Does ThermiSmooth Body tighten loose stomach skin?

Yes, when the stomach skin is mildly loose and snaps back when pinched. ThermiSmooth Body warms the deeper layer of the skin so it builds new collagen over three to four sessions, with the firming building over three to six months. Skin that stays in a fold, hangs over a waistband or carries stretch marks has lost its recoil and needs a tummy tuck instead.

Is ThermiSmooth Body the same as liposuction?

No. ThermiSmooth Body is temperature-controlled radiofrequency skin tightening: a handheld device warms the skin from the outside so it firms, with no anesthesia, no incisions and no downtime, and it removes no fat. Liposuction is surgery that removes fat through a cannula under anesthesia, with a recovery of several weeks, and it does nothing to skin. Liposuction removes fat; ThermiSmooth tightens skin.

Can ThermiSmooth Body replace a tummy tuck?

No. ThermiSmooth Body firms mildly loose skin; a tummy tuck removes skin that hangs, repairs separated abdominal muscles and takes the stretch marks below the navel with the skin. If your stomach skin stays in a fold when pinched or hangs over a waistband, a tummy tuck, which Dr. Cat performs, is the answer, and the practice says so rather than selling a series.

How many ThermiSmooth Body sessions do I need?

Three to four ThermiSmooth Body sessions, spaced four to eight weeks apart, make up the initial series; the spacing gives the cells deep in the skin time to respond and build collagen between treatments. After the series, a few maintenance sessions a year hold the result. The number of areas treated at each session, and the number of sessions, is set at your consultation.

Does ThermiSmooth Body hurt?

No. ThermiSmooth Body does not hurt: the handheld device is temperature-controlled, and you feel slight pressure and warmth, which many patients compare to a hot stone massage. No anesthesia is needed, and most patients find the session relaxing. Afterward the treated skin may feel warm and the muscles beneath it mildly sore, and both settle within the first 24 hours.

Is there downtime after ThermiSmooth Body?

No. There is no downtime after ThermiSmooth Body: you go home immediately after the session and return to normal activity the same day, work and exercise included. The treated skin is pink and warm for a short while, and any mild soreness settles within 24 hours. The one rule is to avoid tanning beds for about 24 hours after each treatment.

How long do ThermiSmooth Body results last?

ThermiSmooth Body results build over the series and the three to six months after it, as the new collagen forms, and are maintained with a few sessions a year. The practice does not publish a fixed duration, because the collagen you build is your own and ages with you, and a large weight change loosens the skin again. A stable weight protects the result.

Which body areas can ThermiSmooth Body treat?

ThermiSmooth Body treats the abdomen, the arms, the legs, including the inner thighs and knees, the back and the buttocks, usually in combination. Each area counts as one body part on the price list: $2,500 for the first and $1,500 for each additional body part in the same session. The forehead, eyes, cheeks, jawline and neck are treated as ThermiSmooth Face.

Will insurance cover ThermiSmooth Body?

No. ThermiSmooth Body is a cosmetic treatment and not medically necessary, so health insurance does not cover it, and Dr. Cat's office does not bill insurance for it. The published prices are $2,500 per body part, $7,000 for a package of three and $1,500 per additional body part; to pay over time, the practice partners with Cherry and also accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit.

Who should not have ThermiSmooth Body?

ThermiSmooth Body is not recommended for patients with electronic implants (pacemakers, AICDs, defibrillators, mechanical valves) or other implanted devices (neurostimulators, metal IUDs, cochlear implants), which radiofrequency can interact with, for women who are or may be pregnant, or for certain skin conditions in the treatment area. It is also not for a significant amount of excess weight, or for skin that hangs, which needs surgery.

What is ThermiTight, and is it offered for the body?

ThermiTight is radiofrequency skin tightening from under the skin: a thin probe under local anesthesia heats the tissue so the skin contracts and rebuilds collagen in one treatment. At Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery it is offered for the face only, performed by the practice's board-certified facial plastic surgeon at a $15,500 surgeon's fee; it is not offered for the arms, abdomen, thighs or knees, where the step up from ThermiSmooth Body is surgery.

ThermiSmooth Body in Beverly Hills | Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery

Q: How much does ThermiSmooth Body cost in Beverly Hills?

