How to Document Cavitation Settings Without Creating a Universal Protocol
Professional education · Session records
A useful record lets another authorized operator see what happened, which device was involved, and which details remain unknown.
Short answer: Document cavitation settings exactly as selected on the identified device: modality, applicator, screen label, value, unit, timing, site, changes and interruptions. Link the entry to the applicable instructions for use and record its source and revision. Keep planned settings separate from observed use. Write “not recorded” for missing details; date and attribute later additions. A previous session or published study is a record of exposure, not permission to repeat its parameters on another device or person.
Documentation does not establish suitability. This guide supplies record fields, not default treatment settings. Use the current instructions for use (IFU) for the exact model and applicator, and obtain appropriate professional assessment before deciding whether treatment is suitable.
What should a cavitation settings record contain?
Start with the device and the session, then record each function actually used. “Cavitation, normal settings” is too vague to reconstruct an appointment. A multi-function console needs separate entries for ultrasound, radiofrequency (RF), vacuum or other attachments, including any functions used together.
The following fields are a practical documentation recommendation. They do not establish a legal minimum, an international protocol or evidence that a treatment was safe.
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways. All fields describe actual use; none supplies a default setting.
| Field | What to preserve |
|---|---|
| Session identity | Client record reference, session date and time, operator identity and entry date/time. Link to the suitability and consent record separately. |
| Device and applicator | Manufacturer, exact model, unit or asset identifier, serial reference and applicable software revision; applicator name, part number or identifying label. |
| Actual modality and mode | Selected function and mode as displayed. Identify ultrasound, RF and suction separately; state whether combined outputs were selected if verified. |
| Control labels and values | Each relevant screen label with its displayed value and unit. Keep an unexplained level, percentage or letter in its original form. |
| Site | Actual location, side and defined boundaries, using a written description or an appropriately stored body-map reference. A site entry records use; it does not authorize that site. |
| Time | Selected timer value, actual start/stop times, pauses and recorded active duration if available. Explain what the timer or log measures. |
| Changes and interruptions | Previous and new values, time or recorded sequence, reason, person making the change, pause/restart status and any uncertainty. |
| Conditions and observations | Contact medium actually used, relevant contact issues, client-reported sensations, observed skin changes, warnings or fault messages and action taken. |
| Source and revision | Applicable IFU title, model applicability, revision/date and relevant section; separately identify the session evidence such as contemporaneous notes or a device log. |
Separate what was planned from what was selected and what was observed. An IFU describes permitted operation; it does not prove an operator followed it. A preset describes an intended configuration; it does not prove that configuration remained unchanged throughout the session.
Copy labels faithfully; do not invent a dose
Use the wording on the screen, then add the matching IFU definition when available. For an undocumented scale, record the displayed value and write “unit not shown; meaning not verified.” Do not convert it into watts, intensity or delivered energy.
A supplier-hosted manual illustrates why fields need to stay separate: it describes selection of the function, mode, working time and intensity. Its wording and technical claims need independent checking; it is not an IFU for an unidentified salon machine. [2]
A frequency specification is not a session adjustment
If a frequency comes from documentation rather than a selectable control, identify it as a specification and cite that document. If it is selectable, record the actual selection. Do not relabel a marketing name as a measured output.
Keep low-frequency nonfocused cavitation, focused mechanical ultrasound, thermal high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and other ultrasound systems distinct. RF and vacuum are separate modalities. When technical identity is unresolved, preserve the screen wording and mark the identification gap rather than assigning a technology from appearance alone.
Record a control value without claiming calibrated delivery
A screen setting is evidence of the selected control value. Calling it a measured tissue dose requires additional, device-specific evidence. Do not compare “level” values across models or infer acoustic output from an electrical input rating. Preserve original units even if your record system also offers a standardized field; leave that standardized field unresolved when the mapping is unknown.
Give changes and interruptions their own timeline
A final screenshot cannot reconstruct every earlier setting. For each change, record the old value, new value, affected function and site, and when it happened. If only the sequence is known, say so rather than inventing a clock time.
- Identify the segment. Name the modality, applicator and site before listing its settings.
- Record the start. Preserve the selected controls and timer; identify the source of the entry.
- Record each interruption or change. Include its reason and whether output was paused, stopped or uncertain. Record a restart only if it occurred.
- Close the segment. Note stop time, available duration evidence, observations and any unresolved field.
Appointment length, timer selection and active output time are different quantities. Do not subtract an estimated pause from a selected timer and call the result measured exposure. If device logs provide duration, record what the log means and whether it covers the relevant function. For combined treatments, keep component timings separate where the evidence allows.
