Cavitation/RF Oil, Cream, Serum or Gel: When to Use Which and Which Works Best - LipoTherapeia | London cellulite experts (2023)

Cream, gel, oil or serum: what is the best conductive medium for radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation treatments?

• “Radiofrequency” is a general term for treatment with different types of high-frequency electrical currents.

• Different machines use different frequencies, from an extra low 300 kHz to an extra high 5 GHz

• The types of physical phenomena at play in these different machines are quite different, and therefore different contact fluids are needed at different frequencies.

• Generally, gels and serums can be used with low frequencies, oils with higher frequencies, glycerin with most frequencies, and lotions and creams are not as practical...

Full review below

[Caution / Disclaimer]

The analysis below is for educational purposes only. For safety reasons, DO NOT change the contact medium of the radio frequency treatment without first consulting the manufacturer or distributor of your machine. Blind experimentation may cause burns or other injuries/irritations. This article is NOT professional advice.

Radio frequency at lower frequencies

Low frequency machines (300 kHz to 1 MHz) are based on ionic currents that create heat in the tissues and unfortunately also on the skin surface depending on the treatment medium.

In this case, gels or creams with high water content applied to the skin will have little resistance to the electricity generated by the RF machine and therefore will not heat up.

However, being made mostly of water, gels and creams will evaporate with constant movement and heating, which means constant application of gel or cream will be necessary.

radiofrequency treatment gels

Gels, which are just water and thickener, are the most unstable as the dried thickener will flake off and create a big mess.

RF treatment creams

With creams, however, things are more complicated. A cream is a mixture of water and oil.

When the water evaporates, due to the heat and constant movement of the RF handpiece, we are left with oil, which is not absorbed as quickly as water through the skin. This will actually represent more resistance to the RF currents and will therefore get hot.

This means that unless we keep replenishing the cream, we are going to have very high surface heating. This defeats the entire purpose of radiofrequency treatment, which is deep heating.

The solution is to use a low fat/high water cream to make sure you don't run too early into the treatment with an oily cream that will create epidermal overheating. Still, we have to keep replenishing, to avoid epidermal overheating.

RF Treatment Serums

Obviously, the use of sera during low frequency RF treatment is not practical, as sera evaporate quickly. And contrary to popular belief, it doesn't absorb deeply into the skin either. They only stay on the epidermis (total waste of money, but try explaining it to "beauty experts"...)

Glycerol and Glycol RF Treatment Products

There is also a fourth option as a contact medium for low frequency RF, consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, hydroglycolic gels and hydroglycolic creams. Glycerin* and propylene glycol** are not as electrically resistant as oil at these frequencies and do not absorb into the skin as quickly as water, so they fall somewhere in between, providing a good compromise. Even so, they heat up the skin perhaps more than we want, so combining them with water, in the form of a hydroglycolic gel, or with water and oil, in the form of a hydroglycolic cream-gel, is an even better compromise.

* Many low power RF machines normally operate with pure glycerin as the contact medium, which overheats the epidermis, creates skin redness and high temperature, and fools unsuspecting therapists and clients that the machine is too strong. It's not. It's just that glycerin overheats the epidermis while deep down the dermis and hypodermis feel very little.

** Propylene Glycol is never used alone as it is very runny and makes a mess everywhere. Propylene glycol also superheats the surface, as does glycerin.

RF treatment oils

El aceite como medio de contacto con un tratamiento de RF de baja frecuencia crearía un arco eléctrico entre la piel y la máquina, lo que provocaría quemaduras. Definitivamente no recomendado.

Non-contact radiofrequency treatment

Finally, not having a contact medium with low frequency RF treatment would create an electrical arc between the skin and the machine, resulting in burns. Definitely not recommended.

Radio frequency at higher frequencies

Higher frequency machines (10 MHz to 5 GHz) are based on the rotation of water molecules that generate heat in the tissues and, unfortunately, also on the skin's surface, depending on the treatment medium.

RF treatment gels and creams

In this case, products containing water (gels, creams, hydroalcoholic gels/creams, serums) cannot be used as a treatment medium, as they will heat up excessively, burning the epidermis.

So there are two options left: glycerin/propylene glycol or oil.

Glycerol/glycol products for radiofrequency treatment

Again, in this case, the glycerin/propylene glycol will give the illusion of an effective treatment, as it will heat up on the surface of the skin, making it red, while deep within the skin (dermis/hypodermis) temperatures will be maintained. lower. It simply means ineffective treatment.

radio frequency treatment oil

Oil, on the other hand, is completely inert at high frequencies, so it will allow deeper tissues to be properly treated (if the machine is strong enough) without overheating the epidermis.

Non-contact radiofrequency treatment

The fixed high-frequency radiofrequency applicators (hands-free) can be used without any means of contact, depending on the technology they use, always ensuring that sweat (water) does not accumulate.

Radio frequency at intermediate frequencies

RF frequencies of 1-10 MHz fall somewhere in between. In this case, a little water or a little oil may be the right or wrong ingredient in the contact medium formulation, depending on how the machine is running.

In most cases, glycerin or propylene glycol are used.

Ultrasound cavitation: gel, oil, cream or serum?

With ultrasound, things are not as critical as with radio frequency, but the choice of conductive medium is still important.

Generally, high frequency 1-10 MHz ultrasound would ideally require a gel, but creams and serums can also be used.

At lower frequencies (30-300kHz) oil can also be used.

Effect of electromesotherapy with the combination of ultrasound/radiofrequency and a concentrated contact medium

Both ultrasound and radio frequency enhance the absorption of active ingredients, so if a quality concentrated cream/gel/serum/oil is used, there will be extra benefit from the active ingredients in the contact medium.

The problem is that most of these serums and creams are not that concentrated. Quite the opposite: most are pretty watered down, especially all the advertised "magic" serums.

The other problem is that some actives can damage the ultrasound/radio head. Vitamin C (highly acidic) and essential oils are examples of this.

And there is yet another problem: some actives can cause skin irritation and the use of RF/ultrasound can make them even more irritating. A good example is strong exfoliating agents like glycolic acid. Combining the two can be complicated or dangerous, clearly not a good idea...

Soon

As we saw earlier, the choice of contact media can make a radiofrequency treatment more effective, ineffective, or even dangerous. This is because it can cause low, medium or excessive heat on the surface (epidermis), depending on the combination of machine settings and contact medium.

Sometimes we need some heat on the epidermis (eg for acne treatment), other times we don't (eg for cellulite reduction, deep fat reduction).

Often it is not only the machine and the operator's technique that is important, but also the means of contact.

Caution / Disclaimer

The above discussion is for educational purposes only, so that the public understands how contact with the media can affect the application of a radiofrequency treatment. It is NOT a professional instruction manual on the use of contact media for radiofrequency treatment. Different machines, depending on the technology they use, may require means of contact IN CONTRAST to the above discussion; this is just a general article.

DO NOT change the contact medium of the radio frequency treatment without first consulting the manufacturer or distributor of your machine. Blind experimentation can cause burns or other irritation. This article is NOT professional advice.

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• For the best value for money and to maximize the results of your exercise, diet and treatment, apply an anti-cellulite cream withmultiple high-purity anti-cellulite active ingredients in high concentrationsfor 6-12 weeks

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