Category: Radio Frequency Treatments

What Happens to Your Skin When You Lose Weight?
What Happens to Your Skin When You Lose Weight? Here’s some insights.

In recent years, Australia has seen a significant rise in weight loss journeys, whether through improved lifestyle habits, bariatric surgery, or the increasing popularity of new prescription medications. While shedding excess kilos brings many health benefits, one common but often surprising side effect is how your skin reacts.

At our dermatology clinic, we regularly see patients concerned about loose skin, stretch marks, and other skin changes after weight loss. So what’s actually going on beneath the surface?

Let’s take a closer look at what happens to your skin when you lose weight—and what you can do about it.

Why Does Skin Change After Weight Loss?

Your skin is a living organ that’s incredibly adaptable, but it has its limits. When you gain weight, your skin stretches to accommodate fat tissue. If this weight is carried for an extended period, the skin’s structural proteins—collagen and elastin—can weaken.

When you lose weight, especially rapidly, your skin doesn’t always bounce back to fit your new shape. This is especially noticeable after losing a large amount of weight or losing weight quickly, as is often the case with the newer prescription weight loss treatments now available in Australia.

Key factors that affect your skin’s response include:
- Age (younger skin is more elastic)
- Genetics
- How much weight you’ve lost
- How quickly you lost that weight
- Hydration and nutrition levels
Common Skin Concerns After Weight Loss
1. Loose or Sagging Skin
  This is the most common issue, particularly around the abdomen, upper arms, thighs, and face.
2. Stretch Marks
  While often associated with weight gain, stretch marks can also become more noticeable as skin tightens and fat underneath decreases.
3. Skin Irritation and Rashes
  Excess folds of skin can trap sweat and moisture, leading to discomfort or fungal infections.
4. Dryness and Dull Texture
  Weight loss, especially when driven by medication or rapid dietary changes, can affect hydration and skin tone.
Will My Skin Bounce Back On Its Own?

It depends. For those who lose a modest amount of weight slowly, and who have good skin elasticity, some natural tightening is possible, especially if you’re under 40. However, for significant weight loss (10kg or more), especially over a short time, the skin often doesn’t fully contract.

It’s important to be realistic. While a healthy lifestyle helps, skin that’s been stretched for a long time usually needs a bit of extra help, or you wear it like a badge of honour for adopting an new lifestyle.

Professional Skin Tightening Treatments in Australia

Fortunately, modern dermatology offers a range of non-surgical treatments to help firm and rejuvenate the skin after weight loss. Remember, as we have said be realistic, that over 40 skin will not bounce back like 20-year-old skin:

1. Radiofrequency Skin Tightening

A popular, non-invasive option that uses heat to stimulate collagen production and firm the skin.

2. Ultrasound-Based Treatments – Ultraformer III

Uses focused ultrasound energy to lift and tighten deep layers of the skin.

3. Laser Skin Rejuvenation

Helps improve skin texture, reduce stretch marks, and promote elasticity.

4. Microneedling with RF

Combines collagen induction with radiofrequency energy for improved skin tone and structure. Our treatment is called the Secret RF and we are big fans for face and body.

5. Topical Retinoids and Firming Creams

Medical-grade products with retinol, peptides, and antioxidants can help improve skin firmness and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

6. Surgical Referral

In cases of severe excess skin, especially after major weight loss, we may refer you to a qualified plastic surgeon for skin removal options. We do not perform skin-tightening surgery at ENRICH clinic.

At-Home Skin Care Tips Post-Weight Loss

If you’re on a weight loss journey or just starting one, supporting your skin from the inside and out can make a big difference:
- Hydrate regularly – inside and out.
- Eat skin-friendly nutrients – including vitamin C, zinc, and protein to support collagen. Your skin health and gut health are closely related.
- Consider collagen supplements – some Australian brands offer marine or bovine collagen powders. The jury is out on how effective these supplements are; they can be helpful.
- Moisturise daily – to maintain skin barrier health and hydration. For the body, generally, a heavier moisturiser than you use on your face should be considered unless you are acne-prone.
- Gentle exfoliation – to improve skin texture and tone. We mean gentle, without damaging the skin on a daily basis. ENRICH 15% AHA+Beta Exfoliating Lotion can help with exfoliation and removing dead skin cell buildup gently. We use this lotion on the body every third day, coupled with your normal skin moisturiser every other day.
When Should You See a Dermatologist?

If you’re experiencing loose skin that’s affecting your comfort or daily life, it’s time to seek expert advice. Our dermatologists can assess your skin’s condition and recommend tailored solutions—ranging from in-clinic treatments to medical-grade skincare.

