Age plays a lot of mean tricks on our skin, including slowing down the production of important skin-supporting proteins that keep your skin firm and supple. If age has started to leave visible signs on your skin and you aren’t having much luck with over-the-counter products, it’s time to find a solution that works. At Finesse Cosmetic Laser, we’re confident that FotoFacial RF, a revolutionary skin tightening treatment, can treat age-related skin laxity.
How Often Can You Use FotoFacial RF Skin Tightening?
For FotoFacial RF treatments, you can safely have a treatment appointment once every three to four weeks during your initial round of treatments. Light-based cosmetic treatments are an interesting category of treatments because the frequency of the treatment is highly customizable to your skin’s needs and goals. In a practical sense, this means you can set how many treatments you need and how frequently you need those treatments to improve the firmness of your skin.
What Is the Ideal Treatment Frequency?
While the general treatment frequency is between three and four weeks, it should be noted that the ideal treatment is up to you and the specific requirements of your skin. For example, those who have mild or moderate skin laxity may benefit from treatment appointments spaced one month apart, while those with severe skin laxity will require treatments that are closer together to get the most impact from the treatment.
How Does FotoFacial RF Work?
FotoFacial is a radiofrequency treatment, a type of energy-based treatment that utilizes a combination of light and thermal energy to heat key tissues beneath the skin surface and incite the body’s natural regenerative abilities. Specifically, the thermal energy used in radiofrequency treatments stimulates the amount of blood flow beneath the surface of the skin, which in turn encourages the sub-dermal layers of skin to increase collagen and elastin production.
Radiofrequency is a non-invasive treatment that is performed with the use of a handheld treatment device. During treatment, the handheld device is moved over the skin while thermal energy sinks into the sub-dermal layers of the skin and kickstarts the body’s natural regenerative response. The fact that this treatment is non-surgical and painless is one of many reasons why radiofrequency is a gold standard treatment in cosmetic clinics across the country.
How Many Treatments Do You Need?
The number of treatments you will need depends entirely on the severity of your age-related skin concerns. Generally speaking, most patients will require at least three to five treatment appointments to achieve ideal results. However, if you have mild skin laxity and you respond favorably to the treatment, you may only require two to three appointments; those who have moderate concerns may only need three to four; those who have severe skin laxity may require five or more.
It’s important to note that the number of treatments needed for your initial round of treatments is different than the number of overall treatments you will need to continue seeing the results you want. This is because the effects of this treatment are temporary and need to be topped up at maintenance appointments – so the number of treatments you will need will increase as you continue to use the treatment.
Will You Need Maintenance Treatments?
Yes, you will require maintenance appointments once every three to four months to maintain the results of your treatment. Patients who have serious skin laxity should have regular treatment appointments every three months, while patients who have mild or moderate skin laxity may benefit from treatments spaced four months apart.
How Else Can You Maintain Results?
Maintaining the results of your treatment comes down to several factors to prevent increasing skin laxity between appointments, which also helps prolong your results. For example, using adequate sun protection will lessen the risk of UV rays causing premature skin aging, so patients need to wear SPF 30 or greater during the daytime.
Maintaining your results may also depend on the type of skincare products you are using. Collagen-rich serums and moisturizers, for instance, can encourage increased collagen production on the skin surface, which may help maintain a higher rate of collagen production within the sub-dermal layers of skin. Using products such as Retinol, AHA BHA, and other skin actives may also help prevent skin aging between appointments.
How Does FotoFacial Treatment Work?
Because this is a non-invasive skin tightening therapy, the process for your treatment will be much simpler than surgical treatments or even other minimally invasive skin tightening treatments, such as PDO thread lifts. Your first round of treatments will consist of several steps, including:
Consultation
Before you can begin your treatment appointments, you will need to attend a consultation appointment so that one of our skilled aestheticians can examine the condition of your skin and determine if your amount of skin laxity is ideal for FotoFacial RF.
During your consultation, we will ask you several questions about your skincare habits, skincare products, and lifestyle factors that may contribute to premature skin aging, such as smoking. We may also ask about previous cosmetic treatments you have tried in the past for the treatment of skin laxity.
Pre-Treatment
There are several things you will need to do to prepare your skin for your FotoFacial RF treatment before each appointment. In general, you should follow your pre-treatment instructions for at least two weeks, unless otherwise directed. The pre-treatment directions commonly used for radiofrequency treatments such as this one include:
- Avoid direct sun exposure
- Avoid excessive heat, including tanning beds
- Establish a cleansing and moisturizing routine
We ask that all patients arrive at the appointment with a fresh face clean of make-up, lotion, and perfume. Please reschedule your treatment if you have active skin breakouts, such as a cold sore or eczema.
