Morpheus8 Microneedling Treatment

A Full Review of this In-office Procedure and Q&A with an Expert

To begin, I must tell you that I have tried my fair share of professional beauty treatments and procedures at various plastic surgeons and dermatologist's offices. As an Esthetician, I feel that it's my sworn duty to partake in the latest and greatest.

I've been around the block, shall we say. My little black book of facial treatments include IPL's, silk peels, microdermabrasion, vampire facials, hydrafacials...if it doesn't have a lot of downtime, I have probably tried it. My skin looked great after all of these treatments but nothing ever blew me away, until Morpheus8. It is a microneedling treatment with RF, aka radiofrequency. My results from this one treatment were quite noticeable and pretty amazing. The menacing title "Morpheus8" provokes the thought in one's mind of a futuristic bullet-dodging movie character. Let's be clear, this procedure is pretty intense with a bit of downtime. The results, however, are well worth it.

My treatment was performed by Rebekah Ferraro at O'Neill Plastic Surgery Aesthetic and Laser Center on Daniel Island, SC. Rebekah has many years of experience in the field of skincare. She is warm and welcoming and definitely made me feel comfortable. She answered every question I had about the procedure. I had no pre-procedure anxiety or fear as I headed into the office.

Upon arriving for my appointment, I was taken back and numbing cream was generously applied to my entire face and neck area, which was then covered with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap simply allows the numbing agent to work better and faster. I was then allowed to relax while the cream took effect. The numbing process took a little over an hour. Like the popular song by the Weeknd...I could not feel my face. This is exactly what you want. Trust me, microneedling can be extremely painful if you are not numbed properly. They even offer laughing gas in addition to the topical numbing cream if needed. I, however, was completely numb and couldn't feel a thing. Rebekah then explained what she was going to do and set up the machine to the proper settings for my desired outcome. Morpheus8 is capable of doing numerous things, dependent upon the settings chosen.

She started on my neck. As I mentioned above, I was completely numb so all I could feel was the pressure of the needles entering my skin, but no pain whatsoever. She moved across my neck and face with impressive precision. In total, I'd say it took about 20 minutes. She then had me wash my face and apply sunscreen. Rebekah gave me a growth factor aftercare cream to take home that would facilitate the healing process. I used this cream for several days after the treatment.

When I left the office my skin began to sting a little as the numbing wore off. My face was pretty red and swollen, but nothing horrible. The next morning I woke up to even more swelling and little pinpoint bruises. I also noticed that I had little "cat scratch" shaped scabbing, which Rebekah did prepare me for. All in all, I didn't look too terrible. I mean, let's be real, I didn't want to go out in public but it really wasn't that bad.

My skin immediately following the Morpheus8 treatment

Over the next few days, the swelling went down and the little purple bruises began to fade. I would say the worst of it lasted about 4-5 days and by day ten I was glowing. Now, I would suggest scheduling your appointment over a long weekend. You can apply makeup, which I did when I had to go back to work a few days later and no one could tell what lurked underneath my mask of foundation.

What were my results you ask? Well, a few weeks later, I noticed that my skin had a glass-like shine and firmness to it. My pores were nearly invisible and any fine lines and wrinkles I had were all but gone. It really blew me away. Morpheus8 causes your skin to build its own collagen and elastin over time, so your results will peak at about 5 months post-procedure. It has been about a year since my treatment and I can honestly say that I can still see a difference. Rebekah suggested that I get one treatment a year to maintain my results, but this will vary from patient to patient depending on their skin condition.

My skin 8 weeks after one Morpheus8 treatment.

My final words of advice on this topic would be to find a professional that is well experienced and knows what they are doing. Procedures like this one are no laughing matter and should never be performed by anyone who hasn't been properly trained on the machinery. Rebekah is an expert when it comes to skincare treatments and lasers. Her vast knowledge of all things skin is nothing short of impressive. Below you will find a Q&A with her concerning all things Morpheus8. I think you will find it quite informative!

DJ: What is Morpheus8?

RF: Morpheus8 is a combined treatment of microneedling and radiofrequency to achieve deep fractional remodeling within the skin.

DJ: What is microneedling?

RF: Microneedling uses small needles to create microchannels in the skin to generate new collagen and elastin for smoother, firmer, more toned skin.

DJ: How does Morpheus8 differ from other microneedling procedures?

RF: Morpheus uses the benefits of microneedling and harnesses RF energy in one procedure to produce an exponential increase in your collagen production.

DJ: What are the benefits of Morpheus8?

RF: Increased collagen and elastin production, skin tightening, minimized scars, smoothed wrinkles and texture, faded stretch marks, overall skin rejuvenation.

DJ: How long does it take to see results?

RF: Results can be seen as early as 3-4 weeks with optimal results being seen around 5 months.

DJ: How long do results last?

RF: While we do continue aging, the results are yours, permanently.  We recommend a yearly maintenance treatment to maintain your results.

DJ: Is the procedure painful?

RF: Morpheus can be uncomfortable for some and we've worked to provide the most comfortable experience for the patient. We use a potent pretreatment numbing cream and offer Pronox, an inhaled mixture of 50% Oxygen and 50% Nitrous Oxide. The device is used to reduce anxiety and discomfort during in-office procedures, and it can be used in conjunction with local anesthesia.

DJ: How long does the treatment take?

RF: The numbing time is the longest part of the procedure.  We recommend an hour-long numbing time and the treatment takes 10-20 minutes depending on the patient.

DJ: Who can benefit from Morpheus8 treatments?

RF: Every skin type and all skin tones are candidates for Morpheus8, especially those suffering from loose, crepey skin.

DJ: What is the downtime?

RF: Downtime with Morpheus is short compared to most non-invasive procedures.  Most patients report 1-3 days of downtime on the face.

DJ: Is there any pre/post care needed?

RF: We recommend stopping the use of retinol/retinoic acid/AHAs for three days post-treatment and using a post-treatment product that helps to fortify your skin barrier and accelerate skin healing with growth factors.  The product we recommend most is Aftercare by Neocutis but it varies patient to patient.

If you are in the Charleston, SC area, I highly recommend booking a treatment with Rebekah at O'Neill Plastic Surgery Aesthetic and Laser Center. The entire staff is wonderful and friendly. Click on the link below to visit their website!

www.oneillplasticsurgery.com

Rebekah Ferraro is the Aesthetic Director at the O'Neill Plastic Surgery Aesthetic and Laser Center on Daniel Island, SC.   She has 12 years of experience in aesthetic medicine and specializes in energy-based anti-aging procedures.  She believes anyone can achieve a lasting youthful appearance with proper skincare, regular laser treatments, and injectables used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.