If you want to introduce a piece of equipment to your Salon or Clinic then Radiofrequency is a good place to start. It’s a great addition to any menu if you offer skin treatments. That said it can be a bit overwhelming when you start to look at machines and are faced with multiple options. One thing you may be thinking is, which is better… Monopolar or Bipolar Radiofrquency systems?
I’ve been operating machines for 18 years in my chain of Salons so I’m going to give you an easy to understand description of the differences and what you might want to consider.
Firstly what exactly is Radiofrequency (RF) for Skin tightening?
It’s a device which emits an alternating electric current of ‘radio waves’. These wave forms are just above the frequency that we can hear, and just below a frequency that we can see… so we can’t hear them or see them.
A handpiece is used to deliver the RF energy into the skin which causes a heating effect. This heat stimulates cells in the dermis to produce more collagen to tighten the skin. It also has an immediate but temporary effect of contracting existing collagen and therefore tightening the skin.
Monopolar Radiofrequency
Radiofrequency first came about in beauty and aesthetics in the form of Monopolar RF in 2002, so over 20 years ago! With all radiofrequency treatments there has to be a positive (+) and a negative (-) pole for the treatment to work, and the current passes between the two.
With Monopolar Radiofrequency a handpiece is applied to the skin which emits the energy. That energy passes all the way through the skin layers to exit at the other pole, which is often a grounding pad (attached to the back) or handle held by the client. The positive and negative poles switch over and over again which makes the current travel back and forth. This causes friction and heating, and that’s what makes the skin react.
This type of RF goes very deep, and carries more risk of hot spots and burns. It’s also considered to be more painful because of the depth of the current.
To target fat and cellulite then Monopolar devices will work better as the fat layers are situated deeper than the dermis, so the current needs to go deeper. But for skin tightening treatments where the current needs to reach the dermis, then Bipolar radiofrequency is preferential.
Bipolar Radiofrequency
The handpiece will have at least two poles in Bipolar Radiofrequency devices. One will be positive and the other will be negative. (If there are 3 poles or 4 poles, then it’s still only made up of positive and negative eg. 2 x positive and 2 x negative).
The energy passes between the treatment tips (the positive and negative poles), through the skin causing friction. The depth the RF energy travels depends on how far the two tips are apart. If the tips are 1 cm apart, then roughly speaking the current will travel 0.5 cms / 5 mm into the skin (so half the distance).
The dermis lies between 1mm and 3mm deep, which means we don’t need the energy to go very deep. In skin tightening we are just trying to target cells in the dermis to produce more collagen. This makes Bipolar Radiofrequency (or tripollar or multipolar) devices perfect to do this job.
Bipolar Radiofrequency is more comfortable to receive as a client and also carries less risk of burning and hot spots.
Bipolar Radiofrequency is very versatile, and is a great addition to any clinic, salon or spa wanting to offer an effective skin tightening treatment.
I hope this has helped you understand the different types of Radiofrequency and what you might now look for in a device for you salon or clinic. If you’d like more information on training in Radiofrequency treatments then please click here.
Or you can email me here: rachael@comeandcopyme.co.uk