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【Italy】Want a Facelift Without a Scalpel and Downtime? Try Monopolar Radiofrequency

Jul 21, 2026

Editor’s Note

**Editor’s Note:** This article highlights Thermage FLX, a non-invasive monopolar radiofrequency treatment by Solta Medical, as a cutting-edge solution for skin laxity. With FDA clearance for eyelid treatments—a notoriously difficult area—it underscores the industry’s shift toward enhancing skin quality without surgery or downtime.

The new trend in aesthetic medicine is increasingly focused on skin quality: firmness, elasticity, luminosity, and a naturally more toned appearance. In this direction comes Thermage FLX by Solta Medical, an American technology based on monopolar radiofrequency, designed to combat skin laxity on the face and body without surgery and without downtime.

FDA Clearance

The most significant novelty concerns an area that has always been complex to treat: the eyelids. Thermage FLX is in fact the only monopolar radiofrequency to have obtained FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) clearance for the treatment of the upper and lower mobile eyelid, offering a non-surgical option to improve skin tone in a particularly delicate area.

Monopolar Radiofrequency: A Controlled Technology That Works Deeply

At the base of Thermage FLX is monopolar radiofrequency, an energy that is delivered to the deep layers of the dermis to stimulate the skin’s natural regeneration processes. The system also integrates AccuREP Technology, which monitors and calibrates each pulse to distribute energy uniformly and precisely.

“Thermage FLX is the fourth generation of Thermage and was born as a technology dedicated to tightening, i.e., skin firming,” explains Andrea Garelli, specialist in reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery in Rome and Milan. “The radiofrequency energy reaches the deep layers of the skin, causing an initial contraction of collagen fibers and subsequently stimulating neocollagenesis, i.e., the process through which the body produces new collagen. The result is not an immediate and artificial change, but a progressive improvement that follows the skin’s biological times.”

From Eyelids to Knees: New Handpieces Expand Possibilities

One of the most innovative aspects of this technology concerns the ability to intervene even on smaller and more difficult-to-treat areas. The new handpieces, more compact than in the past, allow working with greater precision on areas such as knees, arms, and ankles, districts where the loss of tone often becomes evident but where non-invasive alternatives are limited.

“The possibility of using specific handpieces today allows for a more personalized approach,” continues Garelli. “Areas that were previously less accessible can now be treated, while maintaining the main objective of the treatment: improving the quality and firmness of the skin.”

Eyelids and Knees: When Skin Loses Tone

The body is one of the areas where the loss of elasticity manifests most. After significant weight loss, pregnancy, or with the natural aging process, the skin can lose firmness, leaving more relaxed areas. The most requested areas are abdomen, inner thighs, arms, and buttocks, but also eyelids, knees, or even ankles. In recent years, this need has also increased in relation to personalized weight loss journeys and new pharmacological therapies for weight management.

One Session, No Downtime, and Progressive Results

Another element that makes Thermage FLX particularly unique is the possibility of inserting it into the daily routine without interrupting one’s activities. The treatment can be performed throughout the year, even before summer or a trip, because it does not require particular sun exposure nor long recovery periods.

“One of the most appreciated advantages by patients is precisely the simple management of the treatment,” recounts Garelli. “Generally, it is performed in a single session and the results develop progressively in the following months, thanks to the production of new collagen. The effect can last up to a year, after which it is possible to evaluate a new treatment.”

Like any medical device, Thermage FLX also has specific contraindications. The treatment should not be performed on people with pacemakers, implantable automatic cardiac defibrillators, or other implantable electrical devices. But, for the rest, it is the true step forward in lifting surgery.
Cristina Pacei
TRATTAMENTI
Monopolar Radiofrequency: The New Frontier of the Scalpel-Free Facelift
Stimulates natural collagen production, with a single session and no downtime, the new treatment with increasingly smaller handpieces of Thermage FLX by Solta Medical
by Camilla Rocca
21 July 2026

Radiofrequenza monopolare: la nuova frontiera del lifting senza bisturi- immagine 2

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⏰ Published on: July 21, 2026