“I have been researching and working hands-on with cellulite, skin tightening and topical fat reduction for 25 years now and the picture is crystal clear to me: for topical fat reduction go for cryolipolysis; for skin tightening go for deep acting, high power radiofrequency; and for cellulite go for deep acting, high power radiofrequency and cavitation. Read more below...”
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. Cryolipolysis is not.
Radiofrequency is great for skin tightening. Fat freezing and ultrasound cavitation are not.
In summary
LipoTherapeia® Plus: Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s cellulite experts
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
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 for, 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.)
On the other hand, 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 (deep fat).
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. Cryolipolysis is not.
Coolsculpting / fat freezing / cryolipolysis works on the deeper, subcutaneous adipose tissue (what we call ‘fat’ or sometimes ‘deep fat’), which is just below the hypodermal adipose tissue (what we call ‘cellulite’).
So this technique does nothing for cellulite and as a result no cellulite reduction claims are made by the manufacturers of coolsculpting.
On the other hand, deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound are ideal for cellulite reduction, as they stimulate hypodermal fat release and hypodermal fat cell breakdown (hypodermal fat is the most important aspect of cellulite).
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency additionally stimulates skin tightening (an integral part of cellulite) and with proper technique ultrasound cavitation can also achieve the same objective.
(I keep using the qualifiers ‘deep-acting, high-power” for RF and cavitation, as the low-power or superficially acting varieties don’t work.)
The success of radiofrequency in cellulite removal is about 90%, if provided by a well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist.
For good results, 6-12 sessions, spaced 2-15 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 ~6-12 sessions. In contrast to destructive treatments, they do not damage tissue to create change in 1-4 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 1-4 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.
(Again, 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 cause damage in order to create change, they stimulate change directly and safely.)
On the other hand, fat freezing / cryolipolysis does nothing for skin tightening and this is also reflected in the official literature of the manufacturer of coolsculpting.
As mentioned above, with proper equipment and technique, deep-acting, high-power ultrasound can occasionally also help with skin tightening, but generally radiofrequency is far better in this respect.
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 - just on those two ares and for no more than 1-2 sessions
Strong, deep RF is the best technology for both cellulite and skin tightening - and with quite high effectiveness rate too
Strong, deep cavitation is also great for cellulite removal but not usually for skin tightening
LipoTherapeia® Plus: Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s cellulite 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.
Check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic.
Look Inside Your Skin™ with a Cellulite Ultrasonography™ scan, exclusive to LipoTherapeia in London, and assess your cellulite, skin laxity, post-liposuction fibrosis and more
We are proud to be the first and only cellulite clinic in the world to offer Cellulite Ultrasonography™ to our clients, for accurate assessment, better treatment and enhanced results. Since 2022 we have assessed and provided valuable insights to hundreds of clients to better understand their specific case, see how their skin looks from inside and make informed decisions.
You can now book your Cellulite Ultrasonography™ session and assess your:
Cellulite
Skin laxity
Lipedema
Subcutaneous fat levels
You can also assess the presence and severity of fibrosis and adhesions after:
Liposuction in all its forms, including vaser, smart lipo, bodytite, abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, thigh lift, arm lift, lipedema surgery etc
Cellulite surgery, such as cellulaze, cellutite, cellfina, subcision etc
Face-lift surgery
Non-surgical procedures, such as RF microneedling, extreme intensity HIFU, extreme intensity RF, extreme intensity ultrasound etc
Everything will be shown and explained to you clearly and you can see and understand how the different structures inside your skin affect your appearance.
If there is scar tissue / fibrosis, those will be clearly seen and you can differentiate between fibrosis, water retention or unremoved fat after all types of cosmetic surgery or harsh non-surgical procedures such as RF microneedling, extreme intensity HIFU etc.
(DISCLAIMER: Please note that this service is for your informational purposes only and does not constitute medical diagnosis or advice.)
The 45’ appointment includes full assessment and consultation and optional treatment plan for cellulite reduction and/or skin tightening.
If you do wish to have treatment with us, the ultrasound scan, assessment and consultation will be used to optimise your course of treatments and maximise your results.
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?
Get proper training based on 24-year theory and practical application of cellulite reduction and valuable insights from 23,000+ sessions and 4,100+ clients.
Now you can get instant access to our expertise and save yourself literally thousands of pounds, dollars or euros of expensive mistakes and thousands of hours of study, research and practical application by attending one of our half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day professional consultancy / training courses.
Understand deeply - and get properly trained in - the science of radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.
Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.
Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic or via Zoom.