whether the answer is none of them.
A defined pocket of fat on a flat area usually belongs to the laser, which does it in fewer sessions. Skin quality and contour across a curved area belongs here. Real loose skin, the kind that stays folded after you pinch it, does not belong to any of the three, and we will say so rather than sell you a course that cannot get there. There is a real ceiling on non-surgical firming: it gives modest lifting and tightening, and it does not give the results of a surgical procedure. [2] We would rather you heard that here than found it out over ten appointments.
When most people see the full effect of a non-invasive body course, measured from the last treatment rather than the first. [1]
Is it right for you?
FlexSure is probably a good fit if:
- The area you want treated curves, and you have been turned down or underwhelmed elsewhere
- You want the whole area improved rather than one bulge removed
- You are near a stable weight and looking to refine rather than to lose
- You would rather have more short, easy sessions than fewer intense ones
- You are prepared to judge it at three to six months
We will steer you somewhere else if:
- You have one defined pocket on a flat area, where the laser is fewer sessions
- What you have is real loose skin rather than skin quality, where the honest answer is a surgeon
- Losing weight is the actual goal, because no device on this site does that
- You have a pacemaker, defibrillator or other implanted electronic device
- You have metal implants or permanent filler in the area to be treated
- The area is infected, inflamed or has a recent surgery site
- You are pregnant
Not sure which of these you are? That is what the consultation is for, and the section above on where flat machines cannot reach is most of that conversation in advance.
What to expect afterward
There is almost nothing to this one. The area stays warm and slightly pink for an hour or so and then goes back to normal. No compression, no restrictions, no recovery. People book it between other things and go straight back to their day.
Afterward, do
- Carry on as normal, workouts included
- Drink water and keep moving
- Finish the course, because a radiofrequency course is built out of repetition rather than intensity [1]
- Give it three to six months from your last session before you decide what you think
Afterward, don’t
- Expect to see anything the same week
- Skip sessions and then judge the result
- Assume more heat in one session would replace more sessions
- Weigh yourself looking for the answer, because this changes shape and skin quality, not weight
Call us about anything severe, worsening or surprising: a burn, blistering, real pain, or any reaction that does not match what we described. We would far rather hear from you early.
Concerns treated
This is the body treatment for the shapes other body treatments avoid. Pick a concern to see how we approach it.
What treatment costs
FlexSure is priced by the area and by the number of sessions that area needs, and a radiofrequency course runs longer than a laser course by design. Paired areas, like both arms or both outer thighs, are quoted as a pair. You get the cost of the whole course at your consultation rather than a per-session number that quietly multiplies over three months.
If a different machine would get you there in fewer visits, we will tell you and it will usually cost you less. If none of them can get you where you want to go, we will tell you that too, before you have paid for anything.
Treatment time
15 to 30 minutes per area, hands free
Downtime
None. Warm skin for an hour or so, and that is all
Results appear
Gradually over several weeks, fullest at 3 to 6 months
Results last
Variable. Most people plan maintenance rather than a finish line
FlexSure frequently asked questions
Nobody is holding anything against you. The applicator is wrapped, secured and left to work, which is why the sessions are short, easy to schedule and easy to sit through.
Offered at
Ready to start? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology in San Luis Obispo, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form. In Santa Maria, medical appointments are available without a referral for PPO patients, and for HMO patients we are in-network with Santa Maria Physician's Choice.
A consultation fee of $125 is due at the time of booking.
Sources and medical review
1. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “Non-invasive fat removal: What can you expect?” States that radiofrequency requires 4 to 10 treatments, that “you may notice some changes as early as 3 weeks” and that “most people see the full effect between 3 and 6 months after the last treatment,” that good candidates “have a small bulge of fat that remains despite diet and exercise and their weight falls within the normal range for their height,” and that where there is also loose skin “your dermatologist may recommend treating this first.” https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/fat-removal/non-invasive-what-to-expect · Medical Organization
2. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “Many ways to firm sagging skin.” States that non-surgical firming gives “modest lifting and tightening” and “still cannot give you the results of a surgical procedure like a facelift, eyelid surgery, or neck lift.” https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/younger-looking/firm-sagging-skin · Medical Organization
3. Cynosure Lutronic. “FlexSure wrappable RF applicator.” Manufacturer’s US product page. Describes “the world’s first wrappable RF applicator,” a “peel & stick wrappable applicator” that “curves and conforms to the anatomy of your patients,” a “15-minute hands-free RF treatment,” treatment of the abdomen, flanks, back, arms, buttocks, thighs and knees, multiple applicator sizes across six zones, and “deep tissue heating that penetrates the subcutaneous fat layer,” including for increased local circulation. https://www.cynosure.com/product/flexsure/ · Manufacturer
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. FlexSure™ is a trademark of Cynosure Lutronic, Inc. Warmth and mild pinkness in the treated area are expected and usually settle within an hour. Burns and blistering are uncommon but possible. This treatment is not suitable during pregnancy, or for people with a pacemaker, defibrillator or other implanted electronic device, or with metal implants or permanent filler in the area to be treated, or where the area is infected, inflamed or has a recent surgery site. Individual results may vary. A consultation fee of $125 is due at the time of booking.