( 2.0 ) A Bit of History and context about Plasma or “Fibroblast”

Since there is a lot of sales jargon over electrical arcing in aesthetics and medicine with some people self proclaiming themselves as the creators or inventors of this “new technology” we are providing you with some valuable context and history about plasma or “fibroblast”. As we will see this is not a new technology it is just that you happen not to have seen it before in the context you are seeing it now.

Electrical arcs are used in many aspects of our lives. They are sometimes referred to as plasma or “fibroblast” for marketing purposes.
Devices generating an electrical arc have been used in the operating theaters since the early 20th century. The first electrosurgical unit, also known as the Bovie Generator, is credited to William T. Bovie while he was working at Harvard University. The first use of an electrosurgical generator in an operating theater was on October 1, 1926, at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in the USA.

The first operation is believed to have been performed by Dr. Harvey Cushing an American neurosurgeon. Ever since, due to its versatility, the use of electrofulguration or electrodesiccation have expanded worldwide. Later thanks to the increasing availability of voltaic arc generators, the practice has extended to aesthetic uses.

The voltage used by surgical and aesthetic equipment ranges between the 500–10,000 Volts peak-to-peak and are capable of injecting high currents through the body and through its surface, depending on how they are used. So, how is it possible that these sparks, at times injecting high currents, can travel through our bodies without causing any harm?

We have all experienced mild electric shock by accidental contact with a live wire in our houses, and we know the unpleasant it can be. So how is the same electrical power used safely?

If we were to use the same peak to peak voltage of 50Hz as found in domestic supply, we would experience an electric shock. The magic is in the operational frequency of the device. The frequency output generated by these devices starts from 50 KHz (note this is 50,000Hz not 50Hz). This higher frequency avoids the undesired electromuscular stimulation, which in turn avoids electric shocks. Because of this principle, electrical surgical devices have high currents at high voltage (therefore high power) and can thus be put through the human body without any harm either to the internal organs or nervous system. Remember that the first electro-surgical unit was used by a neurosurgeon, and this provides an idea of the level of confidence and inherent safety of such devices. Thanks to this, these devices have been in widespread use in the medical and aesthetic world since the 1930s.

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