Radiowave Skin Tightening
Up to a relatively short time ago, skin laxity could only be treated by aggressive, invasive, surgical techniques, such as facelifting and necklifting.
But going under the knife was costly and entailed the risks of general or systemic anesthesia and often required significant periods of recuperation and withdrawal from work and social activities.
Moreover, it sometimes took weeks to months for swelling and redness to disappear entirely so that the desired results could be fully appreciated.
Most of us are familiar with radiowaves and take them for granted as an everyday part of our world.
They are that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that brings us our favorite music and talk shows on our am/fm radios.
Less well known, however, is that radiowaves have been used for many years in the medical and surgical settings.
High frequency radiowaves are employed to produce an electric current that generates heat via resistance as it passes through the skin.
In this way, it is used for epilation (permanent hair removal), for the elimination of networks of "broken" (dilated) blood vessels on the face (telangiectasias), to cut, coagulate and cauterize, and to remove all kinds of growths.
The Ellman Surgitron is a popular unit used for these purposes.
More recently, radiowaves have proven beneficial for nonsurgically treating mild to moderate skin wrinkles, crinkles, and laxity.
With appropriate adjustment of the settings of the radiosurgical unit, the energy that is produced can heat the fibrous tissue within the lower layers of the skin, specifically the dermis and subcutaneous (fat) tissue, without damaging the surface layer, the epidermis.
The heat generated in this fashion serves to break down collagen and elastin and causes these fibers, which are located within the lower layers, to contract, and it is this shrinking that is felt to be responsible for the observed tightening, firming, and subtle lifting of the skin observed following treatment.
In addition to being entirely nonsurgical, radiowave skin tightening has several other advantages.
Since the procedure is minimally uncomfortable at most, it requires no anesthesia, not even topical anesthetic creams.
In fact, the physician uses the patient's sensation of heat as a gauge for how much energy to apply at any location.
It takes between ten and twenty minutes to complete the whole face or neck.
Unlike many other rejuvenation techniques, radiowave skin tightening can be used to improve and firm up any location of the body, including the crinkles within the decollete and cleavage of the chest, the upper arms, and inner thighs.
The procedure itself is quite simple.
The area to be treated is first cleaned thoroughly to remove any skin oil, moisturizers or cosmetics.
Men need to shave closely beforehand.
Next, a conductive gel is applied liberally to coat the entire treatment area.
A neutral plate is then placed under the patient.
This is NOT a ground plate.
It is more akin to the antenna on a radio that helps to focus the waves thereby improving reception.
No electric shock (the initial fear of every patient when the plate is first seen) would occur if the neutral plate were not used.
However, the effect of the therapy would be reduced.
After the gel is applied, the handpiece is activated and is continuously moved in overlapping circular motions over the wrinkles, crinkles and laxity to be treated.
Throughout the process, the patient supplies the necessary feedback to alert the physician if the probe feels too hot or grows uncomfortable.
If so, the setting is reduced until the patient simply feels tolerable warmth but without any burning sensation.
Certain areas, such as the forehead, seem to be more sensitive than others.
After several passes at the appropriate setting, the physician will begin to note mild collagen contraction and skin firming.
The skin may be slightly red and swollen following treatment.
Both usually fade, however, between the next few hours and up to five days later.
On rare occasions, they may persist for several weeks.
In addition, a particular "hot spot" might occasionally result in a small abrasion, but this too usually heals in a few days without any residual discoloration or scarring.
Immediately after all areas are completed, an ice pack is placed over the treatment sites for about ten to fifteen seconds.
This serves not only to cool the skin, but to promote further collagen contraction.
This is analogous to placing a hard-boiled egg in cold water immediately after boiling it in order to enhance the solidification of the proteins, i.
e.
to further harden the egg.
To the patient's delight, what has been described as a "microlifting retraction" is usually evident in the mirror immediately after treatment.
The accompanying before and after photos of "crow's feet" wrinkles around the right eye demonstrate the immediate smoothing typically seen following an initial radiowave treatment.
The aftermath of a treatment session follows a typical chronological pattern that is important to understand in order to prevent unnecessary disappointment.
In most cases, the skin firming effect can be appreciated immediately and for up to three days following therapy.
After that, there is a period of relaxation in which the skin may once again appear as it did prior to treatment.
However, after another week, when new collagen and elastic fibers begin reforming, the skin retightens and then maintains the correction.
For optimal results, a series of three to four treatments at monthly or sixty-day intervals is suggested.
Fees range from $750-$1000/session, depending upon the number of areas treated.
The results of therapy are quite long-lasting and may persist for several months to as long as a year and a half or more.
Where needed, or for additional benefits, radiowave skin tightening can be combined with a variety of other nonsurgical modalities, such as Botox, fillers, volumizers, and microchanneling.
