Enhancing your treatment modalities - Dr Brian Franks

There can be no doubt that the demand for cosmetic procedures has seen unprecedented growth over the last two decades. This is partly facilitated not only by the enhanced focus on celebrity culture and on achieving the ‘Hollywood’ aesthetic look, but also because people just want to feel better about themselves. This has certainly been accelerated due to the rise in the technology and the variety of procedures available.

Practitioners looking to provide such treatments first have to make the decision between surgical or non-surgical solutions and in recent times the pendulum tends to have swung towards the non-surgical procedures, especially for facial aesthetics. The popularity of these procedures compared to that of surgical treatments stems from their relative affordability and their perceived safety and less-invasive nature.

In the UK in 2010 the number of non-surgical cosmetic procedures exceeded the one million mark for the first time[i] and that figure has been rising yearly alongside other forms of cosmetic treatment ever since. In 2011 it was reported that the previous year saw three million injections of botulinum toxin (type A) administered worldwide[ii].

Indeed, both botulinum toxin and dermal fillers are arguably the most popular forms of non-surgical facial aesthetics (NSFA) and strong consumer awareness for these treatments has helped to maintain this demand.

However, as a clinician you may at times find yourself faced with a client who is concerned about their appearance, who wants to do something about it and would like a non-surgical treatment, but is nervous around needles and injections. They may present with a sagging neck or jowl area under the chin and without needles or injections a non-surgical procedure may seem like an unlikely solution. Radio Frequency Treatment would be an ideal resolution in this scenario.

Radio Frequency (RF energy treatment) is a non-surgical, non-invasive aesthetic procedure for improving skin tightness and reducing wrinkles and loose or sagging skin (Touma and Gilchrist 2003). Radio Frequency treatment initiates a process of dermal tissue remodelling by stimulating fibroblasts to proliferate and produce more collagen.

An appropriate analogy is that if you take an empty crisp packet and put it in a cold oven, nothing happens. If you were to put it in an oven at full temperature it will quickly shrivel up. But, if you carefully put it in an oven at an exact specified temperature it will shrink, but retain its exact proportional dimensions and structure. This exemplifies the effect achieved by Radio Frequency. The procedure is the perfect non-invasive solution, ideal for treating sagging around the jaw-lines, chin and the neck, and stimulates and encourages the body’s natural process to restore youth.  

As any professional would understand, there are times when dermal fillers and botulinum toxin will simply not be able to achieve the desired results, and so Radio Frequency and Fractional Radio Frequency Treatments can be advantageous additions to the procedural modalities available. This can be especially true in areas that may be difficult to treat with injectables or where the results might not have been as efficacious. Radio Frequency treatments are not a particularly new procedural option, and it may be one of the less well recognised, certainly among consumers, however in this instance it would represent the optimum choice for a non-surgical procedure.

Results are impressive as they are immediate, much to your client’s satisfaction. They may not have thought it possible to achieve such effects without resorting to more invasive or dramatic surgical procedures or lasers, and will be surprised at how quick and easy the treatments are.

As the demand for cosmetic treatments continues to rise and the pubic appetite for non-surgical procedures increases, any clinician will be wise to at least consider adding Radio Frequency treatments to their range of available procedures. Like botulinum toxin and dermal fillers, the popularity of Radio Frequency will only rise as it begins to be perceived by clients as a more efficacious, safe and cost-effective alternative to surgical cosmetic treatments. 

Whatever the treatment option chosen there is no doubt that non-surgical facial aesthetics can provide a welcome and reliable additional source of revenue for a practitioner. Moreover, it is essential that should you choose to offer such treatments you receive a high level of appropriate instruction beforehand. The training courses offered at the Dr Brian Franks Facial Aesthetics Training Faculty cover a range of treatment solutions from foundation, intermediate and advanced level botulinum toxin and dermal fillers to medical micro-needling (dermaroller) and radio frequency treatments, and ensure that you are fully prepared and confident to provide your clients with the highest quality NSFA available. Enhance your treatment modalities today and expand upon your provision of aesthetic treatments by contacting the Dr Brian Franks Facial Aesthetics Training Faculty or visiting the website.

For more information on training courses, and the next dates available, please visit www.drbrianfranks.com, call 020 8446 6518 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.