What It Is
Onda is a non-invasive cellulite and body contouring treatment using 2.45 GHz microwave energy. Dr. Crenshaw treats the glutes, thighs, abdomen, flanks, and arms.
Charlotte Medical Aesthetics provides Onda Coolwaves cellulite treatment and body contouring in Charlotte, North Carolina. The energy passes through the skin's surface and does its work in the tissue underneath. A cooling plate built into the handpiece holds the surface at roughly 5 degrees Celsius the whole time, which is why the treatment feels like steady warmth rather than heat on the skin.
What It Actually Addresses
Dimpling and uneven texture on the glutes and the backs of the thighs. The softness along the flanks that does not respond to training. The contour of an area you have already been working on and cannot quite finish.
What it addresses is the appearance and contour of a specific area. Cartessa, the device's US distributor, describes Onda as contouring the body and improving the appearance of cellulite. That is the honest description of what it is for, and it is deliberately narrower than what body treatments are often sold as.
Why We Added It
Onda is the first dedicated body treatment on the menu at Charlotte Medical Aesthetics. The reasoning for adding it is the same reasoning behind everything else here. Most of what is marketed for cellulite does very little, the category is crowded with claims that do not survive contact with evidence, and a physician-run practice is the right place to sort one from the other.
Dr. Crenshaw's guidance: Onda suits a patient at a stable weight who wants smoother texture on the glutes or thighs, not a change in size. If the goal is size, the honest answer is a different treatment or a different conversation entirely.
Brands and Products
Onda Pro by DEKA
Onda is manufactured by El.En. SpA, the parent company of DEKA, and distributed in the United States and Canada by Cartessa Aesthetics. Onda Pro is the current generation, first introduced in 2018 and re-engineered since.
All Three Handpieces
The system delivers up to 200 watts, and it ships with three handpieces built for three different depths. Charlotte Medical Aesthetics runs all three.
The deep handpiece focuses at about 1.2 cm and covers larger areas such as the abdomen, the glutes, and the back of the thighs. The shallow handpiece focuses at about 0.7 cm. The pocket handpiece, which is new to Onda Pro, focuses at roughly 3 mm and is built for smaller and more delicate areas including under the chin.
Depth is what decides whether an area can be treated properly, so the handpiece set is not a detail. A practice running a partial set has to work around the areas it cannot reach well. Having all three means the treatment plan follows your anatomy rather than the equipment.
Why the Frequency Matters
Most energy-based body devices work by heating tissue. The variable that separates them is how precisely that heat can be placed. Cartessa states that at 2.45 GHz, more of the energy is absorbed below the skin than into the skin itself, which is what allows the surface to stay cool while the tissue underneath warms.
Contact sensors and real-time temperature feedback run throughout the session. There are no consumables, which means no per-treatment cartridge cost being passed along to you.
Who It's For
Onda suits someone at or near a stable weight who wants a specific area to look smoother and more even, rather than smaller. Common areas are the abdomen, the glutes and buttocks, the thighs, the arms, the back, and under the chin. Cartessa describes the device as suitable for most skin types.
Cellulite on the glutes and the back of the thighs is the single most common reason people ask about this treatment, and it is the area with the strongest published evidence behind it.
It is a poor fit if the goal is weight loss. It is also a poor fit if you are expecting a dramatic change from one session, because the published evidence measures improvement at three months rather than at three days.
It is the wrong tool if the concern is loose skin rather than texture or contour. Everesse skin tightening treats laxity on the arms, abdomen, and thighs, and Dr. Crenshaw will tell you which of the two your goal actually calls for.
When We Will Tell You No
Onda is not appropriate during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, for anyone with a pacemaker or an implanted cardiac device, with heart failure, with active or recent malignancy, or with significant vascular or clotting conditions. It is not used over an active skin infection, an open wound, a recent tattoo, or an area with reduced sensation. The published clinical guidance also treats a BMI over 30 as a reason to reconsider rather than proceed.