Overall patient satisfaction with this quick and easy nonsurgical procedure is high.
But going under the knife was costly and entailed the risks of general or systemic anesthesia and often required significant periods of recuperation and withdrawal from work and social activities.
Moreover, it sometimes took weeks to months for swelling and redness to disappear entirely so that the desired results could be fully appreciated.
Most of us are familiar with radiowaves and take them for granted as an everyday part of our world.
They are that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that brings us our favorite music and talk shows on our am/fm radios.
Less well known, however, is that radiowaves have been used for many years in the medical and surgical settings.
High frequency radiowaves are employed to produce an electric current that generates heat via resistance as it passes through the skin.
In this way, it is used for epilation (permanent hair removal), for the elimination of networks of "broken" (dilated) blood vessels on the face (telangiectasias), to cut, coagulate and cauterize, and to remove all kinds of growths.
The Ellman Surgitron is a popular unit used for these purposes.
More recently, radiowaves have proven beneficial for nonsurgically treating mild to moderate skin wrinkles, crinkles, and laxity.
With appropriate adjustment of the settings of the radiosurgical unit, the energy that is produced can heat the fibrous tissue within the lower layers of the skin, specifically the dermis and subcutaneous (fat) tissue, without damaging the surface layer, the epidermis.
The heat generated in this fashion serves to break down collagen and elastin and causes these fibers, which are located within the lower layers, to contract, and it is this shrinking that is felt to be responsible for the observed tightening, firming, and subtle lifting of the skin observed following treatment.
In addition to being entirely nonsurgical, radiowave skin tightening has several other advantages.
Since the procedure is minimally uncomfortable at most, it requires no anesthesia, not even topical anesthetic creams.
In fact, the physician uses the patient's sensation of heat as a gauge for how much energy to apply at any location.
It takes between ten and twenty minutes to complete the whole face or neck.
Unlike many other rejuvenation techniques, radiowave skin tightening can be used to improve and firm up any location of the body, including the crinkles within the decollete and cleavage of the chest, the upper arms, and inner thighs.
The procedure itself is quite simple.
The area to be treated is first cleaned thoroughly to remove any skin oil, moisturizers or cosmetics.
Men need to shave closely beforehand.
Next, a conductive gel is applied liberally to coat the entire treatment area.
A neutral plate is then placed under the patient.
This is NOT a ground plate.
It is more akin to the antenna on a radio that helps to focus the waves thereby improving reception.
No electric shock (the initial fear of every patient when the plate is first seen) would occur if the neutral plate were not used.
However, the effect of the therapy would be reduced.
After the gel is applied, the handpiece is activated and is continuously moved in overlapping circular motions over the wrinkles, crinkles and laxity to be treated.
Throughout the process, the patient supplies the necessary feedback to alert the physician if the probe feels too hot or grows uncomfortable.
If so, the setting is reduced until the patient simply feels tolerable warmth but without any burning sensation.
Certain areas, such as the forehead, seem to be more sensitive than others.
After several passes at the appropriate setting, the physician will begin to note mild collagen contraction and skin firming.
The skin may be slightly red and swollen following treatment.
Both usually fade, however, between the next few hours and up to five days later.
On rare occasions, they may persist for several weeks.
In addition, a particular "hot spot" might occasionally result in a small abrasion, but this too usually heals in a few days without any residual discoloration or scarring.
Immediately after all areas are completed, an ice pack is placed over the treatment sites for about ten to fifteen seconds.
This serves not only to cool the skin, but to promote further collagen contraction.
This is analogous to placing a hard-boiled egg in cold water immediately after boiling it in order to enhance the solidification of the proteins, i.
e.
to further harden the egg.
To the patient's delight, what has been described as a "microlifting retraction" is usually evident in the mirror immediately after treatment.
The accompanying before and after photos of "crow's feet" wrinkles around the right eye demonstrate the immediate smoothing typically seen following an initial radiowave treatment.
The aftermath of a treatment session follows a typical chronological pattern that is important to understand in order to prevent unnecessary disappointment.
In most cases, the skin firming effect can be appreciated immediately and for up to three days following therapy.
After that, there is a period of relaxation in which the skin may once again appear as it did prior to treatment.
However, after another week, when new collagen and elastic fibers begin reforming, the skin retightens and then maintains the correction.
For optimal results, a series of three to four treatments at monthly or sixty-day intervals is suggested.
Fees range from $750-$1000/session, depending upon the number of areas treated.
The results of therapy are quite long-lasting and may persist for several months to as long as a year and a half or more.
Where needed, or for additional benefits, radiowave skin tightening can be combined with a variety of other nonsurgical modalities, such as Botox, fillers, volumizers, and microchanneling.
Overall patient satisfaction with this quick and easy nonsurgical procedure is high.