Suneel Chilukuri, MD, is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon for Refresh Dermatology.

Suneel Chilukuri, MD

Dermatology Education Foundation (DERM) 2025 NP/PA CME Conference

 in Las Vegas, Suneel Chilukuri, MD, discussed highlights from his session titled ‘Advancements in Body Contouring.’

Chilukuri, known for his role as a board-certified dermatologic surgeon for Refresh Dermatology, focused his 

 interview on advancements and future potential of body contouring, particularly in light of the growth of GLP-1 therapies. He noted that GLP-1 therapies are projected to grow from a $1 billion industry to a $1 trillion industry.

Highlighting Advancements in Body Contouring, with Suneel Chilukuri, MD

“It's great for a lot of things [and for] diabetics,” Chilukuri explained. “It's great for inflammation. We're seeing that there's improvement with psoriasis. We're seeing improvement with eczema. We're seeing decreasing Alzheimer's and better improvements with those patients who have dementia. All of that is because of the inflammatory component. So the positives are easy but the negatives are this: What we're finding is, in a typical weight loss, where you're losing about 70% of that weight comes off with fat, 30% is muscle loss with the GLP-1s. We're seeing the opposite: 70% of that weight loss is actually loss of muscle. So when we talk about body contouring, it's not just about removing fat, but can we do something to re-establish that skeletal muscle?”

Chilukuri highlighted non-surgical methods like cryolipolysis, radio frequency, ultrasound, and microwave technology to enhance muscle content. He placed emphasis on patient selection, the importance of collaboration among medical professionals, and the value of medical conferences for knowledge sharing and innovation in body contouring.

“We have categories that are going to come from cryolipolysis, which revolutionizes this whole space,” Chilukuri said. “And then, of course, heat-based things. So that can be radio frequency, or it can be ultrasound. The newest one that's coming into the US is by microwave technology. We can use a combination of those to also improve the overall muscle content that's inside the skin, whether we use it inside the body, whether that's with EMS or using 2 magnets that are called Hyphen technology. So the tools are there. We just have to optimize and understand who that patient is and where they are in their weight loss journey.”

For any additional information from Chilukuri’s presentations at DERM2025, view his full interview video above. To find out more from the meeting, check out the 

The quotes used in this interview summary were edited for clarity.

Chilukuri's disclosures include being a speaker, consultant or investigator for Advalight, Scientis, Aerolase Lasers, Sciton, Allergan Aesthetics, Sente Skin Care, AMP Aesthetics, Skin Medica, Benev, Vydence Lasers, BTL Industries, ZO Skin Care, Cartessa Lasers, Evolus Aesthetics, Galderma Aesthetics, Hydrinity, InMode Aesthetics, Merz Aesthetics, Pharma Research, Prollenium Aesthetics, PCA Skin, Rejuran USA, Revance Aesthetics, Revision.

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In this interview segment with Chilukuri, he highlights takeaways from his DERM 2025 session titled ‘Advancements in Body Contouring.’

 in Las Vegas, Suneel Chilukuri, MD, spoke about the biggest takeaways from his talk ‘Skincare Secrets and Quick Fixes.’

Chilukuri, who is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon for Refresh Dermatology, highlighted emerging skincare trends and the unregulated use of products like polynucleotides (pN), poly deoxyribonucleotides (pDRN), poly platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF), and exosomes. These substances, which are often injected, were said by Chilukuri to show promise in improving scar texture and collagen production but lack regulatory approval.

Discussing Skincare Secrets and Quick Fixes, with Suneel Chilukuri, MD

“I think that right now we're in the Wild West, because there's nothing that's an actual FDA-cleared type product,” Chilukuri said. “These are cosmetics. We don't even say cosmeceutical, because that's a made-up word that we talk about. But they're cosmetic products, and they're not approved. They're actually just ignored. It’s a topical application that goes on. But people are injecting these things. So they're injecting Pn, pDRN, they're injecting PDGF, poly platelet-derived growth factors. All these things are not being regulated. They're injecting exosomes. And my whole takeaway is, number 1, does it work? We see that it works, but you have to at least figure out if that product is actually sterile and allowed to be put on topically immediately post-procedure, so that we can use it.”

Chilukuri highlighted that pilot studies have been demonstrating tremendous changes in the texture of the skin when using such products for scars, whether with an immediate wound or later in the scar journey

“We can decrease contracture,” Chilukuri said. “We can improve the production of type 3 collagen, and also regulate the conversion of type 1 collagen, so instead of looking like little bundles of scar tissue underneath the skin, it looks like a proper collagen formation that we would have as children.”

The conversation also covered the safety and efficacy of skin boosters. The importance of cellular senescence in skin health and the need for reliable guidelines to distinguish between effective and ineffective treatments were emphasized by Chilukuri as well.

To find out more about the topics covered in Chilukuri’s session at the conference, view his full interview segment posted above. For more from DERM 2025, check out our 

The quotes contained in this interview summary were edited for clarity.

In this discussion with Chilukuri, the most notable highlights from his DERM 2025 session ‘Skincare Secrets and Quick Fixes’ were covered.

Suneel Chilukuri, MD

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