2. Basic science of BodyTite® and RFAL

The BodyTite® device is comprised of a workstation, or platform, which houses the RF Generator, software and circuit boards of the system. Into this workstation attach the various clinic hand pieces (Figure 1). The hand pieces come in different sizes and configurations and are designed for specific clinical procedures and anatomical locations.

Each BodyTite® hand piece is in a bipolar configuration, where the internal electrode is a silicon coated cannula that is RF emitting in its distal uncoated region and has a sophisticated bullet shaped tip to aid is soft tissue dissection and movement, while minimizing the risk of end dermal hits and thermal injury.

The external electrode, which is attached to the same hand piece, slides along the surface of the skin in tandem with the internal electrode (Figure 2).

The internal electrode emits positively charged RF current, which flows back and forth from the positively charged internal electrode to the negatively charged external electrode. The RF is strongly ablative and coagulative within 1–2 cm of the internal electrode and dissipates at is flows and diffuses up to the external electrode. Soft tissue within 1–2 cm of the internal electrode will undergo a necrotic, ablative tissue thermal effect, while the dermis will experience a sub-necrotic, non- ablative dermal, thermal stimulation.

The Radiofrequency energy within 1–2 cm of the internal electrode provides a coagulative, ablative issue on local tissue, adipose, vascular and the fibroseptal network (FSN). As RF flows up, ever more diffusely, to the external electrode moving in parallel and in tandem with the internal electrode, RF will be more diffuse and is flowing to a much broader, bigger surface area electrode and the thermal effect on the dermal structures will be non-ablative heating (Figure 3).

Figure 1. The BodyTite® RFAL workstation. The various hand pieces in the BodyTite® RFAL family plug into the workstation.

BodyTite®: The Science and Art of Radiofrequency Assisted Lipocoagulation (RFAL)… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83446

Figure 2. The BodyTite® bipolar RFAL hand piece.

#### Figure 3.

The RF energy flows from the internal electrode, where it is ablative in nature, to the external electrode, where the RF has a gentle non-ablative thermal effect on the dermis.

The Soft tissue tightening concept of BodyTite® is to provide and 3-dimensional contraction of the soft tissue through internal RF stimulation and contraction of the Fibroseptal network, together with dermal enhancement through non-ablative thermal stimulation and neo-collagenases [15].
