Radio Frequency Treatment Newcastle: Skin Tightening for the Face and Body

Radio frequency treatment heats the skin and the layer of tissue under it to around 40 degrees, which makes the collagen already there contract and prompts the body to build more over the following weeks. On the face that shows as a firmer jawline, smoother skin around the eyes and lines that look softer. On the body it shows as tighter skin over the stomach, arms and thighs, usually with a little less fat underneath. It is non-surgical, there are no needles, and you go straight back to your day afterwards. At RT Aesthetics in Whickham, Newcastle, the radio frequency system we use is BTL Exilis Ultra, and a course of four sessions starts at £475 for the lips, £775 for the eyes and brow, and £785 for one body area.

This page covers what radio frequency does, what a radio frequency facial and a radio frequency body treatment each involve, how many sessions you need, how it compares with HIFU, and what every option costs, so you can decide whether it is the right treatment before you come in.

What radio frequency skin tightening does

Radio frequency is an electrical current at a frequency the tissue absorbs as heat. The applicator delivers it into the dermis, the layer of skin where the collagen and elastin sit, and holds the tissue at a steady 40 to 42 degrees for a few minutes at a time. Two things happen at that temperature. The collagen fibres shorten and thicken straight away, which is the small tightening you can see on the day. The cells that make collagen, the fibroblasts, are then switched on and keep producing new fibres for about three months, which is where the real result comes from. The heat also reaches the fat layer, so on the body the same session softens a small pocket of fat while it firms the skin over it.

Radio frequency does not lift a heavy jowl or a neck that hangs in folds, and it will not replace a facelift. It is the treatment for skin that has lost its firmness rather than skin that has dropped, and our assessment is where we tell you which of those you have.

The system we use: BTL Exilis Ultra

There is a wide range of radio frequency devices, from the handheld ones in salons to the clinical systems, and the difference between them is how much energy they can deliver safely and how well they control the temperature. Exilis Ultra is a BTL system that pairs monopolar radio frequency with ultrasound in one handpiece. The ultrasound spreads the heat through the tissue evenly, so the applicator can reach the target temperature without hot spots, and a built-in cooling system keeps the surface of the skin comfortable while the layers underneath are heated. The practitioner watches the skin temperature on a thermometer throughout, so every pass is at the temperature that changes collagen rather than a guess. Our science behind Exilis Ultra article goes through the research in more detail.

Radio frequency facial treatment: face, eyes, jawline and neck

A radio frequency facial with Exilis Ultra Face uses a small applicator that treats the whole face in slow passes, with extra time on the areas that need it. The areas people book most are the skin around the eyes, where it softens crow's feet and tightens the upper lid; the jawline, where early jowls and a softening chin firm up; the neck, where crepey skin and the first horizontal lines smooth out; and the lips, where fine lines around the mouth soften without any filler. It is gentle enough for the eyelids and the lips, which most other energy treatments cannot treat. A course of four sessions is £475 for the lips, £775 for the eyes and brow, £975 for the neck, £1,075 for the full face, £1,275 for the face and neck, and £1,500 for the face, lips, neck and décolletage together. Six-session courses, for heavier laxity, are £599, £1,099, £1,299, £1,399, £1,599 and £1,899 for the same areas.

Radio frequency body treatment: stomach, arms, thighs, knees and love handles

A radio frequency body treatment with Exilis Ultra Body uses a larger applicator and treats one area at a time, thirty to forty-five minutes per area. It is the treatment for loose skin over the stomach after pregnancy or weight loss, the skin on the upper arms that has started to hang, crepey inner thighs, loose skin above the knees, and love handles where the pocket is small but the skin over it is soft. It is also the option we use for cellulite, where the heat thickens the skin over the dimples so they show less. A course of four sessions is £785 for one area, £1,285 for two and £1,785 for three. A course of six, for larger areas or heavier laxity, is £1,199 for one area, £1,999 for two and £2,699 for three.

What a session is like, and how many you need

You lie on the couch, the practitioner marks the area, applies a conductive gel and moves the applicator over the skin in slow, circular passes while the tissue warms. It feels like a hot stone massage that occasionally gets very warm, and the practitioner backs off for a few seconds whenever it does. There is no anaesthetic, no downtime and nothing to recover from. The skin is pink for an hour or two and that is the whole aftermath; people come in their lunch break and go back to work. Most areas need a course of four sessions one to two weeks apart. Heavier laxity, larger body areas and skin that has been loose for years usually need six. We tell you which at the assessment rather than after you have paid for four.

