The effect of Thermacool FLX with less pain and the difference from the conventional Thermacool

Thermacool is a machine that tightens the skin by irradiating high frequencies, which are one of the electromagnetic waves . And, the 4th generation of Thermacool, "Thermacool FLX", has less pain and downtime than the conventional Thermacool .

Thermacool FLX is said to improve the sagging of the face and body due to aging, which cannot be done by daily skin care, and bring firmness to the skin . In addition, because it has a contracting effect on the sebaceous glands, it can be expected to improve acne skin by tightening pores.

Knowing the difference between HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment, which is often compared, and the difference between Thermacool FLX and conventional Thermacool , you can improve your skin problems more effectively. It is possible to deepen the understanding of the expected effects and ideal treatment intervals by selection or Thermacool FLX.

Two effects of Thermacool FLX without damaging the skin

Thermacool FLX irradiates high frequencies, which are a type of electromagnetic waves. The skin is composed of the epidermis layer, dermis layer, and subcutaneous tissue, but Thermacool FLX heats the dermis layer and subcutaneous tissue, which cannot be reached by laser treatment or phototherapy, to 55 ° C to 65 ° C. Therefore, you can expect a tightening effect by heat and a skin-beautifying effect (promoting the ability to increase collagen).

Also, since heat is generated deep in the skin, the tissues on the surface of the skin are not damaged. This is similar to how a microwave oven works in a simple way. Just as when you heat food in the microwave, the center of the food gets hot, the high-frequency irradiation of Thermacool FLX can transfer heat to the inside without burning or scratching the surface of the skin.

Fast-acting and durable Thermacool FLX tightening effect

The skin is composed of the epidermis layer, dermis layer, and subcutaneous tissue from the outside, and the dermis layer and subcutaneous tissue play an important role in the elasticity and firmness of the skin. In the dermis layer below the epidermis layer, there is collagen, which is a fibrous protein that adjusts the texture while maintaining the elasticity and firmness of the skin, and the subcutaneous tissue underneath supports and lifts the skin like a cushion. doing.

Irradiation with high frequencies with Thermacool FLX heats the dermis layer. Then, the collagen fibers in the dermis layer contract instantly, so there is no loosening or slack immediately after the procedure, and the skin tightening effect appears. Just as meat shrinks when heated during cooking, collagen, a protein, shrinks when heated with Thermacool.

Collagen in the dermis layer decreases and the subcutaneous tissue loses elasticity due to external influences such as ultraviolet rays and aging. Then, the skin gradually lowers in the direction of gravity and causes sagging and wrinkles, but it is said that stimulating the dermis layer with Thermacool FLX can promote collagen production and tighten the skin .

Skin-beautifying effect of Thermacool FLX by promoting collagen production

When collagen is produced in the dermis layer by high-frequency heat, fine lines and pores become less noticeable, resulting in smooth skin.

In addition, the sebaceous glands in the pores contract, which is said to improve oily skin and acne.

Non-surgical treatment is aimed at tightening dermal collagen, and for the purpose of restoring crepe wrinkles and skin tension, chemical peels, phototherapy devices such as IPL, radio frequency (RF), etc. are used. Used.

References: Plastic Surgery Anti-Aging

Those who are suitable for Thermacool FLX

• I'm worried about the slack in the face line
• My cheeks are slack
• The corner of the mouth has come down
• Nasolabial folds are becoming more prominent
• The neck is slack
• My eyelids are slack
• The pores have opened
• The texture of the skin is getting rough
• There is resistance to plastic surgery to insert a scalpel and injection of hyaluronic acid
• I'm worried about the body line (belly, upper arms, thighs, bust, hips, cellulite)
• I want treatment with no downtime

Thermacool FLX is good at tightening the skin, so if you have no slack, your cheeks may look sick and old.

Thermacool FLX treatable range

Thermacool FLX uses a one-time disposable tip at the tip of a machine part for body, face, and eyes .

Irradiable part of the face

Forehead, temples, eyes, chin, neck

Therma Cool Eye

The treatment of the eyes by Thermacool is called Thermacool Eye, and it is effective for fine wrinkles around the eyes and sagging eyelids.

The skin around the eyes is very thin. Therefore, if you irradiate with a face tip, heat may reach the eyeballs, so you cannot perform upper and lower eyelid treatment. Therefore, by using a tip with an irradiation range of 0.25 ㎠ dedicated to the eyes and making the depth of high-frequency heat generation shallow, it is possible to perform treatment around the eyes .

In addition, since it is necessary to remove the contact during the procedure, it is advisable to bring a preservative solution for the contact, a case, and a replacement contact.

