“TL;DR: Radiofrequency (RF) treatments offer immediate and long-term skin benefits when performed correctly with deep-acting, high-power RF by a trained therapist, maintaining temperatures of 43-47ºC in the dermis and hypodermis, below the pain threshold, without anaesthetic cream. Immediate skin contraction occurs due to heat affecting fibroblasts, contracting the collagen network, with effects noticeable during or shortly after treatment, particularly in younger skin (under 30). This initial tightening partially subsides but accumulates with 6-12 sessions, enhancing skin firmness. Long-term, a series of treatments stimulates collagen and elastin synthesis over weeks, reducing hypodermal fat (cellulite), resulting in firmer, tighter skin. Immediate lymphatic drainage may reduce water retention, causing temporary “inch loss,” but this is not fat reduction. Cellulite fat reduction requires weeks, not hours, and deep fat reduction is only reliably achieved via liposuction, not RF. Long-term results vary: some notice improvements after two sessions, others after 4-5, with 6, 12 or even 24 sessions needed depending on individual response. Destructive RF treatments, using high temperatures (60-90ºC) with anaesthetic cream, cause collagen denaturation and scar tissue, posing high risks and are not recommended. Safe, effective RF relies on skilled practitioners and quality equipment, respecting each body’s unique response without exceeding safe limits.”
How many radiofrequency treatments are needed for good results, realistically?
Radiofrequency results: immediate skin contraction after an RF treatment
Radiofrequency results: long-term collagen contraction, and collagen synthesis, with a series of treatments
Not to be confused with collagen denaturation by destructive RF treatments
Immediate lymphatic drainage after a radiofrequency treatment
No immediate fat reduction with radiofrequency or any other treatment of any kind - except actual liposuction
When will I see the first long-term results after deep tissue radiofrequency treatment?
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Radiofrequency results: immediate skin contraction after even one RF treatment
With proper radiofrequency treatment (i.e. deep-acting, high-power RF, provided by a well trained therapist, under the pain threshold), clients quite often experience some immediate skin contraction.
This contraction is brought on by the effect of heat on fibroblasts (collagen cells), which contract the skin’s collagen network.
Sometimes this contraction is quite impressive and occurs even during treatment, while in other cases it is more subtle or materialises minutes, hours or 2-3 days after treatment.
Younger skin (30-year old or younger) exhibits more pronounced and/or faster collagen contraction.
This skin contraction gradually subsides after a few days - but not completely. With repeated treatments (6-12 make sense) the cumulative residual contraction adds up to tighten the skin.
Radiofrequency results: long-term collagen contraction, and collagen/elastin synthesis, with a series of treatments
In contrast to collagen contraction that happens quickly, collagen and elastin synthesis take days and weeks, not minutes or hours.
A series of 6-12 treatments will produce a a combination of both collagen contraction, collagen production and elastin production, for an overall firmer, tighter skin.
Furthermore, a series of 6-12 treatments will gradually lead reduce hypodermal fat (cellulite), which will firmer improve the quality of the skin.
All the actions above, i.e. natural collagen contraction, natural collagen/elastin production and natural hypodermal/cellulite fat reduction are brought on by a stimulating RF treatment, i.e. one that:
Is provided under the pain threshold and without the use of anaesthetic cream
Leads to 43-47ºC temperature in the dermis and hypodermal adipose tissue (deep skin layers)
Not to be confused with collagen denaturation by destructive RF treatments
On the other hand, destructive RF treatments cause unnatural collagen denaturation (basically deep skin burning) and consequent scar tissue formation that passes as ‘skin firming’, when in reality it is ‘scar tissue-ing’. These aggresive treatments:
Are provided over the pain threshold with the aid of an anaesthetic cream
Lead to 60-90ºC temperature in the dermis and hypodermis (deep skin layers)
Naturally, destructive RF treatments have a very high rate of adverse reactions, so we do not recommend them.
This article refers only to proper, safe, deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency.
Radiofrequency results: immediate lymphatic drainage after a radiofrequency treatment
In some cases, excess water may also quickly be drained from the thighs, due to the action of the treatment on circulation / lymphatic drainage, leading to some “inch loss”.
Again, this can be impressive but not very long lasting.
Don’t get me wrong, some impressive - albeit temporary - water retention reduction is always nice when it occurs, but this is not the main goal.
The main goal is long-term skin tightening and cellulite fat reduction, and those things take days, weeks and months - not the minutes, hours and days that some people imagine.
Radiofrequency results: no instant fat/cellulite reduction with radiofrequency or any other treatment, of any kind (except actual liposuction)
Most women will think that the - quite often impressive - temporary lymph drainage is fat reduction, when it is actually NOT.
Cellulite fat or deep fat can NOT be reduced in mere minutes or hours, with any treatment or method - it takes weeks to reduce. Nobody loses 5 pounds of fat, 2 inches of volume or any cellulite bumps in one day - this is delusion territory.
Fake “before and after” photos showing immediate cellulite reduction or fat reduction after a radiofrequency treatment are plain fraud.
Again, cellulite fat reduction does occur after a course of proper radiofrequency treatments (that’s how the cellulite bumps get softer and smoother), but it takes days, weeks and months, not minutes, hours and days that some people imagine.
And that’s regarding cellulite fat (hypodermal adipose tissue).
Deep fat (subcutaneous adipose tissue) is not reliably and efficiently reduced by any non-surgical method. For deep fat reduction liposuction is the only guaranteed choice.
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency does reduce a little bit of fat but it is not efficient for major fat loss - so we don’t make any such claims at the clinic.
Radiofrequency results: When will I see the first long-term results?
Some people we see at the clinic start raving about the treatment from the second session already, while some may need as many as 4-5 sessions to start seeing the first long-term results. Everyone is different.
By the 6th session some people are happy with the results of their course of treatments (fast responders), while some may need to have another 6 sessions (slow responders). In very bad cases, up to 24 sessions may be needed for good results.
The job of a radiofrequency practitioner is to provide maximum-strength, safe treatment just below the pain threshold, to all clients, in order to stimulate maximum collagen synthesis/contraction and maximum cellulite fat release by the body.
This requires the best possible equipment, good training and lots of experience. Then it’s up to each body to respond accordingly to the maximum stimulation provided.
Going over the pain threshold in order to impress the client with “fast results” is stupid, unsafe and irresponsible, as effectiveness increases by something like 10-20%, while the chance of irritation increases by 100-200%. Just not worth it.
Even worse, applying a numbing cream to go way over the pain threshold is downright irresponsible and does not increase effectiveness either. Some irresponsible people do it, but we don’t.
Each body has its own limits and it doesn’t make sense to go over those limits.
And each body responds differently to radiofrequency - or any other treatment, for that matter - hence the wide variation of suggested treatment number (6, 12 or even 24).
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
(Of course, we keep looking for new technologies every day and if/when a better technology materialises we will be the first to provide it. However, we will never follow the latest ineffective gimmick, just because it’s good marketing to offer the latest hyped up - yet ineffective and/or unsafe treatment.)
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Why train with The Cellulite School™?
We all know that training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening is as basic as it gets. It is typically a 4-6 hour training, involving only basic instruction from the manufacturer on how operators can use the machine; lots of myths, erroneous information and misconceptions; and some basic health and safety on how to use the machine.
There is no proper, real training in the science or cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound and all related technologies is non-existent - worldwide.
Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?
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Get properly trained in the science of cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound, phototherapy and all related technologies, at LipoTherapeia.
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