Looking for better radiofrequency conductive gel choices?

Kay: 00:01

If you’re doing radiofrequency skin tightening treatments or using RF technology as a component of your 6 in 1 treatment protocols for fat or cellulite reduction, we bet you’re frustrated with your conductive gel drying up during your RF treatments.  It’s a common challenge, one that when you think about it, makes sense.  Because you should use a water-based gel with RF - that’s what’s needed to conduct the electromagnetic waves.  And RF energy produces heat.  And you know what happens to water when exposed to heat.  It evaporates, it dries up.  So it should come as no surprise that you need to keep applying, maybe even again and again.  Now ultrasound gel is the most widely used conductive gel for RF, but are there any better options?  We’re going to answer that question today.  In this episode, we’ll break down radiofrequency technology, discuss the differences between radiofrequency machines, lay out the pros and cons of conductive gels, and give you our top 3 RF conductive gels choices.  Tune in and decide which RF conductive gel is best for your practice.

[intro music]

Shannon: 01:32

You’re listening to The Body Contouring Academy’s Proven Profits Podcast 

Where you’ll learn simple actionable strategies from real world successful body contouring professionals to help you generate more revenue, realize the profits you want and create the life you desire. 

Hi I’m Shannon and I’m Kay and we’re your hosts of The Proven Profits Podcast

Kay: 02:07

Hi there healthcare professionals, business owners, body contouring technicians and beauty professionals!  Welcome everyone!   Kay here. Shannon and I want to thank you for being here too!

You may or may not know that Shannon and I teach radiofrequency skin tightening in our online Body Contouring 6 in 1 Masterclass, which happens to be the most popular of all of our online certification courses.  We support our students post-course too, and as they put their knowledge into practice a question that often comes up is “what are the best conductive gel options for radiofrequency?”  And here’s the deal.  Our students are not alone; this question comes up all the time with body contouring veterans as well.  So in this episode, we’re answering that question.  We are giving you our top three conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments.  First we’ll lay out the foundation with a review of radiofrequency technology, then we’ll explain the differences between different radiofrequency machines - and yes, there are differences.  And finally we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of our top 3 RF conductive gel choices so you can choose what conductive gel is best for your radiofrequency treatments and your body contouring practice.  

So let’s get started.

First off, let’s lay the foundation and walk through a quick review of radiofrequency technology.  

How does Radiofrequency Technology work?

Radiofrequency technology emits electromagnetic waves to produce heat.  This heat reaches the lower levels of the dermis to stimulate collagen and elastin.  

And it’s this stimulation of collagen and elastin that leads to skin tightening. 

DID YOU KNOW?…

The amount of energy produced by Radiofrequency Machines Varies: 

Radiofrequency at Higher Frequencies vs Radiofrequency at Lower Frequencies

Different radiofrequency machines deliver different frequencies. 

Machines with lower level frequencies deliver between 300 KHz and 1 MHz  

Machines with higher frequency deliver between 10 MHz to 5 GHz.   

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?...

Radiofrequency machines with LOWER FREQUENCIES tighten skin 

whereas machines with HIGHER FREQUENCIES tighten skin + reduce fat 

Machines that deliver high frequencies of radiofrequency emit electromagnetic waves capable of reaching deeper into the body, beyond the deep dermis and into the subcutaneous layer.  

These machines deliver dual benefits: tightening skin + reducing fat cells.

THE QUESTION IS…

How do you know if your Radiofrequency machine delivers Radiofrequency energy at lower frequencies or at high frequencies?

Assuming your machine manual does not specify, a good way to know if your machine delivers lower frequencies or higher frequencies of radiofrequency energy is to look at the (1) conditions to purchase and (2) the conditions to operate the machine.

Lower Frequency RF machines

Machines that anyone can purchase and operate.  You can purchase these machines without physician ownership or physician oversight/association (Level III machines*). These machines most likely deliver radiofrequency at lower frequencies.  

Higher Frequency RF machines

Machines that are restricted to purchase by a physician.  These machines require at least physician association to purchase and to operate (Level I machines*).  Most of these machines deliver radiofrequency at high frequencies.

* If you’d like to learn more about the three Levels of body contouring machines, you can find a thorough discussion in our body contouring basics article.  We left the link for you in today’s show notes.

What if your Radiofrequency machine delivers lower frequencies.  Will it still work?

Yes, to tighten skin!

Though you cannot use your machine to reduce fat with a machine that delivers Radiofrequency energy at lower frequencies, your Radiofrequency machine works perfectly for skin tightening.  

A fitting example is the Radiofrequency energy contained in the 6 in 1 Cavitation Machine, the same machine we use to teach Radiofrequency Skin Tightening treatments.  

What is a 6 in 1 Cavitation machine?