We’re here to guide you through this next chapter of your transformation, with real solutions that support both your skin health and your self-confidence.

How We Can Help

At ENRICH & DIV, we offer moderate skin tightening and rejuvenation treatments suitable for certain stages of your weight loss journey. Whether you’ve recently started on medication-assisted weight loss or you’re months into your transformation, we can support you with personalised, science-backed dermatological care.

Book a consultation with our expert team at ENRICH & DIV today and let us help your skin look as good as you feel.
June 30, 2025
Why vaginal laser and RF treatments should be the norm

The tissue of the female pelvis can go through a lot across a lifetime. Until now, there hasn’t been a solution to the widespread issue of tissue laxity besides reconstructive surgery in the most severe cases. Unfortunately, that has left many women suffering a multitude of indignities and discomforts, with the emotional baggage that comes along for the ride.

Vaginal rejuvenation includes non-invasive laser and radiofrequency treatments that stimulate cells, improving their integrity whilst tightening lax urethral, vaginal and vulvar tissue.

Laser and radiofrequency treatments are effective at vaginal tightening. They can reduce the symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and vaginal atrophy. As a result, vaginal rejuvenation procedures are a growing area of interest for many physicians, dermatologists, reconstructive surgeons, gynaecologists and urologists.

‘Vaginal rejuvenation’ might sound like a marketing term designed to lure you in with promises of a tight, fresh new vagina – as if the one you have isn’t quite right. But in many women, it’s not quite right, but nothing has been able to help so far.

Vaginal rejuvenation is indeed an ill-defined umbrella term. In our practice, high-tech vaginal tightening and rejuvenation procedures are a shining beacon of hope for women whose urethral, vaginal and vulvar tissue has lost its mojo. We’re very proud to offer women and those with vaginas options they’ve never had.

What is GSM and vaginal atrophy?

GSM symptoms can include poorly functioning vaginal or vulvar tissue that tears easily, is irritated by simple actions like wiping, and is prone to dryness. GSM can also include stress urinary incontinence, where a cough turns into an accident. Vulvovaginal atrophy may be part of GSM or appear on its own, reducing the function and size of vaginal cells, resulting in dryness, shrinkage and irritation.

What is vaginal laxity, and how does it impact sex?

Those who have been through vaginal labour may experience a loss of elasticity in pelvic tissue. As a result, sex might become less pleasurable since sexual responsiveness is dependent mainly (with all other ingredients being in place) on friction. Remove the friction with tissue laxity, and you are more likely to have an unsatisfying sexual experience with no apparent reason.

What is stress urinary incontinence?

Stress urinary incontinence occurs when the downward pressure on the urinary tract is too great for the pelvic floor muscle to hold and urine leaks out unexpectedly. For example, this leaking may occur when laughing, coughing, sneezing or lifting something heavy. The amount of leaking can be minuscule or significant, depending on the level of tissue laxity.

How does laser vaginal rejuvenation help?

Laser vaginal rejuvenation procedures tighten tissue in two ways and stages. The first impact of the laser or radiofrequency is the shrinking effect of heat on the tissue. In the second stage, the heat from the laser or radiofrequency stimulates collagen and elastin production.

Collagen and elastin are much slower to develop, with the process taking up to three months. This two-stage process means you can expect not only instant tightening but the results will improve in the coming weeks.

Is vagina tightening and rejuvenation scientifically proven?

Vaginal rejuvenation procedures have been subject to rigorous scientific research to see where its edges are and the tasks for which it is well-suited. What’s come from those studies is that vaginal rejuvenation techniques result in improvements of GSM or vaginal atrophy symptoms and sexual function.

The vaginal tightening and rejuvenation treatments have a very high patient satisfaction rating. Any adverse events reported were considered minor – treatment-associated pain, swelling or vaginal discharge. All side-effects resolve within a day or two.

No other vaginal treatment has ever come close to achieving these important goals for women and those with vaginas. The research concludes that radiofrequency and laser treatments effectively treat vaginal laxity and vaginal atrophy. However, more research is required to improve further our understanding of how these innovative treatments can help women be more comfortable in their bodies.

Vaginal tightening and rejuvenation procedures our Melbourne clinic offers

At ENRICH Clinic in Armadale, we offer specialist vulvovaginal laser and radiofrequency treatments. We have a vaginal rejuvenation program where we assess you and develop a unique treatment plan for you. This plan might include both laser and radiofrequency, or just one or the other, depending on your individual needs.

What is the difference between laser and radiofrequency treatments?