Dr. Crenshaw reviews your full health history before treatment, the same as she does for every injectable at this practice. If Onda is not the right answer for what you want to address, she will say so and tell you what is.
What to Expect
Before Your Treatment
Your consultation covers your health history, the area you want addressed, and what a realistic result looks like for it. Dr. Crenshaw will tell you how many sessions she expects the area to need. If your expectations and the evidence do not line up, that conversation happens before you book, not after you have paid.
During Your Treatment
The area is mapped into sections and treated in turn. A session runs roughly 30 to 60 minutes depending on how large the area is. You will feel building warmth under the skin while the surface stays cool against the handpiece. No numbing is needed, and nothing is injected. Most patients find it comfortable enough to be unremarkable, which is the point.
A brief lymphatic drainage massage is performed immediately afterward.
After Your Treatment
You can drive yourself home and return to your day. Mild redness and tenderness in the area are common for a day or two. Keep direct sun off the treated area for two days, and avoid very hot water while any pinkness is still present.
What the Evidence Shows
In a study of 26 women with moderate to severe cellulite treated over four sessions on the buttocks and posterior thighs, average cellulite severity scores improved from 10.7 to 4.5 at the three-month follow-up, a statistically significant change. A separate study of 45 patients found improvement still holding at a one-year follow-up. Results build over months rather than appearing at the end of a session.
Two things worth knowing about that evidence. The studies are small, and most were run by investigators connected to the manufacturer. That is common for aesthetic devices and it is not a reason to dismiss the results, but it is a reason to hold expectations at a realistic level rather than a promotional one.
Treatment Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does an Onda Treatment Feel Like?
Most patients describe it as a deep, steady warmth moving under the skin. The handpiece keeps the skin's surface cooled while the energy works below it, so the sensation is warm rather than hot. Cartessa, the device's US distributor, says many patients compare it to a warm hot stone massage. Some people feel mild tingling or notice temporary redness afterward, which is expected and settles on its own.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Cartessa states that typically one to four treatments are recommended, spaced three to five weeks apart, with maintenance treatments afterward to sustain results. The published clinical studies generally used three or four sessions about four weeks apart. Dr. Crenshaw will recommend a specific number for your treatment area at consultation rather than selling a fixed package before she has assessed you.
Is There Any Downtime?
Cartessa describes little to no downtime, and most patients return to normal activities the same day. That is not the same as nothing at all. Temporary redness and mild tenderness in the treated area are common for a day or two. Avoid direct sun on the area for two days, and skip very hot water while any pinkness is present.
When Will I See Results?
Not immediately. This treatment works by changing tissue over time rather than removing anything during the session. In the published studies, cellulite improvement was measured at a three-month follow-up, and results were still holding at one year. Expect to judge it at three months, not at three days.
How Is Onda Different From CoolSculpting?
The mechanisms are opposites. CoolSculpting cools tissue. Onda heats it, using microwave energy delivered below a cooled skin surface. Charlotte Medical Aesthetics does not offer CoolSculpting, so we will not make a claim about which produces better results. What we can tell you is what Onda does, what the evidence behind it shows, and whether your goals are a reasonable match for it.
Am I a Candidate?
Onda is suited to localized areas on someone close to a stable weight who wants smoother contour rather than a change in size. Cartessa describes it as suitable for most skin types. It is not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, with a pacemaker or implanted cardiac device, with certain vascular or clotting conditions, or over an active skin infection in the treatment area. The published clinical guidance also treats a BMI over 30 as a reason to reconsider. Dr. Crenshaw reviews your full health history before scheduling.
Is Onda a Weight Loss Treatment?
No. Onda does not change what the scale says and it is not a substitute for losing weight. It treats the appearance and contour of a specific area you have already been working on. If weight is the goal, that is a different conversation, and Charlotte Medical Aesthetics offers physician-supervised medical weight management for it.