ThermiSmooth Body costs $2,500 per body part in Beverly Hills at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery, $7,000 for a package of three treatments, and $1,500 per additional body part in the same session, the published prices. A series is three to four sessions, and the areas and sessions in your plan are set at your consultation. It is cosmetic and not covered by insurance.

ThermiSmooth Body in Beverly Hills

ThermiSmooth Body (temperature-controlled radiofrequency skin tightening for the abdomen, arms, thighs and knees, with no needles and no downtime) at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery, the Beverly Hills practice of Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon with two surgical residencies, head and neck surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery, Harvard-educated and UCLA trained

ThermiSmooth Body (temperature-controlled radiofrequency skin tightening for the body) firms mildly loose, crepey skin on the stomach, the upper arms, the thighs and knees, the back and the buttocks by warming the deeper layer of the skin so it builds new collagen, with no needles, no anesthesia and no downtime. It is offered at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery, at 421 N. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, under the direction of Dr. Cat Begovic, a board-certified plastic surgeon who also performs the tummy tucks and thigh lifts that skin needs once it has lost its recoil, so you are told which one your skin needs before a series is booked.

ThermiSmooth Body is $2,500 per body part, $7,000 for a package of three treatments and $1,500 per additional body part in the same session, the prices on the practice's published price list. A session takes about one to two hours and feels like a hot stone massage, a series is three to four sessions four to eight weeks apart, and you go home at once and back to your day.

15-minute Patient Concierge call, no obligation.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS

Board-certified plastic surgeon, trained in both head and neck surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery. Harvard-educated, UCLA trained. Updated October 3, 2026

What makes ThermiSmooth Body at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery different

Four rules for a treatment that firms skin and cannot remove it.

A practice that says when skin needs surgeryDr. Cat performs the tummy tuck, the thigh lift and the liposuction, so you are told when heat will not do it rather than sold a series.

The temperature-controlled handpieceThe deep tissue is heated to a target temperature and held there: a session feels like a hot stone massage, not a burn.

A plan by areaStomach, arms, thighs and knees, back and buttocks are planned as body parts: $2,500 for the first, $1,500 for each additional one in the same session.

Skin tone, not amount of skinThe candidate rule is the pinch test: skin that snaps back can be firmed; skin that stays in a fold needs surgery.

What is ThermiSmooth Body?

ThermiSmooth Body is a non-invasive radiofrequency treatment that tightens and smooths the skin of the body. A handheld, temperature-controlled device delivers radiofrequency energy deep into the skin, heating it to a set temperature; the heat prompts the cells to make more collagen and elastin, and over the following months the skin firms. No incisions, no needles, no anesthesia, no downtime.

It is the practice's answer for skin that is early in its loosening: the stomach after pregnancy or a modest weight change, upper arms that have begun to crepe, the inner thighs and knees, the back and the buttocks. Exercise firms the muscle beneath and burns the fat inside a fold; it does not change the skin's collagen or recoil, which is what ThermiSmooth Body works on.

The same device treats the forehead, eyes, cheeks, jawline and neck as ThermiSmooth Face, on its own page; this page covers the body.

How non-surgical body skin tightening works

Collagen gives the skin its strength and holds it together, the way a fitted cover holds a mattress. With age, pregnancy, sun and weight changes its production falls, the elastic fibers fray, and the skin loosens and crepes.

Non-surgical skin tightening with radiofrequency works on that layer from the outside: the energy passes through the surface and heats the deeper tissue to a controlled temperature, and the cells there build new collagen and elastin over the weeks that follow. The response is biological, so it takes time: three to four sessions four to eight weeks apart, and firming that builds over three to six months.

Body skin tightening this way has a ceiling: radiofrequency firms mild, early laxity, skin that still snaps back when pinched. It does not shorten skin stretched past its limit or lift a fold that hangs; no heat-based treatment does. The practice does not offer fat-freezing, ultrasound tightening or muscle-stimulation devices.

Which body areas can be treated?

ThermiSmooth Body is used on the abdomen, the arms, the legs, the back and the buttocks. Each area is one body part on the price list: $2,500 for the first, $1,500 for each additional body part in the same session.