Irradiable part of the body

Abdomen, upper arms, back, buttocks, thighs

Therma Cool Body

The body treatment by Thermacool is called Thermacool body, and it deals with sagging belly, upper arms, thighs, bust and hips, cellulite, stretch marks, stretch marks, etc.

The high frequency improves the sagging of the skin and at the same time has the effect of reducing fat. The irradiation range of the body-only tip is 16.0 ㎠, which is about four times that of the face tip. Not only is it large, but the heat reaches deep into the deep fat layer .

Difference between Thermacool FLX and conventional Thermacool

The first generation was announced in 2002 as "Therma Cool TC". Then, in 2007, "Thermacool NXT", which improved the irradiation method, was announced, and in 2009, "Thermacool CPT" was announced. Thermacool CPT uses a new chip "frame chip" that doubles the irradiation range, and can efficiently transfer heat deeply without concentrating it on one point, so it is possible to produce effects with less pain. became.

And in 2018, the 4th generation "Therma Cool FLX" was introduced. Compared to Thermacool CPT, the amount of heat and heat are transferred deeper, and the tightening effect and the function to reduce pain have been enhanced.

Most medical institutions now use Thermacool CPT or Thermacool FLX.

Thermacool FLX has been approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which is the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, as a medical device that can be expected to tighten sagging skin.

Thermacool FLX reduces pain

Compared to the conventional Thermacool, Thermacool FLX has an upgraded version of the vibration function that reduces pain and the cooling system that suppresses the feeling of heat. As a result, the pain during the procedure was alleviated compared to the conventional Thermacool. It's not painless, but it's not unbearable, so most people don't need anesthesia .

Thermacool FLX recommends no anesthesia

Irradiation causes a hot pain in the back of the skin, but it is recommended to perform the procedure without anesthesia because the energy setting is appropriate for the skin. This is because anesthesia makes it difficult to feel the heat even with strong irradiation, which increases the possibility of burns .

However, there are individual differences in how pain is felt, and some people are weak, so if you wish, some medical institutions apply creamy surface anesthesia for about 30 minutes. In this case, it is necessary to set and irradiate with a safe intensity while paying sufficient attention.

Vibration function to reduce pain

Have you ever unknowingly rubbed the bumped area to relieve pain when you hit your body somewhere? This is because the function of transmitting pain is suppressed by the stimulus of rubbing, which is called gate control theory. Thermacool applies this theory, and by installing a function that gives vibration during irradiation, it is a mechanism that temporarily blocks the feeling of heat and pain at high frequencies .

The vibration of the 3rd generation Thermacool CPT, which is one before the Thermacool FLX, was in the vertical direction, but in the Thermacool FLX, the vibration is given in the horizontal direction in addition to the vertical direction, so the vibration can be felt more. In other words, it makes you less likely to feel pain.

Cooling system that suppresses the feeling of heat during irradiation

The 2nd generation Thermacool NXT only sprayed cooling at once before irradiation, but the 3rd generation Thermacool CPT has double cooling before and after irradiation.

In addition, the 4th generation Thermacool FLX is equipped with a system that intermittently cools the skin surface during and after irradiation as well as during irradiation. By irradiating high frequencies while cooling the skin surface with this cooling system, the feeling of heat is suppressed .

Optimal heat energy output reduces pain

Thermacool FLX is equipped with a tuning function that allows you to check the skin temperature and energy reachability for each shot, and set and adjust the exact amount of energy. Since the optimum heat energy can be applied each time, excessive irradiation is eliminated and pain is reduced .

Thermacool FLX can irradiate evenly

The tip that comes into direct contact with the skin has been upgraded in Thermacool FLX.

The Thermacool FLX chip is equipped with a frame (Kapton frame) made of ultra-heat-resistant and ultra-cold-resistant polyimide film called Kapton®, so a wide range of tissues can be heated evenly over a long period of time at a higher temperature. I will.

In addition, the four corners of the chip have sensors that detect pressure and temperature. Therefore, it is possible to check whether it is in proper contact with the skin, and it is possible to irradiate heat energy evenly, safely and reliably .

Thermacool FLX has a short treatment time

Compared to Thermacool CPT, the irradiation surface of the Thermacool FLX chip has 1.3 times the calorific value of 4.0 cm², and the depth at which energy can be delivered by facial treatment was 2.4 mm, which is 4.3 mm. It became deeper (subcutaneous tissue to fascia centering on the dermis layer). Since it can transfer heat stronger and deeper, it can be heated with less heat than Thermacool CPT.

And the number of shots on the entire face, which was 400 shots in Thermacool CPT, has decreased to 300 shots in Thermacool FLX.

Since the range that can be irradiated at one time has increased and the number of shots has decreased, the irradiation time of Thermacool FLX has been shortened by 25%, and the treatment time has been reduced to about 30 minutes .

