How does it work?

Before the treatment, an anaesthetic cream may be applied to the skin depending on your personal tolerance and sensitivity to pain. Although, most people find that the treatment produces a “comfortably warm” sensation.

The area to be treated will be marked into grids with a special pencil and then lubricated with thin layer of oil, i.e. the treatment oil recommended by the manufacturer or a substitute such as Johnson’s baby oil. Then a reading on the skin surface temperature will be taken using a laser guided thermometer (supplied with the Accent™ system) to assist the practitioner in assessing the heating effect that the RF energy is producing. Regular temperature checks will follow to ensure that the correct degree of heating is being obtained in the treatment area, and also to ensure that a uniform delivery of the RF energy is being maintained, based on a uniform skin surface temperature throughout treatment.

Both RF energies are delivered to the skin’s surface with continuous contact cooling delivered by powerful cooled tips (TEC sapphire) which provides additional patient comfort and also protects the surface layers of the skin.

Although, it is worth noting that the Accent™ is the only Unipolar and Bipolar RF system that actually allows practitioners to work with the cooling set to off (if desired); this is due to the way the controlled RF energy is delivered to the tissues, ensuring that the heating effect required for the desired results is only present in the sub-dermal layers whilst at the same time the skin surface temperature is kept at a “comfortably warm” level, (surface temperature reading within 39-42°C).

After treatment, the oil will be gently removed from the skin surface and the area dried. No aftercare cooling is required but you may wish to moisturise the skin afterwards. You will then be able to go about your daily routine immediately afterwards.

License status

It was awarded a CE Mark in June 2005 for cellulite reduction, and FDA approval for the treatment of wrinkles in April 2007, with further approval for more applications currently pending.

Should be used by
Trained members of the medical profession only.

The Accent™ does not currently come under current Care Quality Commission legislation and can be used by a trained aesthetician with medical supervision.

What is it used to treat?

Accent™ treatment applications (using either the Unipolar (3^rd generation Monopolar) or Bipolar head) include:

·         Cellulite treatment

·         Fat reduction on the arms, abdomen, buttocks and legs

·         Skin tightening on the face, arms, abdomen, buttocks and legs

·         Complete body contouring

·         Pre liposuction skin tightening

·         Post liposuction smoothing

·         Lipoma (benign tumour composed of fat tissue) treatment

How long does it last?

Results are said to last for anything from 6 months to up to 2 years for facial tightening treatments according to the manufacturer. However, ongoing maintenance will be required more frequently for older people and for those with poor skin quality to begin-with, as a result of smoking, sun exposure, alcohol consumption etc.

For body contouring applications, the improvement in the skin quality is said to be long lasting, similar to the facial tightening results; however keeping the body contours in check is also subject to a person’s diet, calorie intake, exercise and lifestyle. Fat cells have the capability of expanding to 500 times their size, thus an unbalanced diet and unhealthy lifestyle plays a centre roll in keeping body contours in good shape more than any treatment can, effective as it is.

Side effects & risks

The use of Accent™ may cause any of the following:

Not to be used in
As long as you are generally healthy and don’t have any skin diseases or infections in the area treated, there are few medical reasons why patients should not undergo this treatment.

Although there is no evidence that this treatment is harmful for pregnant women, you would generally be advised to wait until after you have given birth before embarking upon a course of treatment.

More importantly, people with electrical devices e.g., pacemakers, or metal implants e.g., artificial metal hip joints, heart valves or dental plates, cannot be treated because RF current flowing through the body may interfere with these devices or heat up metal implants, which could be dangerous.

Also, until further studies have been carried out it is advisable not to have treatment in an area previously treated with dermal filler products, such as collagen.

Treatment regime

A treatment session can be expected to last about 25-40 minutes and are usually recommended once every 1 - 2 weeks with an average of 8 sessions in a body treatment programme.

This may be followed by a maintenance session in 1 - 3 months time.

It is recommended to have a course of 4 sessions (once every 3 - 4 weeks) for facial tightening.

Cost of treatment

Private costs for Accent™ body contouring and cellulite treatments depend on the area(s) being treated and can start from approximately £100 - £300 per body area per session. Discounts often apply for a course of sessions.

Private costs for Accent™ facial and neck treatment session costs from £350 - £700 depending on the treatment area and the condition of skin.

 

Images provided courtesy of Advanced Beauty Cosmetics Ltd.

(All before and after photographs are real patients, your results may differ).

 

Clinical papers

 

Novel Radiofrequency (RF) Device for Cellulite & Body Reshaping Therapy

Joseph Lepselter Ph.D. and Yaron Assaf, M.D.

 

Accent Employs Unique Dual RF Design for Body Contouring

Dr. David Goldberg

 

Radiofrequency: A Real non-Surgical Face-Lift?

Dr. Patrick Bowler