The stomach: mildly loose or crepey abdominal skin that snaps back when pinched.
The upper arms: the arm that passes the pinch test but is starting to crepe. A fold that hangs from the raised arm needs an arm lift, which the practice does not perform, and you are told so.
The thighs and knees: soft, crepey skin of the inner thighs and above the knees; inner thigh skin that hangs in a fold is removed with a thigh lift, which Dr. Cat performs.
The back and the buttocks: skin that has softened over the back and the buttocks.

ThermiSmooth for loose stomach skin: when it works and when it does not

Skin tightening treatments for the stomach are the most asked-about use of ThermiSmooth Body, and one test answers most of it. Pinch the skin below your belly button and let go. Skin that snaps back flat still has its elasticity: mild laxity, which a series can firm. Skin that stays in a fold, hangs over a waistband or crinkles like tissue paper has been stretched past its limit, and no cream, exercise or device shortens it; it is removed with a tummy tuck, which Dr. Cat performs, with the repair of the separated muscles usually beneath it.

Two other things are not skin. Fat over firm skin is a liposuction question: liposuction removes fat and does nothing to skin, and suctioning fat from under loose skin leaves it looser; ThermiSmooth firms skin and removes no fat. Separated abdominal muscles push the belly forward and are repaired in surgery. Stretch marks are tears in the dermis and do not fade with heat. A significant amount of excess weight rules the treatment out: a stable weight comes first. Our guide to tightening loose stomach skin covers the rest.

Skin tightening after weight loss: where ThermiSmooth Body fits

After a large weight loss, by bariatric surgery, GLP-1 medication or diet, the skin that grew to hold the weight does not shrink back. That skin is removed and reshaped in surgery, one major surgery per day, and the plan, from the extended tummy tuck to the thigh lift, is on our page on body contouring after weight loss. The place of ThermiSmooth after weight loss is small: crepey skin that still passes the pinch test after a modest loss, or arms and knees whose skin has kept its tone. Reach a stable weight and hold it for several months first; more loss afterward means looser skin.

What happens at a ThermiSmooth Body session

Screening and preparation

Before your first session your health history and any implanted device are reviewed, because radiofrequency can interact with pacemakers, defibrillators, AICDs, mechanical valves, neurostimulators, metal IUDs and cochlear implants; if you have one, another treatment is discussed. You sign the consent forms and receive written instructions. In the 24 hours before each session, drink four to six extra glasses of water; on the day, wash with a mild body wash, apply no moisturizer, cream or perfume, and leave jewelry at home, since metal interacts with the energy.

The session

You recline while the handheld device is moved over each area in the combination planned for you. The device is temperature-controlled: it heats the deep tissue to the target temperature and holds it there rather than overheating the surface. You feel slight pressure and warmth, many patients say a hot stone massage, and no pain. A session takes about one to two hours by the number of areas, and you go home immediately afterward.

The same day

There is no recovery: you resume your everyday activities, exercise included. The skin is pink and warm for a while, mild soreness settles within 24 hours, and tanning beds wait about 24 hours.

ThermiSmooth Body at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery

ThermiSmooth Body before and after: what changes over the series

A ThermiSmooth Body before and after is read over months, not days. After the first session the skin feels tighter and firmer; the visible change arrives with the collagen, a firmer surface and softer crepe lines building over the series and the three to six months after it. It is a refinement, not a new outline: the fat and muscle beneath the skin set the shape, and this treatment does not change them.

The comparison that counts is your own: photographs in the same light before the first session and after the course. The practice keeps no public gallery for ThermiSmooth Body; what to expect for your skin is discussed at your consultation.

How many sessions, and when do results show?

The calendar for a series of three to four sessions.

The consultation and screeningThe pinch test, your health history and any implanted device, then the areas, the sessions and the price.
The 24 hours before each sessionFour to six extra glasses of water; on the day, a mild body wash, no lotion, no jewelry.
Session oneAbout one to two hours, reclining; slight pressure and warmth, then home.
The same dayBack to your routine, exercise included; pink, warm skin for a while, and no tanning beds for 24 hours.
Sessions two to fourFour to eight weeks apart, so the skin can build collagen between treatments.
Three to six monthsThe firming builds as the collagen forms, judged against your photographs from before session one.
MaintenanceA few sessions a year hold the result.

Who is a good candidate for ThermiSmooth Body?

The right candidate has a small amount of loose skin with good tone, not a lot of skin with none.