The reason we love using both the laser and radiofrequency treatments together is they complement one another. Laser energy treats the upper layers of tissue, while radiofrequency can penetrate deeper to target underlying structures.

Both use heat energy to exert their effect on cells, but the devices are quite different in how they go about that. We love the combination and find it works very well for patients. Each treatment is very quick, just 5-10 minutes and you’re done.

What to do next

If you have symptoms such as laxity, dryness, irritation, stress urinary incontinence, or unpleasant symptoms of menopause, book in for a personal consultation.

We’ll talk through your concerns and plot out a plan to help revive your pelvic tissue.

ENRICH Clinic

October 12, 2021
Wrinkle prevention: is there such a thing as too early to start?
When considering the future of your face, many of you may be wondering if there is such a thing as ‘too early’ to start an anti-ageing regime.

To answer this question, we need to understand a little bit about how the skin ages, and thus what is worth spending time and money on and at what age and stage.

It is not unreasonable – if you’re into that sort of thing – to start an anti-ageing plan in one’s 20s, but it’s also just as feasible to work on your skin as issues arise.

Prevention isn’t necessarily the goal for everyone, though it’s true that it works well as part of an anti-ageing strategy when started at the right time.

Cosmetic treatments cost money and take time, and while it’d be marvellous if we all have nothing but time on our hands, that’s not the reality. We have to carefully choose our plan based on the resources we have available to us. It’s therefore worth having a consultation with your chosen clinic to discuss your goals and make a plan, rather than following fads and fighting cosmetic fires.

Important note about teenagers and anti-ageing routines

It’s important to note upfront that here at ENRICH Clinic, we do not believe teenagers should be considering anti-ageing treatments. It’s not your time, teenager!

Anti-ageing treatments in teenagers are a potentially damaging pointless exercise – the skin is healthy and supple and not at risk of developing wrinkles, fine lines or creases just yet.

The only anti-ageing routine that teenagers – and everyone else – should be undertaking is wearing high-SPF sunscreen every day and taking measures to protect skin from damaging UV rays.

Of course, if there are problems such as acne, psoriasis or dermatitis, that is different altogether and a job for a dermatologist. That’s not what we are talking about here.

The ageing process and when we ‘should’ start caring

We are constantly getting older, from the minute we are born, which may seem obvious, but we don’t start talking about ‘ageing’ until we think about wrinkles, fine lines and creases in our face.

These start to appear en masse during our late twenties and thirties, making themselves at home in our forties and fifties and beyond.

An anti-ageing regime is designed to keep the skin looking smooth and supple for as long as possible, which may mean starting before the cracks start to appear.

The most common way to start an anti-ageing routine in younger people is with wrinkle reducing treatment that relax certain muscles and prevent the development of wrinkles in key areas, but many approaches are just as useful, for example, regular laser treatments.

How should I start my anti-ageing plan?

At what point someone decides to start an anti-aging routine and what they start with varies depending on many factors: care factor, budget, time and skin type.

For example, many Asians look 15 years younger than they are, which can be extremely annoying when trying to get into a bar but means many anti-ageing treatments can wait. Skin-beautifying can, therefore, be the focus, rather than wrinkle treatments.

Caucasians tend to suffer a great deal of sun damage throughout life, particularly in Australia, and thus may age faster and less gracefully than darker skin tones. Reducing the impacts of sun damage may be a primary focus, for example, removing pigmented spots and softening fine lines and wrinkles.

Young people have far more fat in their cheeks than older people. You’ll notice in older people that the cheekbones become prominent because the cheeks have lost fat volume.

Chubby cheeks are very much related to youth. This loss of fat volume in the cheeks can have an impact on the eyes, dragging the skin down and contributing to looking tired. Strategically placed filler can create subtle – but impactful – changes to how aged the face appears.

Making the most of your beautiful face

An ageing face has so much character and beauty to it, so when we consider your anti-ageing plan, we aren’t aiming for an expressionless, frozen face that never creates a line.

Your face will always age; you will never look 25 when you are 55, no matter how hard you or we try or how much money you spend. And nor should you. That’s not the point.

You want to look like yourself, at whatever age you are. At ENRICH Clinic, we always aim to enhance your natural assets, not change them. You have a great face and more to the point it’s unique to you! We help you make the most of it.