Cavitation machines are non-invasive body contouring machines that deliver ultrasound (cavitation) energy to destroy fat cells.  

Most cavitation machines come as multi-technology platforms, meaning they come equipped with cavitation technology, plus one or more complementary technologies.  

The 6 in 1 Cavitation Machine delivers 

Fat cavitation

Radiofrequency skin tightening

      3.  Vacuum/LED and 

                  4.  Lipo laser.   

Not familiar with the 6 in 1 Machine?  

You can take a look at the 6 in 1 Cavitation machine we recommend for our students.  We left a link to it in today’s show notes.

Now let’s move on to…

Conductive Gels

What is a conductive gel?  

A conductive gel is a material (in gel, oil or liquid form) designed to facilitate the conduction of the energy produced by a particular technology, such as the electromagnetic waves of Radiofrequency or sound waves of Cavitation, from the machine to the patient.

How is a conductive gel different from any other lotion, cream or gel?

A conductive gel is specifically formulated to 

facilitate the conduction of energy from machine to patient and 

to protect the patient’s skin from damage from the technology’s energy.  

Now take notice of this.  You should not overlook the importance of warming your radiofrequency conductive gel

it’s something that’s all-too-often overlooked by body contouring professionals.

Do you use Conductive Gel Warmers?

The normal temperature of the surface of the skin varies between 92 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit.  Compare that to conductive gel sitting at room temperature in your treatment room; that gel is no more than 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Do the math.  At least 20 degrees cooler than the surface of your patient’s skin.

Since radiofrequency energy works via heating the dermal layer, you should make every effort to avoid applying conductive gel to your patient’s skin that is cooler than her surface skin temperature.  

When you apply gel at room temperature, you are taking away valuable treatment time to warm the gel to surface skin temperature.

Plus, reapplication of cool gel in the midst of a treatment (reapplication is often needed with radiofrequency due to the heating) cools the surface skin temperature again.  

Here’s the bottom line.  Using conductive gel that is too cool affects the efficacy of your treatment and your results….and is the reason why you should be using a Conductive Gel Warmer regardless of your choice of conductive gel.

We encourage you to take a look at Conductive Gel Warmers…we have one we love

And here are some of the reasons why we love it!

✅  Delivers spa-grade warmth

✅  Personalized heat control with uniform heat distribution

✅  Easy cleaning features

✅  Guaranteed satisfaction with a 1-year manufacturer warranty

Want to start shopping?  We have left the link to the one we love in today’s show notes.

Also, you’ll see in a little bit when we talk about cost that it’s more economical to purchase a large size of conductive gel (which won’t fit into your warmer), so you’ll need some empty bottles.

You can get a pack of three bottles for under $10!  

To save you time, we left a link that the bottles in our show notes too.  

Okay, now let’s move on to our conductive gel recommendations… 

The top 3 conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments

⇨  Ultrasound Gel

⇨  Vegetable Glycerin 

⇨  Radiofrequency Cooling Gel™

What do the top 3 conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments have in common?

Each of the top three are

Water-based and water-soluble

Easy to clean

Won’t stain clothing

We have a disclaimer about the limits of this podcast episode!

Students in our radiofrequency course learn the theory, protocols and techniques of treatments using the 6 in 1 machine, a Level III machine delivering radiofrequency at lower frequencies.  

Therefore, this episode focuses on radiofrequency treatments with lower frequencies, and to avoid confusion, we are excluding RF slimming creams or gels formulated for higher frequencies of RF. 

Now it’s time to break down the…

Pros and Cons of the top 3 conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments

We’ll examine each gel using the following categories:

Safety

Conductivity and Glide

Cost

Compatibility with other technologies

You may be wondering…

Why is ‘compatibility with other technologies’ an important consideration when evaluating conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments?

Many body contouring treatment protocols combine technologies to achieve optimum results.  For example, many fat reduction and/or cellulite smoothing protocols use cavitation combined with radiofrequency skin tightening.  

Finding a conductive gel that is both safe and effective for multiple technologies is more efficient, more safe, less costly and preferred if at all possible.  

Ultrasound Gel     

Ultrasound gel is a  bacteriostatic, water-based, viscous gel material composed of water and propylene glycol. 

Safety 

Ultrasound gel for conduction of various technologies has a long and established safety record both in the medical field and aesthetic practice.  

Allergies to propylene glycol are extremely rare and ultrasound gel generally does not require a patch test prior to use.  

Because it is water soluble, ultrasound gel will not overheat the skin like oils.

Conductivity and Glide

Because it is water-based, ultrasound gel is highly conductive to radiofrequency energy.

And is a good medium for easy gliding.