You may be a good candidate if

A small amount of loose or crepey skin on the abdomen, arms, thighs, knees, back or buttocks
Skin that snaps back flat when pinched
A stable weight, close to where you want it
Firmer, smoother skin as the goal, with no operation, anesthesia or downtime
Healthy skin in the area, and a refinement rather than a new outline as the expectation

Not yet, or a different plan, if

An electronic implant (pacemaker, AICD, defibrillator, mechanical valve) or another implanted device (neurostimulator, metal IUD, cochlear implant): radiofrequency can interact with them
Pregnancy, or the chance of it
A skin condition in the treatment area that rules out heat
A significant amount of excess weight: a stable weight first, and fat is a liposuction question
Skin that stays in a fold, hangs over a waistband or hangs from the raised arm: that skin is removed with surgery, and no series of heat treatments replaces it

Risks and safety

ThermiSmooth Body is FDA-cleared and non-invasive, with no anesthesia and no incisions, so the risks of an operation do not apply; what remains is a heat device, kept safe by the screening and the temperature control.

What can go wrong

Pink, warm skin for a while, and mild soreness in the treated muscles for up to 24 hours
A burn or blister, rare with any heat device, if the skin is overheated or lotion or metal sits under the device
A rash or irritation on sensitive skin, or a flare of a skin condition in the area
A subtle or uneven result on skin that had already lost its recoil
Interference with an implanted electronic device, the reason for the screening

How the practice reduces these risks

The screening for implanted devices, pregnancy and skin conditions
A handpiece that holds the deep tissue at the target temperature rather than running at a set power
Clean, dry skin with no lotion or perfume, and no jewelry
The pinch test at the consultation, so a series is offered only for skin that heat can firm
A plastic surgeon's practice that performs the tummy tuck, the thigh lift and the liposuction, so the treatment is chosen by the problem, not by what is for sale

When ThermiSmooth Body is not enough: ThermiTight is for the face, surgery is for the body

ThermiSmooth works from the surface; ThermiTight works from underneath, through a thin radiofrequency probe passed just under the skin under local anesthesia. At Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery ThermiTight is offered for the face only, performed by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon; it is described on the ThermiSmooth Face page. The practice does not offer ThermiTight for the arms, abdomen, thighs or knees.

On the body, the step up from ThermiSmooth is surgery. Skin that fails the pinch test, an overhang, or a fold that hangs from the arm or the inner thigh is removed and reshaped in a tummy tuck, a thigh lift or the plan on our body contouring after weight loss page, each performed by Dr. Cat herself; the consultation decides whether heat or surgery fits your skin.

How much does ThermiSmooth Body cost in Beverly Hills?

ThermiSmooth Body costs $2,500 per body part at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery, $7,000 for a package of three treatments, and $1,500 per additional body part treated in the same session, the prices on the practice's published non-surgical price list. A series on one area is the package of three; a second area in the same sessions adds $1,500 per session. How your areas are counted, and whether a fourth session is needed, is settled at your consultation. ThermiTight is priced separately, as our facial plastic surgeon's fee, above.

Insurance and financing

ThermiSmooth Body is cosmetic, and health insurance does not cover it. To pay over time, the practice partners with Cherry, its primary financing partner, with Cherry Pay in 4 for non-surgical treatments on the day of treatment, and also accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit; see financing and payment plans.

Your consultation at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery

It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call with our Patient Concierge, who books your appointment; our consultation page describes the steps. At the office on Rodeo Drive your skin is examined with the pinch test, your health history and any implanted device are reviewed, and you leave with a plan and its price. If the skin has lost its recoil, you are told so, and the operations Dr. Cat performs are explained instead. Out-of-town patients can consult first by private video consultation through OnPatient, the HIPAA-secure patient portal.

A firmer figure without going under the knife

With Thermi technology, I can help patients achieve a toned, more youthful figure without going under the knife. The satisfaction of my patients is my primary concern, which is why I always strive to produce the best results possible during all of my cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACSBoard-certified plastic surgeon, Beverly Hills

Book a free discovery call

Ready to firm mildly loose skin without an operation?

ThermiSmooth Body at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery: temperature-controlled radiofrequency for the stomach, arms, thighs and knees, a series of three to four sessions with no needles and no downtime, $2,500 per body part, in the office on Rodeo Drive, at a practice that tells you when skin needs surgery instead. It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call.