How does radio frequency treatment feel? Is it painful?

Radiofrequency treatment safety, results and client comfort

• What should I expect during radiofrequency treatment?

• Proper radiofrequency treatment should never feel burning or painful

• The pain threshold is also a very accurate safety and effectiveness threshold

• There are two types of radiofrequency: the good one and the ugly one

• Have a radiofrequency treatment in London with the radiofrequency experts

What should I expect during radiofrequency treatment?

What you will feel when you have proper (i.e. high-power, deep-acting) radiofrequency treatment, provided by a well-trained therapist, is mainly deep heat.

If RF is properly applied, with the correct protocol, the right treatment medium and proper equipment, the surface of your skin (epidermis) will feel warm/a little hot, while deep skin layers (hypodermis and dermis) will be very hot.

This will be experienced as deep heat but it should not be burning or painful for more than a split of a second, very occasionally, in which case your therapist should slightly lower the intensity. This would ensure you receive maximum benefit with minimum discomfort and maximum safety.

This deep heat action of radiofrequency is the opposite of external heat being applied on the skin (e.g. a hot pack), where the epidermis feels very hot and the dermis/hypodermis feels just warm.

Proper radiofrequency treatment should never feel burning or painful

You should NEVER feel burning or pain during a radiofrequency treatment.

If you feel burning or pain for more than a split of a second, i.e. if you feel pain/burning continuously for 20, 30, 40, 60 minutes of treatment, that means that the treatment is not provided properly and your therapist is taking chances with your skin safety.

Within a few minutes of the first treatment of properly applied deep tissue radiofrequency, most people get used to the feeling of deep skin heat and usually relax, finding the treatment comfortable or even soothing. By the second session many clients can even doze off during treatment.

A small minority of clients (5%) find the treatment uncomfortable but still acceptable.

And this is how properly applied RF treatment should feel: comfortable, sometimes uncomfortable but not painful or a struggle to cope for 20-120 minutes.

A very small minority (~1%) find RF treatment painful at therapeutic temperatures. This is because pain thresholds and body tissue structures are different from person to person.

The pain threshold is also a very accurate safety and effectiveness threshold

In general, the pain threshold coincides with both the the effectiveness and safety threshold for radiofrequency treatment: going above the threshold improves effectiveness only a little while it disproportionately increases the risk of adverse reactions.

So if treatment is painful even at low temperatures (<38ºC on the surface of the skin) there is no point continuing. In that case treatment has to be stopped and the client should be encouraged to perhaps have one of the following:

• Deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation treatment which is as effective or more than RF for cellulite reduction

• Or, unfortunately, a much less efficient treatment for skin tightening, such as LED red/infrared treatment, or deep, strong cellulite massage for cellulite reduction

However, as mentioned above, the vast majority of people find deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency comfortable and benefit from the treatment.

There are two types of radiofrequency: the good one and the ugly one

Destructive radiofrequency, aims to literally burn the skin inside and literally produce scar tissue in order to hopefully harden the skin and reduce cellulite this way. A good example of destructive radiofrequency is RF microneedling, which is both barbaric and not that effective either.

We believe that this type of RF is inherently risky and not very effective either. Therefore on this website we don’t care to provide information or details about this type of RF.

Stimulative radiofrequency, that aims to stimulate collagen production and fat release with deep, strong heat - but never excessive heat that would lead to burning.

This type of (high-power, deep-acting) RF is safe and effective for both cellulite removal and skin tightening, if provided with good equipment and a well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist.

This, and all our other articles about RF and ultrasound are for proper, i.e. high-power, deep-acting, SAFE radiofrequency.

Have a radiofrequency treatment in London with the radiofrequency 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.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And 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 you, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

There are five ways to start treatment with us:

Learn more or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)