Radiofrequency technology entered aesthetic medicine in the 1990s and has since proved both effective and safe. It works by heating tissue in a controlled way with a high-frequency alternating current in the radiofrequency range (RF). That principle is what the method is named after.A different form of RF treatment has appeared more recently: fractional microneedling RF. Where a classic RF device places its electrodes on the surface, the needle electrodes of a fractional device are inserted directly into the skin. That removes the limit imposed by the horny layer and makes it possible to heat deeper tissue far more intensively without risking burns. Where a non-invasive treatment reaches 43-45°C, the dermal structures in contact with the needle electrodes reach 60-80°C (coagulation). The more intense the heating, the stronger the response in the form of dermal remodelling. The heat also spreads into the surrounding tissue, and deeper.
INMODE Aesthetic Solutions (Israel) continues to innovate in RF and has produced Morpheus 8, its latest-generation fractional microneedling RF handpiece.
- Morpheus 8 is a program-controlled fractional RF technology that works at the subdermal level.
- It reaches deeper than any other fractional technology cleared by the FDA.
- 24 polymer-coated needles in two rows (the distal tip excepted).
- Each needle is surrounded by a return electrode, which gives even heating across the treated area.
- Needle penetration and radiofrequency delivery are synchronised automatically.
- Cyclic mode — the needles extend and retract with every RF pulse.
- Fixed mode — the needles stay extended and RF pulses are delivered to one point at a set repetition rate.
- An LED indicator on the applicator shows the depth of penetration.
- Single-use sterile tips, for hygiene.
- No visible damage to the epidermis (the needles are coated).
- Coagulation of fatty tissue where that is required.
- Contraction of connective tissue.
- Subnecrotic heating of the skin, to correct both macro and micro relief.
- The procedure is carried out under local anaesthesia, as a course of sessions.