Results vary between patients. What radiofrequency treatment can be expected to do for your skin is discussed with you at your consultation, and is not promised here.
The treatment
RF skin treatment uses radiofrequency energy to gently heat the deeper layers of the skin, with the aim of improving the appearance of loose or crepey skin and of skin texture. It is carried out by our dermal therapists, as part of a plan that starts with a medical history.
Whether it is appropriate for you, and what it would involve, is decided at an individual assessment rather than online.
Your care team
Dr Pedro Valente
Registered medical practitioner, MED0001201428Specialist general practitioner (FRACGP), with substantial experience in non-surgical cosmetic proceduresThe Skin Wellness Hub, Gledswood Hills NSW
Dr Pedro Valente founded The Skin Wellness Hub to bring medical oversight to skin health and aesthetic care. He graduated in medicine (MBBS) from the University of Tasmania, has been a registered medical practitioner since 2007, and holds specialist registration in general practice as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).
Being doctor-led means every treatment plan here starts with a medical history: your health, your medications, and anything that changes which treatments are appropriate for you. That is the difference between a clinic run by a doctor and one that only has a doctor’s name on the door.
This page was reviewed by Dr Valente in September 2026
You will be looked after by Dr Valente and the dermal and medical team from your first visit. RF skin treatment is carried out by our dermal therapists, working together under Dr Valente’s clinical direction, and a doctor reviews your medical history as part of your assessment before any treatment is booked. Your plan and notes are shared across the team, so whoever you see knows your skin and your history, and you can book your treatments directly with the dermal team.
Where it comes up
These are the concerns people most often bring to an assessment where radiofrequency is one of the options discussed. Raising a concern here does not mean this treatment is the answer to it. Which option suits you, if any, is decided after your skin has been assessed.
The mechanism
Radiofrequency is a form of energy that creates heat as it passes through tissue. In a skin treatment, a handpiece delivers it through the surface of the skin to warm the layers beneath, while the surface itself is kept at a comfortable temperature. It is not a laser, and it does not use ultraviolet light.
The heat is controlled and built up gradually across the treatment area. The skin’s response to that warming takes place over the following weeks, which is why any change in how the skin looks is gradual rather than seen on the day.
The clinic uses the LUX Series bipolar radiofrequency handpiece on the LUX4D platform, and what it is supplied for is the limit of what this page will tell you it does.
It is not surgery and it does not do what surgery does. What it may do is improve the appearance of the skin, to a degree that varies from person to person, and that is discussed with you honestly at your assessment.
It is carried out by our dermal therapists under Dr Valente’s clinical direction, after an assessment that decides whether you should have it at all.
Step by step
01
Your skin is assessed, your medical history and current medications are taken, including any implants or electronic devices, and whether this treatment is appropriate for you is decided. If it is not, you are told so.
02
Your skin is cleansed and a conductive gel is applied. The handpiece is then moved over the treatment area in passes, and the heat is checked with you throughout so it stays at a level you can tolerate.
03
Allow around 30 minutes in the clinic for a facial area, and up to 45 minutes for a larger or combined area.
04
Your skin will usually be pink and feel warm, and may be slightly swollen, for a few hours. Most people go back to their usual activities the same day.
05
Any change is gradual rather than immediate, and is generally looked for over a period of weeks to months rather than days. It varies between patients and some people notice little or none.
06
It is usually given as a course of sessions spaced several weeks apart, with the number decided at your assessment rather than set in advance.
Important information
Outcomes vary between patients
This treatment does not produce the same result in every person, and it does not produce a result in every person. No particular outcome is promised. What is realistic for your skin is discussed with you at your consultation, based on your own assessment.
This is an energy-based treatment that heats the skin, and it carries risks. The following are discussed with you in full before you consent.
Common, and expected:
Less common, and requiring treatment:
This list is written for this treatment specifically and is not a complete account of everything that can happen. The risks for the clinic’s own device are confirmed against its documentation. Contact the clinic if anything concerns you after treatment.
There is usually no downtime. Any redness and warmth is mild and temporary and may last a few hours, occasionally up to a day, and swelling or bruising is uncommon. Some people settle sooner and some take longer.
You can generally return to work and everyday activities the same day. Heat, strenuous exercise and sun exposure are restricted for a period that is set out in your aftercare instructions.
If you have an event coming up, tell the team at your consultation so treatment can be timed around it.
Any change is gradual, is assessed over a course of treatment, and is modest compared with surgery. How long any change lasts varies between patients and depends on your skin, your age, your health, sun exposure and how the treatment is maintained. Both are discussed with you at your assessment, in relation to your own skin, rather than stated as a general figure here.
Nobody is treated on a first visit without assessment. Suitability is determined at an individual consultation, with your medical history reviewed by a doctor, and any treatment plan follows that assessment.
Dr Pedro ValenteRegistered medical practitioner, MED0001201428Specialist general practitioner (FRACGP), with substantial experience in non-surgical cosmetic proceduresThe Skin Wellness Hub, Gledswood Hills NSW
Suitability
This is not a complete list. Bring your full medical history and every medication and supplement you take to your consultation, including anything you buy without a prescription.
Afterwards
You are given written aftercare instructions before you leave, and they are specific to what you have had done. In general terms they cover keeping the skin cool, clean and moisturised, avoiding heat, saunas and strenuous exercise for a stated period, and wearing sunscreen.
Follow the instructions you are given at the clinic in preference to anything you read here or anywhere else.
Questions
Cost is discussed with you at your assessment, once it is clear what you would actually be having and over how many sessions. We do not publish prices, because a figure quoted before anyone has looked at your skin is not a real figure.
No. Radiofrequency may improve the appearance of the skin, but it does not do what surgery does, and any change is more modest and more gradual. If what you are hoping for is closer to a surgical result, that is something to talk through honestly at your assessment.
Most people describe a feeling of deep warmth that builds during each pass, and some areas feel hotter than others. The heat is checked with you throughout, so tell your therapist if it becomes uncomfortable and the settings can be adjusted.
Usually yes, on the same day, with some redness and warmth that settles over the following hours. If that matters for a particular day, plan the timing at your consultation.
No. RF microneedling delivers radiofrequency through fine needles. This treatment delivers it through the surface of the skin without needles. Which approach, if either, suits your skin is decided at your assessment.
The LUX Series bipolar radiofrequency handpiece on the LUX4D platform. Details of the device are on the consent material you are given at the clinic, and you can ask about them at your consultation.
Sometimes, and sometimes not, depending on what the other treatment is and when you had it. Recent injectable treatment in particular can change the timing. Bring a list of anything you have had done recently to your consultation.
One of our dermal therapists carries out the treatment, working under the clinical direction of Dr Pedro Valente, registered medical practitioner MED0001201428. Your medical history is reviewed with a doctor as part of your assessment, before treatment is booked.
Also at the clinic
Where a treatment plan starts. Your skin is photographed and measured, and Dr Valente goes through what he is looking at with you.
A needling treatment discussed for concerns about skin texture, sometimes planned alongside radiofrequency.
An injectable gel administered by a doctor, a different approach discussed for the appearance of the skin.
Next step
Every treatment plan here starts with the advanced skin assessment, a 45-minute consultation in which your skin is photographed and measured and your medical history is taken. Whether RF skin treatment is right for you is answered there, properly.
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