RF microneedling

Radiofrequency microneedling combines two things: the fine needles of standard microneedling, and radiofrequency energy delivered through those needles once they are at depth. The needles are insulated, so the energy is released below the surface rather than at the top of the skin. Irene sets both the depth and the energy level for each area, and the settings are chosen for your skin rather than kept the same across a whole face. Numbing cream goes on first and is given a full twenty minutes.

The handpiece is placed section by section rather than dragged, so the treatment is a sequence of placements across the area. Sensation is stronger than plain microneedling: a warm prick with each placement, more noticeable near bone. The pass itself usually runs twenty to thirty minutes. Redness and mild swelling follow, and the small grid of marks left by the needles is visible for a day or two. This is normally done as a series of three sessions spaced roughly six weeks apart, and the skin keeps responding in between.

• Texture and laxity you want discussed without going to surgery
• Wanting the energy delivered below the surface rather than at the top
• Able to plan around two or three days of visible redness
• Willing to commit to a short series rather than one appointment

Irene goes over the depths and energy settings she plans to use, and why.

Numbing cream is applied and left on for a full twenty minutes.

The skin is cleaned, and the handpiece is placed section by section across the area.

Each placement is a brief warm prick, stronger over the forehead and the jaw.

The skin is cooled, a bland moisturizer goes on, and you leave with written aftercare.

Two to three days of redness.

• Expect two to three days of redness, and some swelling on the first morning.
• Keep the routine bland, pause actives, and sleep with your head slightly raised the first night.
• Sunscreen daily, and no gym, sauna, or pool for two days.
• Sessions sit about six weeks apart, and it is easiest to book the next one before you leave.

• You are pregnant or nursing
• There is an active skin infection or a cold sore in the area
• You have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device
• You have a history of keloid scarring
• You have used certain prescription skin medications in the recent past

Irene decides candidacy at your consultation.