“Over the last two decades I have studied and applied radiofrequency on the face and body. I have assessed all and tried hands-on all the important radiofrequency technologies and machines. My verdict is that RF can help with moderate slimming on the face and body but it cannot help in cases of, say, a large double chin or large belly. For such extensive fat removal only surgery works.”
Is RF face slimming effective?
Is radiofrequency effective for facial slimming? | In summary
Is RF facial face slimming effective?
Two types of RF for face slimming: destructive and stimulating
What about body slimming?
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Is radiofrequency effective for facial slimming? | In summary
Radiofrequency (RF) is a non-surgical cosmetic treatment that uses high-frequency electrical currents to generate heat in various skin layers, including subcutaneous fat. It stimulates collagen and elastin production, boosts circulation, and promotes lipolysis (fat breakdown), making it effective for treating small, localised fat deposits, improving skin tightness, and reducing cellulite.
While RF can result in mild facial or body slimming, it is not suitable for reducing large fat accumulations, such as a prominent double chin or a large belly.
For facial slimming, two types of RF exist: destructive and stimulating. Destructive RF, which includes microneedling and requires anaesthetic cream, is painful, expensive, and often causes unwanted tissue damage and fat loss, potentially leading to facial drooping. In contrast, stimulating RF is safer, pain-free, and more effective when performed over multiple sessions. It promotes gradual fat release and collagen production without burning or trauma. When combined with ultrasound cavitation, results may improve further.
Stimulating RF is ideal for mild facial contouring, skin tightening, and cellulite reduction. However, for significant fat reduction, surgery or lifestyle changes remain the only truly effective solutions, as most non-invasive methods cannot achieve major fat loss.
Radiofrequency and slimming
Radiofrequency refers to high frequency electrical currents that and aim to produce heat in superficial, medium deep or deep skin layers or even deeper, on the subcutaneous adipose tissue.
Radiofrequency does three things where it is applied:
It stimulates collagen and elastin contraction and synthesis in fibroblasts (collagen and elastin producing cells)
It stimulates lipolysis, i.e. fat release from adipocytes (fat cells)
It stimulates circulation
Some types of high-power, deep-tissue radiofrequency do act on the subcutaneous adipose tissue and can reduce fat deposits, resulting in some localised slimming / contouring on the body or face.
Because RF also tightens skin at the same time, this is the optimum method for topical fat reduction, as skin becomes tighter and slimmer at the same time.
However, radiofrequency cannot effectively reduce large fat deposits (no non-surgical method can efficiently do that). So it wouldn’t work on a large double chin or a large belly, but for very small to small fat deposits on the face or body it is ideal, as it is both safe and effective.
So RF is great for cellulite reduction (body), skin tightening (body and face) and - if specifically directed at deeper levels - for limited fat reduction too (body and face).
Two types of RF for face slimming: destructive and stimulating
There are two types of radiofrequency: destructive and stimulating.
The destructive type is supposed to provide results with 1 or 2, very painful (and usually extortionately expensive) sessions. It is provided with anaesthetic cream and aims to burn both fat and other tissue inside the skin, with the hope that fat will not grow again and that the scar tissue produced after the trauma will tighten the skin. It is neither safe, accurate or particularly effective. Destructive RF is all types of RF microneedling and any RF that need a numbing cream to be applied. Destructive RF quite often causes unwanted fat loss on the face, leading to drooping cheeks etc.
The stimulating type works with 6-12 (usually reasonably priced) sessions. It does not need anaesthetic cream, it does not burn any tissues or produce any trauma and aims to stimulate gradual fat release and gradual collagen/elastin production and contraction. If it is deep-acting, high power and provided below the pain threshold, it is safe, accurate and effective.
RF can be combined with ultrasound cavitation for even better results on the face or the body.
Stimulative RF is far better and safer for all applications, including skin tightening, cellulite reduction and indeed minor localised fat reduction (only liposuction reliably offers major localised fat reduction).
What about body slimming?
Again, as with facial slimming, radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation are for small body fat deposits and cellulite. For larger fat deposits the only options are either diet and exercise or surgery.
The only non-surgical method worth considering, cryolipolysis / fat freezing, has a 10%-50% efficacy rate, only reduces 10-20% of fat deposits and has frequent adverse reactions, so we do neither offer it nor recommend it.
Have a treatment in London with the 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.
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 25-year theory and practical application of cellulite reduction and valuable insights from 24,000+ sessions and 4,200+ 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.
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