“Over the last 25 years I have been practising skin tightening I can say that after a successful course of radiofrequency skin tightening treatments results last for 3 years or more. This is because collagen contraction and collagen synthesis cannot be reversed easily by lifestyle factors, unless severe weight loss, severe inactivity or serious health problems occur. This is in contrast to cellulite reduction whose effects can easily be reversed by excessive calorie / sugar / alcohol intake, in addition to the above factors. However, like everything else in life, RF skin tightening is not permanent. That would break all the laws of physics and biology. Read more below.”
How long does RF skin tightening last?
Does radiofrequency treatment provide long-lasting results for skin tightening? How long do results last for?
Do radiofrequency treatment results last forever? Are results permanent?
Firstly, nothing in this universe, is “forever”.
Are radiofrequency treatment results long-lasting?
How often do I need to do maintenance treatments after my radiofrequency cellulite reduction / skin tightening course?
Why less frequent maintenance sessions are needed for skin tightness and more for cellulite prevention?
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
Does radiofrequency treatment provide long-lasting results for skin tightening? How long do results last for?
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency is by far the most effective SAFE skin tightening technology (and one of the most effective cellulite reduction technologies) and typically can offer great results, in 6-12 sessions.
But do these results last for ever or would maintenance treatments be needed?
This is one of the most common questions at the clinic so we will present the answers here in detail.
Do radiofrequency treatment results last forever? Are results permanent?
Unfortunately most people today have a ‘magic bullet’ mentality: “I want to do something once, usually with a ‘miracle’ solution, and then I want that solution to last forever”.
This applies to everything in life, and skin tightening / cellulite reduction with radiofrequency could not be any different.
People want to have a course of treatments (or even worse, a single, very expensive, very painful and very hyped up treatment) and then expect their skin to stay tight forever, regardless of lack exercise, crazy diets and the normal ageing process.
Or they expect their cellulite never to increase again, regardless of how much they eat, drink, smoke or stay inactive after that.
Unfortunately, such expectations have nothing to do with reality.
Firstly, nothing in this universe, is “forever”
Secondly, nothing in biology and the human body is “forever” either:
No one expects to have a heart operation, feel better after it and then not to deteriorate again if they start smoking, eating fatty food and drinking
Similarly, no one expects to follow a diet and exercise program, become slim and fit and then not put any weight again if they start eating excess food and not exercising anymore
And, of course, no one expects to hit the gym, build a lot of muscle and then stay muscly and fit forever
We all know that in all these cases it doesn’t work like that.
There is no vaccine for skin laxity or cellulite. And even if there was, vaccines are not effective "always or “forever”.
Then why on earth do people expect to have 1, 5 or 10 skin tightening / cellulite treatments - radiofrequency or otherwise - and expect to stay firm or cellulite-free “forever”, despite the ageing process and despite living unhealthily again?
It doesn’t make sense. There is nothing permanent in this life.
So the correct question is:
Are radiofrequency treatment results long-lasting?
A good course of deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency treatments does create long-lasting results with regard to collagen synthesis, collagen contraction and fat reduction.
(BTW, low power RF and superficial RF are a waste of time and money.)
After you reach a satisfactory level of skin tightening / cellulite reduction with a course of 6-12 strong, deep-tissue radiofrequency treatments, the results can last for at least two years or more, as long as a very healthy lifestyle is followed.
In that case, no maintenance is needed, in terms of further treatments, as the maintenance consists of the very healthy lifestyle itself.
With a less than healthy lifestyle, some top-up treatments will be needed to maintain the results, ALMOST indefinitely.
There is always the normal ageing process that will gradually and inescapably deteriorate the body, even a little - and regardless how many sessions of any treatment we have.
Hence the use of the word “almost” in the last sentence.
How often do I need to do maintenance treatments after my radiofrequency skin tightening / cellulite reduction course?
For cellulite and WITH A GENERALLY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, treatments every two months will maintain the results of your course of treatments indefinitely (with some small deterioration due to the ageing process). For skin tightness even less frequent maintenance is needed, as long as you are not totally sedentary or do not eat extremely unhealthily.
For cellulite and with AN AVERAGE LIFESTYLE (not too unhealthy, but not great either) monthly treatments are recommended. Monthly treatments are not necessary for skin tightness - every two months are more than enough,.
For cellulite and with A VERY UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE (no/little exercise, eating generally unhealthy food, drinking alcohol, smoking, taking the contraceptive pill) weekly or fortnightly treatments are recommended (with no maintenance, cellulite would quickly increase again in this case). For skin firmness and with a very unhealthy lifestyle, perhaps treatments every month would make sense.
Why less frequent maintenance sessions are needed for skin tightness and more for cellulite prevention?
Fortunately, skin tightness is not lost as fast as skin smoothness is lost with unhealthy lifestyle, so results can be maintained for longer and/or with a less healthy lifestyle.
The two main things that quickly can turn firm skin loose again are:
Severe inactivity, as in working on your desk for 12 hours a day
And/or severe lack of protein, as in crash dieting or consuming very little protein, which will not allow your body to replenish your collagen stores (remember, collagen is a protein)
Obviously we do not recommend either, especially the latter, but if you are going to sit on your desk for 12 hours a day, maintenance skin tightening treatments every two weeks are definitely recommended.
With less pronounced inactivity, perhaps monthly treatments are just about right.
With frequent exercise, enough protein intake and no crash diets, skin tightness should easily be maintained for more than two years, without maintenance treatments.
On the other hand, cellulite can quickly build up with unhealthy diet and inactivity which lead to hypodermal fat accumulation.
In one sentence: with unhealthy lifestyle, hypodermal fat is more easily built up than collagen is lost.
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.