Cryolipolysis vs radio frequency vs cavitation: what is best?

Coolsculpting, cavitation or RF?

• Coolsculpting vs cavitation vs radiofrequency for fat reduction, skin tightening and cellulite removal

• Coolsculpting is great for fat reduction on the stomach and waist. Radiofrequency and cavitation are not.

• Radiofrequency and cavitation are ideal for cellulite reduction too. Cryolipolysis is not.

• Radiofrequency is great for skin tightening. Fat freezing and ultrasound cavitation are not.

• In summary

Fat freezing vs cavitation vs radiofrequency for fat reduction, skin tightening and cellulite removal

This is a common question at the clinic: “What is best, coolsculpting/cryolipolysis/fat freezing or radiofrequency?”

However, as this question is very generic, it invites another question as an answer: “What is best for which outcome? For fat reduction, for cellulite removal or for skin tightening?”

Coolsculpting is great for fat reduction on the stomach and waist. Radiofrequency and cavitation are not.

If we are talking about fat reduction, then indeed fat freezing / cryolipolysis is the treatment to go, but only on the stomach and waist, where the success rate is about 50% (don’t expect 90% effectiveness rate with any kind of fat reduction, it is not going to happen).

According to research, cryolipolysis / coolsculpting can reduce about 20-25% of your fat in the stomach / waist area. For such reduction, 1-2 sessions, spaced 6 months apart, are recommended.

(If you don’t get results in 1 or 2 sessions with ‘cryo’, there is no point continuing for 3 or 4 session - things will not get better. ‘Destructive’ treatments, such as cryolipolysis, work in 1-2 sessions or not at all.)

Fat reduction, effectiveness on the thighs and on upper arms for cryolipolysis is about 10-20%, so not worth taking a punt, unless you have money to waste.

Needless to say that, for fat reduction, radiofrequency (and even cavitation - contrary to popular belief) are not that effective. RF and ultrasound cavitation are just not that effective and/or safe on the subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Therefore, at the clinic we do not make claims about fat reduction with cavitation or radiofrequency (apart from a potential improvement of 1-2mm reduction, which is not enough to justify proper fat reduction claims).

Radiofrequency and cavitation are ideal for cellulite reduction too. Cryolipolysis is not.

Coolsculpting / fat freezing / cryolipolysis works on the deeper, subcutaneous adipose tissue (what we call “fat”), which is just below the hypodermal adipose tissue (what we call “cellulite”).

So this technique does nothing for cellulite, and again no cellulite reduction claims are made by the coolsculpting manufacturing company.

On the other hand, radiofrequency and ultrasound are ideal for cellulite reduction, as they stimulate hypodermal fat release (hypodermal fat is the most important aspect of cellulite). Radiofrequency also stimulates skin tightening (an integral part of cellulite) and with proper technique ultrasound cavitation can also achieve the same objective.

The success of radiofrequency in cellulite removal are about 90%, if provided by a well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist.

For good results, 6-12 sessions, spaced 3-15 days apart, are recommended.

(Don’t expect results in 1-4 sessions. Stimulative treatments, such as deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound cavitation, work over roughly 6-12 sessions, as they do not damage tissue to create change in 1-2 sessions - they gradually stimulate change in tissues over multiple sessions.)

Radiofrequency is great for skin tightening. Fat freezing and ultrasound cavitation are not.

Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency is THE most effective SAFE treatment for skin tightening (far better and safer than gimmicks such as extreme intensity HIFU, extreme intensity RF, microneedling RF or other destructive treatments that are supposed to give results in 1-2 sessions).

The success of radiofrequency in skin tightening is about 95%, if provided by a knowledgable, well-trained and experienced therapist.

For good results, 6-12 sessions, spaced 3-15 days apart, are recommended.

(Don’t expect results in 1-4 sessions, stimulative treatments, such as deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency, work over roughly 6-12 sessions, as they do not damage to create change, they stimulate change.)

On the other hand, fat freezing / cryolipolysis does nothing for skin tightening and this is reflected in the official literature of the coolsculpting manufacturer.

As mentioned above, with proper equipment and technique ultrasound can occasionally also help with skin tightening, but generally radiofrequency is far better.

In summary

So the answer to the question “What is best: radiofrequency or coolsculpting” depends on what you are trying to improve: fat accumulation, cellulite or skin looseness.

• Cryolipolysis is best for fat reduction on stomach and flanks, so it’s worth trying

• On the other hand, RF is the best technology for both cellulite and skin tightening and with quite high effectiveness rate too

• Cavitation is also good for cellulite removal but not usually for skin tightening