Results: when you see them and how long they last

You will see a small tightening after the first session that settles over the next day or two. The real change builds from around week four as the new collagen forms, and the peak result lands two to three months after the last session, which is when we take your comparison photographs. For most people the result holds for six to twelve months, and then a single top-up session keeps it, because the skin carries on ageing from a better starting point rather than snapping back. Results vary with age, how loose the skin was to begin with, smoking and sun damage, and we say at the assessment if radio frequency is not going to give you enough. Our clients' Exilis before and after photos show the range of what it does.

Radio frequency or HIFU: which one

Radio frequency and HIFU both tighten skin by heating collagen, and they suit different faces. Radio frequency heats the skin itself, in a course of four gentle sessions, and it is the choice for fine lines, crepey skin, the eye area, the lips and mild laxity anywhere on the body. HIFU sends focused ultrasound deeper, to the layer a surgeon tightens in a facelift, in one session that is uncomfortable but over quickly, and it gives the bigger lift for early jowls, a heavy jawline and a loose neck, from £895 for the eyes and brow to £1,095 for the full face and £1,295 for the face and neck. Some people have both: HIFU for the lift and radio frequency for the skin quality on top. Our Exilis vs HIFU guide compares them area by area.

Who radio frequency suits and who it does not

Radio frequency makes the biggest difference to people in their thirties, forties and fifties whose skin has lost firmness: the jawline that has softened rather than dropped, the eyes that look tired, the stomach that has never quite tightened back after children, the arms that have started to wobble. It also suits people who want a gentle, no-downtime treatment and are happy to build the result over a course. It does not suit heavy laxity, a neck that hangs in folds or a large amount of loose skin after major weight loss, all of which need a surgeon, and it is not carried out during pregnancy, over metal implants in the treatment area, or over open lesions or active infections. A pinchable pocket of fat on firm skin does better with fat freezing, and skin that is loose because the muscle underneath is soft does better with EMSculpt Neo. The free assessment is where we pinch, measure and tell you which.

Side effects and safety

Radio frequency is a non-invasive, CE-marked treatment with no needles and nothing injected. The usual side effects are redness for an hour or two and occasionally mild swelling or tenderness the next day. Burns are the risk with any heat treatment, and the reasons they are rare with Exilis Ultra are the built-in cooling, the constant temperature monitoring and the fact that a trained practitioner is holding the applicator rather than a machine on a timer. RT Aesthetics is a medically led clinic, so every plan follows written protocols, and there is a clinic medic and a qualified nurse practitioner on the team for any medical questions.

Radio frequency treatment prices in Newcastle

Your assessment is free and there is no obligation to go ahead. 0% finance over 12 months is available on plans of £1,000 or more, subject to a credit assessment, and we price match like-for-like clinic treatments, so bring any quote you have been given. Our skin tightening in Newcastle guide sets radio frequency alongside every other skin tightening treatment we run, with the price of each.

Radio frequency skin tightening near me: where we are

Whether you searched for radio frequency skin tightening near me, radio frequency treatment near me, a radio frequency facial or a skin tightening treatment in Newcastle, this is where you would be coming: The Knowles, Front Street, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 4SN, about ten minutes from Newcastle city centre and the MetroCentre and about fifteen from Gateshead town centre, with free parking on Front Street and in the village car parks. Clients come for radiofrequency skin tightening from Sunderland, Durham, Hexham, Northumberland and Teesside, and evening appointments run until 8:30pm Monday to Wednesday. Call 0191 649 8699, text 07307 201681 or book a free assessment online, and you will get a straight answer on whether radio frequency is right for you before anything is booked.

Read more

• Exilis Ultra Body: fat reduction and skin tightening
• Exilis Ultra Face: the radio frequency facial
• Skin tightening in Newcastle: every treatment compared
• Exilis vs HIFU
• Exilis before and after photos
• The science behind Exilis Ultra
• Non-surgical facelift in Newcastle
• Non-surgical neck lift: turkey neck and loose neck treatment
• Double chin reduction
• Mummy tummy treatment
• Body sculpting and body contouring in Newcastle