Illustrative wording, without treatment values: “A setting change occurred after the first interruption. The initial display value was not recorded. The later value is preserved in the attached screen image; the time of change is not recorded. The image does not establish the earlier setting or total active duration.”
This example shows how to describe evidence gaps. It is not a real client case or a recommended exposure.
Keep missing details and late additions visible
Use a status that explains the gap. Not recorded means the historical detail was not captured. Not verified means information exists but its meaning or applicability is unresolved. Not applicable is appropriate only when the field genuinely does not apply. Avoid a blank or zero that could be mistaken for a setting.
If the operator later recalls a detail, add a dated note identifying who supplied it, the original session it concerns and the basis of the recollection. Keep it separate from contemporaneous observations. A default preset, a previous visit or an IFU limit cannot fill a missing actual-session value.
Correct the record without erasing its history
Keep the original entry retrievable and add a correction with the date, author, corrected detail, reason and supporting source. If a log conflicts with a note, preserve both and describe the conflict until it is resolved. Do not silently choose the more reassuring version.
If a later manual revision changes the definition of a control, preserve the document used at the time and add the new revision separately. A new definition does not automatically explain the output of an older software or hardware version.
Why a paper cannot fill your settings form
A published study reports a specific research exposure. The 2025 MED SmartCool study used a named 1 MHz nonfocused ultrasound device; 17 selected participants completed the study. It had no control group and follow-up extended to two months after treatment. These limits prevent treating it as a universal protocol or validation of 40K/80K salon machines. [1]
File research separately from the source that governs operation. Do not insert a study's settings into a missing session entry, convert its intensity to an unexplained console level, or treat its participants as a clearance list for your client.
Similarly, the supplier PDF used here is an example of documentation, not a SaintQueen manual. Its model applicability and revision need confirmation, and its text contains a frequency inconsistency. It cannot supply settings, mode definitions or safety clearance for another machine. [2]
Review the entry before closing the session
- Can a reviewer identify the exact unit, function, applicator and site?
- Are the displayed labels, values and units preserved without an unsupported conversion?
- Are planned values distinguished from actual observations, and timer selection from recorded duration?
- Are changes, interruptions and gaps visible, with the source of each later addition?
- Does the record point to the applicable IFU revision without claiming that documentation alone proves compliance?
A complete settings record does not establish clinical benefit, suitability or permission to reproduce the session. Assess the next appointment independently under the applicable device instructions and professional scope.
Safety comes before completing the form
FDA's ultrasound body-contouring guidance identifies burns and nerve damage among possible complications and lists restrictions involving compromised skin, active implants and metal beneath the skin. This is technology-level guidance, not an exhaustive screening list or authorization for a particular device. [3]
Do not continue treatment to obtain a complete log. Stop for pain, burning, unusual heat or another unexpected reaction, follow the exact device's stop instructions and seek appropriate healthcare assessment. Document reported symptoms separately from your observations, and record the action taken. Link an incident record when needed; do not diagnose the cause from the settings alone.
Frequently asked questions
Is a screen photograph enough?
It supports the visible state at the captured moment. It does not, by itself, identify earlier settings, total active time, pauses or the site treated. Link it to the session and device identity, note when it was captured, and protect client information under the applicable records policy.
Can a preset name replace all individual fields?
Only record what you can establish. Preserve the preset name and its documented revision, and record visible values and subsequent changes. If the preset's contents are unavailable, say that they are not verified rather than importing values from a similar device.
What if the display and manual disagree?
Preserve the discrepancy with model, software version, display evidence and manual revision. Obtain clarification from the responsible manufacturer or qualified service channel before relying on the disputed setting for further operation. Do not resolve it by guessing a conversion.
Does a blank observation field mean there were no symptoms?
No. Distinguish “not recorded” from “client reported no symptoms when asked,” and separate that report from what the operator observed. Neither statement establishes that no later problem occurred.
A useful record preserves facts and uncertainty
Record the device, selected controls and session timeline in their original terms. Keep the governing instructions and evidence sources traceable, and leave genuine gaps visible. That creates a usable account of what happened without turning it into a treatment prescription.
Sources and scope
- Efficacy and safety of non-focused low-intensity ultrasound technology for subcutaneous lipolysis in the lower abdomen. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2025. Full text checked; specific 1 MHz cohort, not a general operating guide.
- Supplier-hosted 101 English manual. PDF text checked. Documentation example only; no settings, clinical claims or contraindication list adopted.
- FDA: Non-Invasive Body Contouring Technologies. Official ultrasound safety context; does not establish any unnamed machine's authorization.
Sources checked 8 October 2026. Record fields and correction conventions are editorial recommendations, not a validated clinical protocol.
This article is for general educational purposes and does not provide medical advice. Follow the instructions for the specific device and consult a qualified healthcare professional about suitability and safety.