Treatment Appointment
Your treatment appointments will usually take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. The majority of patients do not feel any discomfort during treatment, aside from a moderate heat sensation on the skin surface that lasts only for the duration of the treatment.
Post-Treatment
Your skin will be somewhat sensitive in the hours and days following your treatment, so you must follow your post-treatment instructions closely. The post-treatment instructions commonly used for radiofrequency treatments include:
- Avoid direct unprotected sunlight
- Do not use tanning beds, saunas, or hot tubs
- Discontinue using chemical exfoliants
- Always wear sunscreen during the day
We may provide you with specific instructions to follow after your appointments, such as when you can wear make-up and how to schedule other cosmetic treatments, such as facials and injectables, during your recovery period.
Recovery
There is no formal recovery time for this treatment. While skin might be sensitive on the day of your treatment appointment, you are completely able to drive yourself home and return to most normal daily activities. However, we do encourage patients to only engage in light exercise for one to three days following a treatment appointment to minimize potential skin inflammation from sweating.
How Soon Can You See Results?
It will take several weeks for your results to become visible. Many patients require at least two or three treatment appointments to start seeing the results of their treatments. While this may seem like delayed gratification, you should know that results will continue to improve over the next several weeks until you achieve optimal results about one month after your final treatment.
Other FotoFacial RF FAQs
1. What Can You Treat With FotoFacial?
FotoFacial is a unique radiofrequency treatment that can be used to address a wide variety of age-related skin concerns. In addition to being a go-to solution for skin laxity, FotoFacial RF can also be used to treat blemishes, dark spots, uneven skin tone, broken capillaries, uneven skin texture, acne scarring, and much more.
2. Can You Combine This Treatment?
Yes, just like any other radiofrequency treatment, FotoFacial can be combined so that you can achieve all of your aesthetic goals. One of the easiest treatments to combine with this one is injectable treatments like Botox or Juvederm, as well as facials, microneedling, dermabrasion, and others.
However, if you are interested in combining radiofrequency treatments with other cosmetic treatments, you should understand that you will have to carefully time these treatments to get the most out of them. For example, if you are intent on using injectable treatments to fill in or relax deep dynamic wrinkles, it might be better to get those treatments done after your final FotoFacial treatment appointment. We will help you create a treatment timetable to help you achieve all of your aesthetic goals.
3. Is This Treatment Safe for All Skin?
Yes. It’s sometimes the case that energy-based treatments can’t be safely used on medium and dark complexions due to an increased risk of causing pigmentation on the skin. However, because this treatment is calibrated to be compatible with all skin types and uses a patented combination of light and radiofrequency, this treatment can safely be used on all complexion tones with minimal side effect risk.
4. Is There a Best Time to Have This Treatment?
Yes and no. While you can have this treatment during any time of the calendar year, it might be ideal for your treatment results – and less of a hassle – to seek your initial round of treatment during the fall and winter months. This is because shorter days during the cold seasons will minimize your exposure to harmful UV rays and make it easier to follow your post-treatment directions.
5. Is It Harder to Treat Skin Laxity Than Other Skin Concerns?
Skin laxity is a perplexing age-related concern that refers to not only new skin looseness from a loss of skin volume but also to skin dryness and skin thinness. Skin laxity is a multi-pronged skin concern that requires unique treatment approaches. However, that doesn’t mean treating skin laxity is any more difficult than treating deep dynamic wrinkles on the face or troubling skin conditions such as rosacea.
6. Why Is FotoFacial Better Than Surgery?
FotoFacial is a superior treatment to surgery precisely because it is a non-invasive technique that has virtually zero risks of painful recovery, skin damage, or scarring. Radiofrequency treatments are also more affordable than surgeries for skin laxity, such as a facelift.
7. Who Are Ideal Candidates?
Ideal candidates for this treatment include adult men and women who are not satisfied by visible signs of aging on the skin surface, particularly skin laxity. Good candidates for FotoFacial include those who have:
- Loose skin
- Dry and thin skin
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Loss of skin volume
- Broken capillaries
- Skin redness or rosacea
- Blemishes
- Dark spots
- Sun damage
- And more!
Correct Skin Laxity With FotoFacial RF Skin Tightening Treatments
Age may play mean tricks on your skin, but you have more defenses against skin aging than you might think. With the right treatment, age-related skin concerns such as skin laxity can be a worry of the past. To schedule your initial consultation, call Finesse Cosmetic Laser and Lipo in Waltham, MA.