There are three types of shots when irradiating the face: 300 shots, 600 shots, and 900 shots. Depending on the medical institution, it may be possible for two people to receive 900 shots and perform 450 shots per person.

Comparison of Thermacool FLX with other high frequency treatments

In addition to Thermacool FLX, there are Endimet PRO and Polaris as sagging treatment machines that use high frequencies.

The difference between each machine is the way heat is transferred. Since Endimet PRO has less heat and heat damage per treatment, it is recommended to irradiate it once a week at the beginning of treatment. By stimulating without intervals between treatments, it can continuously trigger the tightening of collagen and the promotion of collagen-increasing power.

On the other hand, Thermacool FLX has a large amount of heat per treatment, so it is necessary to leave about half a year to a year before the next treatment. As with Thermacool FLX, the greater the amount of heat and heat damage per treatment, the greater the pain caused by irradiation, and it is necessary to increase the treatment interval. Therefore, it may be suitable for those who have difficulty visiting medical institutions frequently.

Thermacool FLX price quote

Thermacool is more effective as the number of shots increases. In the case of the whole face treatment, the Thermacool CPT usually costs about 100,000 to 200,000 yen for 400 shots. In the case of Thermacool FLX, 300 shots cost around 200,000-400,000 yen, and in the case of Thermacool Eye, 225 shots cost around 100,000 yen.

It is possible to increase the number of shots if desired, but the fee will be higher accordingly.

Relationship between Thermacool FLX chips and the number of shots

Thermacool FLX uses a tip, which is a part that directly touches the skin. The tip used in Thermacool FLX is a one-time disposable tip with a fixed duration and number of shots.

The effective time and the number of shots are fixed for each chip, and the counter on the chip counts the time and the number of shots from the start of the treatment. That's why Thermacool FLX is priced for each shot.

Reasons to be careful of cheap medical institutions

Thermacool FLX is a free medical treatment, so the fee varies depending on the medical institution.

In addition, the tip that touches the skin attached to the tip of the part to be irradiated is a copy product and does not use a genuine product, or it is reused without throwing it away, or the treatment is done by a nurse instead of a doctor. It seems that it may be set cheaply.

After completing a training program by Solta Medical, an American manufacturer of ThermaCool , you will become a ThermaCool certified doctor for acquiring the ThermaCool treatment technique. It is not a required qualification for Thermacool treatment, but it may be a good guide when choosing a medical institution to receive Thermacool FLX.

Thermacool FLX treatment flow and precautions

Thermacool FLX risk and downtime

Thermacool FLX does not damage the skin surface, so there is no downtime. Makeup, bathing, and exercise can be done from the day of the event.

Light swelling may occur, but it will subside within a few days. In rare cases, burns and blisters may occur, so if you feel pain or heat during the procedure, please tell your doctor.

Those who cannot receive Thermacool FLX treatment

• Pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, those with metal or silicon such as gold thread embedded in the treatment area
• Pregnant and lactating
• People with collagen disease
• People with severe heart disease, epilepsy, autoimmune disease

Required treatment interval

Immediately after irradiation, you will feel the tightening effect. After that, collagen production occurs and the effect lasts for about 6 months to 1 year. It is ideal to perform the treatment every 6 months to 1 year because the effect can be expected to be further increased by performing the treatment again with the effect remaining.

Thermacool FLX is a medical device not approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare

Thermacool FLX is an unapproved medical device in Japan. Therefore, when considering the treatment, please be sure to receive sufficient explanation about the risks and side effects at the medical institution before receiving the treatment.

Comparison of Thermacool FLX and Ursera and sagging treatment using both

Ursera (HIFU) is a sagging treatment that is not in line with Thermacool. The difference is its purpose and depth of irradiation.

Thermacool FLX is a tightening that sends high frequencies to the fat layer to tighten the slack, while Ursera is a highly lift-up treatment that raises the slack, and the fascia (SMAS layer) under the fat layer. It works up to. Which is more effective depends on the part and the condition of fat and sagging.

Also, regarding the range of treatment, Ursera's ultrasonic waves reach deeper than the high frequencies of Thermacool FLX, so it is necessary to avoid major nerves and around the eyes. On the other hand, Thermacool FLX can also irradiate the eyes, so it can be said that it can irradiate a wider area than Ursera.

Even with the same sagging treatment, Ursera and Thermacool FLX have different characteristics, so if you use Thermacool FLX, which irradiates a wide area to tighten the entire face, and Ursera, which partially pulls up at a pinpoint depth, it will tighten. It can be said that it is an effective sagging treatment by the action of pulling up.

If you don't have a medical institution that has two machines, you can expect to be able to repeat each procedure within a month.

(Updated January 2021)