Tecar therapy uses high-frequency current to generate heat for tissue biostimulation.
When the current flows through a tissue, it makes the particles it’s composed of move. And this movement is what generates heat. Therefore, with tecar therapy, heat is generated by the body and not administered from an external source. Inside the tissues, heat produces vasodilation, thereby increasing blood flow and oxygen supply. This process accelerates cell metabolism, facilitating substance exchange through the cell membrane and improving drainage and catabolite removal.
Tecar therapy is widely used in orthopaedic and trauma rehabilitation. Today, these units are among the most popular, effective, and prescribed medical devices. The popularity of tecar therapy lies in its clinically proven effectiveness, safety, and ease of use in treating a wide range of conditions. Over the past few years, new handpieces and frequency modulation have helped extend the use of tecar therapy to other treatments, such as physioaesthetic treatments.
The only contraindications are those imposed by the law for any medical electrical equipment, i.e. pregnancy, people with pacemakers, and cancer patients.
When it comes to physioaesthetic treatments, contraindications refer to existing conditions (telangiectasia, venous problems, skin infections, psoriasis, and skin conditions in general, altered heat sensitivity) that need to be considered, or even discussed with the treating physician, to be sure to use the optimal frequency and power without causing any harm.
When applied correctly, the aesthetic results of tecar therapy are visible even after the first session. Fat deposits, panniculopathy, and retention may require up to 5 or 6 sessions to provide visible results; however, patients can notice firmer and tighter skin and a feeling of lightness right after the first session. To be successful, tecar therapy requires a suitably trained therapist, who must understand the mechanisms of the various conditions and choose the best unit settings, parameters and handpieces.
Human skin consists of several layers. The outermost layer is the epidermis made of keratinised dead cells, which are continually replaced by cells coming from the deeper layers, in a 3 to 4-week cycle. The epidermis serves as a barrier against the external environment. It must be cared for using specific creams (e.g. sunscreens to protect it from UV radiation).
Beneath the epidermis is the dermis, a connective tissue layer characterised by elastin (which provides elasticity) and collagen (which ensures support and resistance). When fibroblasts start ageing, they start producing less collagen and elastin. Skin starts losing its firmness, becoming less resistant and bouncy. Skin ageing can be enhanced by environmental factors (smog, UV radiation), behaviour (poor hydration, increased facial expressions), and bad habits (smoking, not wearing glasses when necessary).
The hypodermis is the deepest layer of the skin, and it serves as an energy reserve. It’s made up of connective fibres and adipocytes (fat cells). When fat builds up, it’s not the number of adipocytes that increases but their size. When they grow to the point of compressing small vessels, they obstruct microcirculation. This way, the tissue is no longer nourished and oxygenated and cellulite forms. The beginning of this process is gradual and reversible. However, if no action is taken, the fibrosis involving poorly vascularised tissue will make the cellulite more resistant.
Human skin can be subject to alterations due to ageing, behaviour, bad habits, nutrition and hydration. Given the multifactorial causes of skin alterations, a global approach that includes a healthier lifestyle ensures the best results. However, these measures may not be effective in accurately targeting specific areas, which is why a localised problem may persist despite the overall improvement.
Tecar therapy allows for localised treatments that stimulate cell metabolism and microcirculation, helping reactivate processes that have slowed down.
Fisiowarm 7.0’s innovative applications, frequency modulation, and electrodes make it the perfect tecar therapy unit for physioaesthetics. It meets any requirement and easily adapts to the various areas, even the smallest or the ones with an irregular shape (cheekbones, eye contour, etc.).
The bipolar electrode (both capacitive and resistive) allows for working without the plate. This way, the current can be conveyed to the affected areas without passing through the tissues that wouldn’t benefit from the treatment. For example, in the abdominal area, we can work on muscles, the connective tissue (in the event of diastasis recti) or skin (in the event of skin laxity) without involving the viscera, modulating the frequency for deeper or superficial areas.
The static automatic electrode consists of one single cable with one end divided into 4 parts, each with a small resistive electrode. By positioning the electrodes on the area to be treated and choosing the right plate application (traditional or adhesive), the current will be equally divided between the active electrodes. An electrode band can keep the electrodes in place and allow the patient to move freely and do the exercises to improve muscle tone during the treatment.
The Neutro Dinamico electrode allows for more precision. The plate is replaced by a resistive electrode, which serves as a neutral lead, just like the plate. The difference is that this electrode is held by the therapist, who can move it around continuously to find the best spot without involving other structures.
Frequency modulation
Frequency modulation is one of the features that make tecar therapy perfect for aesthetic treatments. Adjusting the frequency allows us to target tissues more accurately, knowing that lower frequencies are indicated for deeper tissues and higher frequencies for more superficial ones. For example, fat deposits and cellulite require a frequency that helps reach deeper tissues, while skin elasticity improvement requires a higher frequency (1MHz) to interact with the superficial layers and achieve visible results even after the first session.
Over time, skin loses its firmness, elasticity, and suppleness. Tecar therapy makes fibroblasts produce more collagen and elastin, improving skin’s appearance and making it plumper.
Heat instantly tightens collagen fibres, and biostimulation makes this effect longer-lasting, especially if the treatment includes maintenance sessions. These treatments provide excellent results in any part of the body: face, neck, décolleté, arms, tummy, lower limbs, and vulva. Skin tissue becomes visibly firmer and structures (such as the face contour) better-defined.
Adipocytes are the cells that store energy. When we take in more calories than we burn, adipocytes store those extra calories, which become our energy reserve. When this process continues over time, adipocytes start growing in size and compressing the vessels. This situation obstructs microcirculation making exchanges between the inside and outside of a cell more difficult. These enlarged adipocytes trigger an inflammatory response in the tissue.
In its advanced stages, panniculopathy causes connective tissue fibrosis and the formation of hard nodules that are tender to the touch. The heat generated by tecar therapy helps increase vascularisation, thereby supplying more oxygen and removing catabolites more easily. Improved microcirculation and cellular exchanges lead to reduced oedema and improved skin appearance.
Tecar therapy involves two types of electrodes: capacitive and resistive.
The capacitive electrode releases more energy in the layers beneath it, while the resistive one releases more energy in the high-low impedance interface.
When a muscle contracts, its electrical impedance changes, creating a spot where more energy is released. This knowledge and using different electrodes during the same session ensure a complete treatment that focuses on fat deposits and cellulite, muscle activation with targeted exercises, and water retention, improving excess fluid drainage.
Such a treatment provides an aesthetic result and tissue improvement, which gives the patient a sensation of lightness and tone.
Tecar therapy plays a primary role in physioaesthetics. Tecar therapy provides excellent results on various blemishes on the face and body, working on deep and superficial tissues. It also gives patients a pleasant sensation. All this explains why both therapists and patients appreciate it so much.
Aesthetic disorders have various causes. For some (e.g. genetics and hormones), there’s not much we can do, but we can work on others (e.g. poor diet, lack of hydration and physical exercise). With tecar therapy, results are visible even after the first few sessions and are maintained over time. These beneficial effects will be even more visible and longer-lasting if we teach patients to take care of their bodies and maintain the results (with a balanced diet, skin barrier creams, and exercises that help circulation and muscle activation).
Simona Colicchia
Physiotherapist, Expert in Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation, Diastasis Recti, and Physioaesthetics.
Specialised in Global Postural Rehabilitation
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