Does radiofrequency treatment have anything to do with radiation or radioactivity?

This is quite a common question at the clinic and people often call radiofrequency as ‘radiotherapy’. Of course, radiofrequency has nothing to do with radiation, radioactivity or radiotherapy, as it is based on high frequency electrical currents that aim to create heat in deep skin tissues. Read more....
— Georgios Tzenichristos, LipoTherapeia | London

Are radiofrequency treatments safe?

Where does the name radio frequency derive from?

The electrical currents used for aesthetic and physiotherapy radiofrequency treatments (300 kHz to 5 GHz) happen to fall within the so called "radiofrequency spectrum", i.e. the frequencies used for radio communications (3 kHz to 300 GHz).

Hence aesthetic treatments using electric currents or electromagnetic fields of such frequency have been named “radio frequency” treatments.

Does radiofrequency treatment have anything to do with radiation or radioactivity?

However, there is absolutely nothing else common between radiofrequency treatments and radio communications / radiation / radioactivity / radiotherapy, except from the common prefix ‘radio’ forming part of the word ‘radiofrequency’.

Again, radiofrequency treatments refer to high frequency electrical currents (and sometimes electromagnetic fields - but NOT radiation) from a very low frequency of 300kHz (longwave RF) to a high 40MHz (shortwave RF) and all the way to a very high 3GHz (microwave RF).

> At LipoTherapeia® | London we research, study and practice the science of cellulite and skin tightening daily, in order to offer you the best possible information, advice and treatment. Learn more at lipotherapeia.com.

Is radiofrequency safe?

Radiofrequency, as a technology is safe, as long as it conforms to specifications set by regulatory bodies. All big name radiofrequency machines have CE approval in Europe, FDA approval in the US and similar approvals in other parts of the world, and they are certified safe.

However, many cheap machines bought off places like AliExpress or similar cheap outlets at a fraction of the cost of an approved machine, either for commercial or personal use, are not safe, especially given that manufacturers who sell them, quite often provide false details regarding power, frequency and other specifications. If a manufacturer lies about specifications you don’t know what components they are using, what output they emit and what can go wrong.

Of course, a machine can be safe but the way it is applied could be unsafe, usually due to poor training, and this can lead to burns or other injuries. But that does not have to do with the technology itself but with the human factor.

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.

Check prices and book an expert skin / superficial connective tissue ultrasound scan at our London clinic.

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.