BUT

Dries up quickly and requires frequent reapplication.  This reapplication can result in cooling the skin but it is not a problem if you use a Conductive Gel Warmer (like the one we mentioned in this article).

Cost   

We recommend the 5-Liter size which costs just 17 cents per fluid ounce.  Want to save time?  We left a link to a good ultrasound gel in our show notes

Compatibility with other technologies

✅  Cavitation

Good for all sound wave frequencies (high, medium, low).

✅  EMS

✅  Vacuum Therapy 

Vegetable Glycerin  

   

Vegetable glycerin is a naturally occurring water-based material classified as a humectant.   As a humectant, vegetable glycerin attracts and retains moisture.  

Safety 

Vegetable glycerin is and has been widely used in the cosmetics industry and is considered safe.  

Allergies to vegetable glycerin are rare, thus it generally does not require a patch test.  

Because it is water-soluble, vegetable glycerin will not overheat the skin like oils.

Conductivity and Glide

Because it is water-based, vegetable glycerin is highly conductive to radiofrequency energy.

It is more ‘liquidy’ than ultrasound gel and feels very sticky when applied.

Its softening properties allow for smooth gliding across the skin. 

BUT

Although vegetable glycerin lasts longer before drying out than ultrasound gel, because it is water-based and you’re working with a heat based energy, you may need to reapply vegetable glycerin during the treatment.  That’s why we recommend use of a Conductive Gel Warmer - to prevent loss of heat when reapplication is necessary. 

Cost   

We recommend the gallon size of vegetable glycerin which runs 19 cents per fluid ounce.  And to save you time, we’ve left a link to a good vegetable glycerin in our show notes.

Compatibility with other technologies

⚠️Cavitation

Good for cavitation sound waves at low and medium frequency; not good for high frequency cavitation sound waves.  

One study looked at cavitation sound wave transmission using various conductive materials and found that glycerin transmitted sound waves well at low and medium frequency, but did not transmit at high frequencies of cavitation. 

  ✅  EMS

            ⚠️Vacuum Therapy

Though safe with vacuum therapy, glycerin may be too sticky to allow for smooth gliding of your vacuum therapy applicator.

Radiofrequency Cooling Gel™     

A specialized water-based conductive material with multiple ingredients, formulated to assist in the transmission of energy for (1) radiofrequency treatments, (2) microcurrent treatments, and (3) laser/IPL treatments.   

Safety 

Each of its multiple active ingredients, on their own, are not likely to cause an allergic reaction…but due to multiple substances being involved, the greater the possibility of a reaction.  

Skin patch test prior to treatment is recommended. 

Conductivity and Glide

Conductive for radiofrequency (plus microcurrent and laser/IPL).  

Skin heats up nicely during RF treatment.

Glides smoothly and easily.

BUT

The heat produced by the RF treatment dries out the gel and reapplication is necessary, though not to the extent needed with ultrasound gel.  Use a Conductive Gel Warmer!

Cost

Most expensive option.  Available only in small sizes at 94 cents per fluid ounce.  And like the other gels, we’ve left a link to this product in our show notes to save you time.  

Compatibility with other technologies

🚫 Cavitation

No studies proving safety.  The manufacturer makes no claims that the gel works as a conductor for Cavitation.  

Unproven in conductivity, efficacy and safety with the sound wave energy of cavitation. 

⚠️ EMS

Contains water and glycerin so should conduct the EMS energy but we flag it as a ‘safety unknown’ due to its multiple active and inactive ingredients. 

⚠️ Vacuum Therapy

The water-solubility of the gel is good for vacuum therapy, but there are no studies to show safety.  

As with EMS, the many active and inactive ingredients present questions regarding safety.

Final Thoughts

Finding the right conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments is a challenge for new and veteran body contouring providers alike.   

As medspa business owners/operators with twenty years experience, and as faculty for the Body Contouring Academy, we’ve used our expert knowledge and experience to provide you with solutions.  

We’ve unveiled our top three conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments: ultrasound gel, vegetable glycerin, and Radiofrequency Cooling Gel™.

We’ve highlighted the pros and cons and evaluated each gel for conductivity, safety, and cost, helping you choose the best conductive gel for your practice. 

So now it’s time to make a selection from the conductive gel options for radiofrequency treatments and use it to enhance your radiofrequency treatments and optimize your radiofrequency results. 

If you’d like more in-depth education about radiofrequency skin tightening, check out our popular online Body Contouring 6 in 1 Masterclass.   

That’s it for today. Until next time, Beautiful Wishes!

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Shannon: 29:19

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And, if you’d like to learn more about our courses and resources, you can get ALL the scoop by visiting our website,  bodycontouringacademy.com, that’s bodycontouringacademy.com.  

Thank you so much for listening.  As always, have a great rest of your day!  And until next time, Beautiful wishes!