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

Are radiofrequency treatments safe?

Our RF and ultrasound articles are a nice way to share our experience in radiofrequency and cavitation, from our London clinic with everyone in the world. Check all our RF and ultrasound articles here. And if you do live in London, why don’t you book an assessment, consultation or  treatment with us here?

• Where does the name radio frequency derive from?

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

• Is radiofrequency safe?

• Check our professional consultancy for a masterclass in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

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, except from the prefix ‘radio’ forming part of the word ‘radiofrequency’.

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).

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 are certified safe.

However, many cheap machines bought off places like Alibaba 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 etc. 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 technology can be safe but the way it is applied could be unsafe, usually due to poor training. But that does not have to do with the technology itself but with the human factor.

Check our professional consultancy for a masterclass in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening? Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day professional consultancy / one-to-one training and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible. Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.