Having beautiful skin will never go out of fashion

There are some effective, non-invasive skin treatments that anyone can start their anti-ageing journey with:
- Non-invasive no-downtime treatments
- Laser microdermabrasion
- Facials – laser facials, HydroActive facials China Doll carbon serum facials
- Skin peels
When you get a little more experienced or know what you’re after, the treatment range includes:
- Deeper facial treatments that may include some downtime
- Wrinkle reducing & targetted dermal treatments
- Non-surgical rhinoplasty (nose job)
When you’re really on top of what you can expect, including deeper treatments that come with some downtime, the treatment range includes:
- The Portrait – deep skin resurfacing
- The Secret RF – skin needling and radiofrequency all-in-one for skin tightening and rejuvenation
- Deeper laser microdermabrasion – deeper skin resurfacing
Not sure what you need or where to start? Come in for a consultation, and we’ll help you. We understand that ‘looking good’ means different things to different people. For some of you just waking up without red cheeks would make a world of difference. For others, lifting the skin and softening wrinkles is the goal.

Caring for your changing face is a unique journey for each of us. We at ENRICH Clinic are here to help you look your best self.

Want more beautiful skin?
We can help.
Contact us
November 1, 2019
Why two skin treatments can offer 3X the result
Combining skin treatments may seem like double the effort, but it could offer triple the benefit. There is no single ‘best’ treatment when it comes to your skin. Often a few excellent procedures combine that offer, together, even better results than you’d see with just one treatment alone.

If you are concerned about signs of ageing (wrinkles, blemishes, brown spots or sallow cheeks), you aren’t going to find one single best treatment. A laser may work well on your skin tone, while an anti-wrinkle injection may be useful to stave off a deep wrinkle.

Age and sunspots are treated with a laser, chemical peel or another light-based treatment, while sallow cheeks can also be treated with hydration increasing treatments.

Finding treatments that complement one another is key to getting the 1 + 1 = 3 effect. We love combining treatments because the results can often be three times more effective!

Ageing is a complicated process

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to how your face is going to age or what concerns you the most. There is an intricate pattern of wrinkles, some that stay static (like a frown line) and those that appear on flatter surfaces of the skin (think forehead and cheeks).

We lose facial volume, which in turn results in new folds and contours appearing over time. Blood vessels can also become more prominent.

The multifaceted process of ageing, therefore, is best served with a combination cosmetic approach.

Treatments that work well in combination

Needling, lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL), microdermabrasion, chemical peels, hydration treatments and high-quality skincare products can all be used together in various combinations for positve cosmetic outcomes.

We use these combos a lot at ENRICH Clinic, where Dr Michael Rich is a great proponent of the multi-treatment approach. The treatments can often be performed in one appointment but may be scheduled over several appointments where necessary.

Classic treatment combos
- Laser and radiofrequency
- Hydration and wrinkle reducing treatments
- Acne medication and topical acne or acne scarring treatments
- Skin needling (The Secret) and chemical peels
- Peels & Diodes
- Ultraformer (HIFU) and lasers
What is the best cosmetic treatment combination?

The best cosmetic treatment combination for you depends on your skin concerns. Talk to your cosmetic dermatologist or doctor to see what their thoughts are. Consultations are the key as well as developing a long-term plan for your skin health, and also handy for budgeting! Combination treatments can be different for everyone and depends on ou skin type, age, diet, gender and genetics.

A break between treatments may be necessary, so your skin can do its thing

Some procedures are, by necessity, performed away from others. For example, a robust collagen-boosting treatment requires at least a month, if not more, to reach its maximum potential. There’s not much point in doing more collagen-boosting treatments over the top. Your skin is already maxing itself out. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t do wrinkle-reducing treatment or even a pampering, ultra-hydrating facial.

Other treatments require a break due to the way they function in the skin. For example, certain needle-based treatments need time to settle before other skin treatments go over the top. This timing is in place because the liquid can migrate, or the skin has been pierced so you have to be careful of infection for at least 24 hours — also, no facial massage after any kind of needling.

Swelling from some treatments may impede the effect of others, so a break for healing may be useful for the best outcomes for some combined treatments. You don’t have to have them done in the same appointment for the combination treatment effect to come into play.

Using lasers and other wave-based treatments in combination

Some cosmetic devices are designed to penetrate more deeply than others, which is why we may utilise the powers of two or more wave-based devices as a combination treatment.

One such combination may be a radiofrequency device, which penetrates deeper layers, with a laser that works on the skin’s surface. This way, skin gets a deep treatment that stimulates, tightens and strengthens as well as undergoes a smoothing, brightening, resurfacing treatment. Here’s a paper on a study that reviewed how certain combination treatments can be effective.

Your cosmetic doctor knows the best combination of treatments.

If you’re not sure what you need, don’t worry! We do. Come in for a consultation, and we’ll help you figure out the best course of action for your skin.

Let us get the most out of your skin.
Contact us for an appointment

ENRICH Clinic
August 28, 2019