Radiofrequency Technology in Non-Invasive Body Shaping

Radiofrequency energy, or RF, is a popular technology used in non-invasive body shaping procedures, and one of the fastest-growing types of treatments in this market. RF energy-based treatments work to achieve body shaping results in two separate and complementary ways. With this therapy, electrical RF energy is introduced to the targeted area of the body, typically the abdomen or “love handles” on the hips. The energy penetrates below the skin into the layer of adipocytes (fat cells) and generates heat within those cells. This heat in turn causes a process knows as lipolysis. Lipolysis is simply a way to describe the death of fat cells.

Lipolysis can be induced by various forms of energy, in this case RF. Once lipolysis has been initiated, many fat cells in the treated area eventually die, and are processed and excreted by the body’s natural mechanisms. This results in an actual loss of fat – not just a loss of volume in the cells. Once the fat cells are removed from the body, they do not grow back. This makes RF-induced lipolysis an effective and viable treatment for eliminating small, stubborn areas of fat, especially ones that have proven resistant to diet and exercise.

In addition to a decrease in fat cells in the treated area, RF body shaping treatments also offer the additional benefit of skin tightening. When the RF energy penetrates the skin to reach the underlying collagen and elastin in the dermis, which support the outer skin, or epidermis, these support structures are heated, which causes them to contract. This contraction causes an immediate effect of skin tightening and often results in a noticeable improvement in appearance. Over time and multiple treatments, the effects are compounded as new collagen is produced by the body in response to therapy.

RF energy-based body shaping technologies have recently progressed, especially with the advent of multi-polar devices, which require less energy to provide the same effect as the previous monopolar devices, and are therefore more comfortable for the patient and less likely to induce side effects. Within the realm of body shaping in aesthetic medicine, especially in the energy-based treatment category, RF is indeed one of the leading technologies being continually refined for use in many of the newest devices, promising increasingly dramatic results with less complications and patient downtime.