The Thermage ThermaCool®NXT system is a 400-watt, 6.78-megahertz high frequency generator that employs patented capacitive coupling technology within our proprietary ThermaTip™ device to deliver radiofrequency energy deep into dermal tissues. This patented monopolar capacitive radiofrequency device is the only radiofrequency-based system that can deploy deep, uniform, volumetric heating to tighten skin and renew facial contours.
The unique aspect of the ThermaCool® system lies in our ThermaTip device. The ThermaTip device employs a proprietary capacitive coupling electrode to uniquely disperse radiofrequency energy and create a uniform electric field across the surface of the tip and into the tissue. With a frequency of 6.78 megahertz, the electric field changes polarity 6 million times per second. In response to the rapid change in polarity, the charged particles within the skin change orientation at the same frequency. It's the tissue's natural resistance to this movement that produces heat, which is based upon the principles of Ohm's law. That is, total energy delivered is proportional to the product of the square of current applied, tissue resistance and time of delivery.
Energy (joules) = I²Zt
In conjunction with heating, the ThermaTip device also employs a patented method of contact cooling. By continuously applying a controlled cryogen cooling spray to the back surface of the ThermaTip electrode membrane, the tip continuously cools the epidermis and upper dermal layers through contact cooling. This combination of heating and contact cooling create a reverse thermal gradient whereby the greatest heating is deep in the skin while the outer layer of the skin is cooled, which helps to protect it.
The depth and degree of heating and thermal injury is dependent on the size and geometry of the ThermaTip, the treatment level setting and the conductive properties of the tissue being treated.
As collagen is heated above 60°C the mechanism of action is two-fold. First, collagen denatures and the fibrils immediately contract and also thicken. Second, dermal remodeling begins with the wound-healing response producing additional skin tightening over time. It's this biologic reaction to heat that tightens tissue and produces the results of tightened skin and renewed facial contours.
