01The basics
What is Renuvion, and what has the FDA said?
The handpiece is passed under the skin through small cuts. It delivers helium gas and radio-wave energy, which heat the tissue under the skin. The FDA calls the device Renuvion/J-Plasma.
- The 2022 warning
- On 14 March 2022 the FDA told doctors not to use the device to tighten skin, alone or with liposuction. Reports included second- and third-degree burns, infection, changes in skin colour, scars, nerve damage, heavy bleeding, and gas collecting under the skin, inside the body and in blood vessels. It called these events "potentially life-threatening". Some patients needed intensive care.
- What has been cleared since
- In July 2022 the FDA cleared one handpiece for loose skin of the neck and under the chin. In April 2023 it cleared the same handpiece for "coagulation" of tissue under the skin after liposuction. Its last update, in May 2023, no longer tells doctors not to use the device. It tells them to know the cleared uses and follow the instructions and training. It does not say the injuries have stopped.
- What to expect
- Dermatologists say heat treatment under the skin can do more than treatment from outside, and that a little sagging is likely to do best. Results differ from person to person. Dr. Rockhead talks you through what to expect for you before anything is booked.
- Darker skin
- The FDA says darker skin can darken or lighten after body contouring. Dark marks after a burn, and raised scars, are more common in Black skin. A separate handpiece, for wrinkles, is cleared only for Fitzpatrick skin types I, II or III. Ask us which type yours is. If you scar easily, or keloids run in you or your family, say so first.
Keep in mind
What to know first.
Dr. Rockhead goes through the full list of risks with you, in person, before anything is booked.
How often harm happens is not known. At 29 September 2026 the FDA's public database held 205 injury reports and 2 death reports naming this brand, for any use. The FDA says to treat such reports as unvalidated, and gives no figure for how often these injuries happen.
Liposuction is best suited to skin that is still firm.
02Who you meet
Who do you meet?
Dr. Charles Rockhead, in person, at 9 Devon Road in Kingston. He examines you and explains your options. He performs the procedure himself. Ask where it takes place. The FDA's own advice to patients is to ask which device will be used.
Dr. Charles Rockhead, Medical Director — Oshun Cosmetic Services, Kingston.
Dr. Charles Rockhead
Medical Director · Board-Certified OB/GYN · 30+ years of practice
Dr. Charles Rockhead is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with more than thirty years of practice in Kingston. He is the Medical Director of Oshun Cosmetic Services and the founding physician of Amadeo Medical Group, the parent clinical practice.
Read the clinic story · View Dr. Rockhead's LinkedIn
03The operation
Before, during and after.
It is often done at the same operation as liposuction. We allow one to four hours, depending on the areas.
i.
Before
We arrange blood tests and a medical check first. Tell us every medicine, vitamin, herb and bush tea you take. Avoid aspirin, anti-inflammatory painkillers and fish oil for two weeks before. If a doctor prescribed a medicine, do not stop it on your own: we tell you which to stop, and when. Stop smoking at least six weeks before, and for at least four weeks after. Tell us too about any implant or metal under the skin, any tattoo, coil, mesh or earlier surgery in the area, and if you have diabetes or could be pregnant.
ii.
The anaesthetic
Small areas can be done with numbing fluid and sedation. A larger operation with liposuction is usually done asleep, under a general anaesthetic. Either way, someone must drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours.
iii.
The operation
Numbing fluid goes in first. Any liposuction is done, and then the handpiece is passed under the skin through cuts three to five millimetres long.
iv.
Afterwards
You wear a compression garment day and night for at least two weeks, then by day for four to six more. Walk gently from the first day. No heavy lifting or hard exercise for four weeks, or for 10 to 12 weeks after liposuction. Keep the treated skin out of the sun.
04Recovery
What to expect, and when to get help.
- Time off work
- Plan for five to ten days, or two to three weeks with liposuction.
- After liposuction
- Bruising, swelling and numbness are common. Swelling may last up to six months, numbness should go in six to eight weeks, and the result can take up to six months to settle.
- Check-ups
- We check you at two to three days, one week, six weeks and six months.
- Go to a hospital at once
- For chest pain, shortness of breath, a painful swollen leg, heavy bleeding, skin that bulges and crackles when pressed, a burn that is large or deep, or any burn on the face. Do not drive yourself. Tell them a helium device was used under your skin.
- Call us straight away
- On (876) 676-6297, for a fever or chills, pus or a bad smell, a wound that is hot, red or sore, a burn or blister of any size, one treated side that swells, hurts and changes colour, severe pain, or anything you did not expect. We are closed at night and from Friday to Sunday. If we are closed, do not wait for us: go to a hospital, and tell them the same.
05Risks
The risks, who should not have it, and what else you can choose.
- The risks
- Burns, including deep ones. Gas under the skin, inside the body or in a blood vessel. Infection, heavy bleeding, scars, changes in skin colour, nerve damage or numbness, and a lumpy or uneven result. With liposuction: a blood clot in the leg or lung, too much numbing medicine, damage to organs inside the body and, rarely, death.
- Who should not have it
- We don't do it with an infection in the area, severe heart or lung disease, a bleeding disorder, a blood thinner you are taking, a pacemaker or implanted heart device, diabetes that is not under control, or in pregnancy. Never stop a blood thinner on your own: your doctors decide whether it can be paused. With a lot of loose skin we point you to surgery.
- What else you can choose
- A tummy tuck or an arm lift removes loose skin. A tummy tuck leaves a scar and means about four to six weeks off work. Scarring is a risk of an arm lift too. Tightening from outside the skin is gentler. Doing nothing is a choice too.
06Cost & booking
How much does Renuvion cost in Jamaica?
- What it costs
- We estimate from US$1,500. Your written quote says which areas that covers, and lists the anaesthetic and the facility. With liposuction it is one combined quote.
- When we are open
- Monday and Wednesday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Closed Friday to Sunday.
- Paying
- Cash, debit card, credit card or approved financing. It is cosmetic, and health insurance does not cover it.
If this sounds right
The next step is a conversation, not a commitment.
Start with a consultation about your loose skin. Nothing is booked until you decide.
No obligation · Every consultation is in-person with Dr. Rockhead.
