OndaPro: does it hurt, side effects, and who should not have it

What is OndaPro, and what do the studies actually show?

OndaPro is a body contouring device made by DEKA in Italy that delivers microwave energy at 2.45 GHz through handpieces of different depths, with skin cooling built in. It is used for localised fat and for the appearance of cellulite. It is contouring, and it is not weight loss.

The published evidence is real and modest. A 2022 trial in Tehran followed 53 overweight adults through three sessions and found lower fat thickness in four abdominal areas and a smaller waist measurement over 60 days. A 2024 study of 48 people had six short sessions under the chin and recorded lower fat and laxity scores at 12 weeks. A 2023 German study of 19 healthy adults, using an earlier DEKA system, recorded an average fall of 3.8 cm in abdominal circumference at three months.

Read those figures with their limits. The studies are small, they follow people for weeks to a few months, and some used earlier or different models of the device. The most recent expert paper on Onda, a 2025 advisory board recommendation, says plainly that long-term efficacy and safety are still missing. Nothing here is a promise about your result. How the energy works in the fat layer is explained in where the fat actually goes.

Does OndaPro hurt?

The papers describe mild sensations, and they vary with the person. The advisory board paper says a patient may feel slight discomfort, a mild tingling sensation and temporary redness as the tissue warms, and that power should be adjusted to the person’s pain sensitivity. The German study reported no severe pain or noticeable discomfort, and the submental study found the treatment well tolerated on a pain scale, with most people denying discomfort.

Feedback matters here. The advisory board paper advises against treatment where the skin cannot feel heat, because ongoing feedback is needed during the procedure. If you feel excessive heat, say so at once, since the instruction to the operator is to interrupt the microwave emission and keep the handpiece applied to the area. I do not describe the sensation as painless, because comfort differs from person to person.

What are the side effects of OndaPro?

The advisory board paper lists itching, numbness, hardness, warmth, tenderness, redness, swelling, burns, bruising, nodules and blisters. It describes them as typically temporary, usually settling within a few days. Haematoma (a collection of blood under the skin) is listed too, and so are headache, fatigue and fever after treatment in some circumstances.

The same paper says the risk goes up with excessive handpiece pressure, treatment settings that are too high, or a wrong assessment of the patient. That is why who does the treatment, and the screening beforehand, count for as much as the device.

The small trials read for this article reported no side effects, or no severe ones. That does not conflict with the list. Small studies cannot detect uncommon events, and the list is a consensus of what experienced users have seen or want to avoid. The clinic’s service page describes no downtime, and a day or two of warmth or tenderness in the treated area is still consistent with the published list.

Call the clinic if a blister, a burn, a lump, pain that is getting worse, or fever follows a session. Redness that is spreading, hot and painful after any treatment should be seen the same day. Redness after a treatment: normal, or not? sets out the difference.

Who should not have OndaPro?

The advisory board paper gives two lists. It calls them general recommendations, and leaves the final decision to the doctor. I could not find the maker’s own instructions for use on the pages I read, so this list is the closest published source, and the doctor’s screening at assessment is the deciding step.

The main contraindications it names are: heart failure; heart implants and pacemakers; current cancer or cancer in the past five years; severe vascular disease, including active phlebitis and clotting disorders; an organ transplant; pregnancy, and breastfeeding until 10 months after delivery; infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C; kidney and liver failure; diabetes that is not under control; and deep brain stimulation or sacral neuromodulation implants. These are reasons a device is not used, and they say nothing about what the device does for any of those conditions.

The relative contraindications, which mean postpone or decide case by case, include: infection, inflammation, a wound or a bruise in the treatment area; steroid anti-inflammatory medicines in the week before and after, and retinoids in the month before; blood thinners, which can cause persistent redness; a history of phlebitis or thrombosis; varicose veins; a tendency to keloid scars; autoimmune disease; lipomas or fibrotic tissue in the area; reduced sensation to heat, because feedback is needed; permanent implants such as plates or screws in the area; and a body mass index above 30, which the paper calls an indicative exclusion. It also advises waiting after botulinum toxin or filler in the same area, because heat could reduce their effect.

The clinic’s own service page says treatment is deferred in pregnancy and that standard exclusions for energy devices are screened at assessment by Dr Ong. If any apply, the plan changes before a handpiece is picked up. It is also not for someone whose goal is to lose weight overall, which is covered in OndaPro is not a weight loss treatment.

Is OndaPro safe for Asian or Malaysian skin, and what age should I start?

I cannot answer either question from the evidence I read. None of the studies above reports results by skin colour, so there is no published basis here to say it is safe or unsafe for a particular skin type. All energy devices can cause burns if used wrongly, which is why the cooling and the operator’s technique matter. On age, the studies covered adults from 18 to 65, and I found no guidance on when to start. Whether the treatment suits you is a question for an assessment.

What can I expect over a course?

The clinic’s service page describes a session of 30 to 90 minutes depending on the area, with most areas benefiting from a course of three to five sessions about a month apart. Nothing visible changes on the table. The change is described as building over four to eight weeks after the sessions and continuing for some months. The study protocols differed, from three sessions to six, so these are not fixed numbers.

Results depend on the starting point, and a stable weight matters because the cells that remain can enlarge if weight rises. OndaPro suits a localised pocket in someone near a healthy weight. It is a different tool from weight management. Fat freezing is a different way of treating a localised pocket, and fat freezing (CoolSculpting): what it does, the rare side effect, and where OndaPro fits sets the two apart. For cellulite the published evidence is earlier and mostly small studies, which cellulite treatment in Malaysia: what causes it, what helps goes through.

Where can I have OndaPro assessed near Shah Alam or KL?

The Retreat Clinic in Setia Alam, Selangor, offers OndaPro after an assessment by Dr Ong, about five minutes from Setia City Mall. The assessment covers the fat layer, the skin above it and the medical screening described above, and it can end with a different plan or with no treatment. The OndaPro service page has the details.