Why do I have to wait 8 weeks before having RF / cavitation after lipo?

Wait 8 weeks for post-lipo skin tightening / cellulite removal

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• Skin tightening and cellulite removal with radiofrequency and cavitation after liposuction or other cosmetic surgery

• Irresponsible advice

• How about the non-thermal effects of radiofrequency?

• What about ultrasound cavitation?

• Start RF/cavitation From day 56 after lipo

• Too early treatment after surgery means low safety and low effectiveness

• Long-term internal skin sensitivity after lipo

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

Skin tightening and cellulite removal with radiofrequency and cavitation after liposuction or other cosmetic surgery

Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the two best technologies for skin tightening and cellulite.

Therefore these technologies are ideal after body cosmetic surgery, which can leave skin looser and with much more visible cellulite.

After body cosmetic surgery (liposuction, vaser, smart lipo, bodytite, cellfina, cellulaze, brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, thigh lift etc) skin is initially very inflamed for a few weeks and stays inflamed and sensitive for about 8 weeks / 56 days.

Having radiofrequency / cavitation treatment earlier than 8 weeks after surgery will result in further inflammation, damage or injury.

So skin tightening / cellulite reduction with cavitation / radiofrequency will have to wait to be safely applied after the 56-day mark.

For this safety reason we would never do post lipo radiofrequency / ultrasound cavitation treatment at the clinic before the 8th week after surgery.

Irresponsible advice

In some cases, you may feel (or you may be told by a clueless surgeon who has never held an RF handpiece in their life*) that skin is already fine by the 3-4 week mark, but believe me, it’s not.

Inside, skin is sensitive and needs to be left alone for a while to heal properly. You can do progressively stronger massages and you can daily apply ice or skin healing creams to help it recover faster, but you cannot safely apply RF / cavitation treatments on it.

* In fact, some clueless AND irresponsible surgeons advise that it’s OK - even good - to have RF just a few days after surgery. I cannot believe how such bad advice is sometimes given to patients.

How about the non-thermal effects of radiofrequency?

Some people talk about the non-thermal effects of radiofrequency, that in theory would aid with healing after surgery.

However, such effects are minimal (if not infinitesimal) and definitely not better than a simple manual massage - gentle lymphatic massage to begin with and stronger massage as the weeks go by.

Given that RF is much more expensive than massage and less effective too at this stage, it is waste of the client’s time and money. The client’s interests would be better served with RF after 8 weeks to tighten up the loose skin and reduce cellulite.

What about ultrasound cavitation?

The above also apply to ultrasound: manual massage is far better, more accurate and pleasant than the very low intensity ultrasound that can safely be applied before the 56-day mark.

Ultrasound can then be used to reduce cellulite and break scar tissue after the 8th week post-surgery.

Start RF/cavitation From day 56 after lipo

By the 56th day after lipo, in 90% of cases skin has healed and is ready for proper radiofrequency / ultrasound treatment.

However, in some cases skin isn’t ready and remains painful / inflamed even at the 8th week mark. In that case we would delay treatment until full resolution of sensitivity / pain / inflammation.

Of course the 56th day mark is not set in stone: it can be day 46 or day 76, but we would never initiate treatment in less than about 8 weeks after surgery.

In all cases, after lipo surgery treatment, intensity should always match the skin tolerance / pain threshold to ensure 99%+ safety.

And usually the case is that RF / ultrasound cannot be used at high intensities for several months - or even years - after lipo, as surgery usually leaves tissues sensitive, weak and damaged.

That’s the real reality on the ground, after hundreds of cases and decades of experience.

Too early treatment after surgery means low safety and low effectiveness

Theoretically, if ultrasound / radiofrequency intensity is reduced to very low levels (or if a weak, low-end machine is used), skin tightening / cellulite treatment could commence from the 4th-6th week after surgery.

(Many such machines exist on the market, some featuring as low as 60W maximum RF output, which is completely pointless for body treatments.)

The problem with that approach is that with very low intensities comes very low or even zero effectiveness, which negates the whole point of having RF/ultrasound treatment early.

At the clinic we always aim to offer maximum value for money per session.

Doing a treatment at the 4th or 5th week mark after surgery will mean 20-30% effectiveness, which represents awful value for money, so we just don’t do it.

The client can wait for a few more weeks to get maximum results from their session.

Or, of course, they can always go to another clinic to have early skin tightening/cellulite treatment and receive low effectiveness treatment and/or get injured.

So we don’t do early treatment.

Long-term internal skin sensitivity after lipo

As mentioned above, in some cases liposuction leaves skin inside sensitive for 2, 5, even 10 years after surgery. This is because tissues have been injured or have reacted too much to surgery.

In those cases we still follow our usual pain threshold principle (i.e. the person should never feel pain or burning during RF/cavitation treatment), which ensures 99%+ safety and maximum effectiveness under the circumstances.

At the time of updating this article I am treating a client who had liposuction several years earlier and she is still very, very sensitive - especially to ultrasound cavitation - so we do just radiofrequency and at a reduced power level.

This practically means that the client will need double the amount of sessions, to achieve the same result she would achieve if she did not previously have lipo.

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.