Firmer skin, without a facelift

Morpheus8 is a radiofrequency microneedling device made by InMode. Fine insulated needles enter the skin to a set depth and release heat from their tips, which contracts tissue on the day and builds collagen over about three months. It treats jowls, neck laxity, texture, pores, and acne scars. It is FDA-cleared, not FDA-approved.

The areas treated (face, neck, or both), one session versus a series of three, the tips and passes each area needs, and any add-on in the same visit. Every treatment starts with a consultation and a written plan, your deposit comes off your treatment, and Affirm, Afterpay, and Klarna are available if you’d like to spread out the cost.

With numbing cream on for about an hour, most people feel pressure and heat with each stamp rather than sharp pain. Published reviews call it mild to moderate and well tolerated. Some people still find the jaw and neck painful. If that’s the case for you, let us know and we’ll slow down or lower the energy.

There are no long-term randomized studies, so nobody can give you a verified number. The collagen you build is yours, but your skin keeps aging, so the improvement fades gradually. Most clinics, including ours, suggest one maintenance session a year after a series. Individual results vary.

It’s worth it for mild to moderate laxity (early jowls, a softening jawline, crepey neck skin) or settled acne scarring, if you can accept two to five days of redness per session. It’s usually not the best choice if texture is your main concern, or if your skin has significantly descended, in which case surgery is the better option.

Yes, with the settings adjusted. Radiofrequency doesn’t target pigment, so Morpheus8 is one of the safer energy treatments for skin of color. Published guidance is to lower superficial energy in Fitzpatrick types V and VI, and the FDA clearance limits the highest energy levels to skin types I through IV.

At Skinovatio Arlington Heights, Morpheus8 is performed by our medical esthetician in Suite C at 3375 N Arlington Heights Rd, just south of Dundee Road. The person you meet at the consult is the person who treats you. We’re open Monday through Friday, 10 to 6, with free parking right outside.

We don’t offer Ultherapy, so we can’t compare them from firsthand experience. Ultherapy is an ultrasound device with no needles, so there’s no grid of marks and no scabbing. Morpheus8 puts radiofrequency heat exactly where the needle goes, which is why it also treats texture and scars. You’re welcome to bring any quote to your consult, and we’ll talk it through with you.

You can, but you’ll look sunburned, with a faint grid pattern and some swelling. Most people who work face to face take the next day off or work from home, then go back on day 2 or 3 when the redness has faded to pink. We’d suggest booking a week ahead of any photos.

We’d suggest waiting for fall, or starting in January. Healing skin needs sun avoidance for several weeks, which is harder in summer, when sun exposure is highest. A series started in October is done by the new year, and one started in January is settled by May.

It isn’t reversible, but it isn’t dramatic in one session either. Results build over weeks, and we work in a series specifically so you can stop after one if it’s not for you.