Morpheus8 is fractional radiofrequency microneedling, made by InMode. A handpiece with a tip of fine pins is pressed onto the skin; the pins enter to a depth the clinician sets and deliver radiofrequency energy there, heating the tissue so that it contracts and lays down new collagen over the following weeks. Because the pins treat a grid of points rather than the whole surface, the skin between them is largely spared and recovery is days, not weeks. It is FDA-cleared in the US for dermatological procedures where coagulation (sealing by heat) or contraction of soft tissue is needed.
Heat below the surface, not on it
Older resurfacing treatments work on the surface of the skin. Morpheus8 puts the energy below it, in the dermis (the deeper layer of the skin) and, with the body tip, in the fat layer beneath, and the surface takes only the pin marks. That is why it tightens as well as smooths: the contraction happens in the tissue that holds the face and body up, and the collagen that follows is laid down where the skin has thinned.
The tips and the depths
- 12-pin tip: the smallest footprint, for the area around the eyes, the lip line and the forehead, at shallow depths.
- 24-pin tip: the standard tip for the face and neck, reaching up to 4 mm with about 1 mm of heat beyond the pins.
- Resurfacing tip: 24 blunt pins at 0.5 mm for shallow acne scars, fine lines, texture and large pores.
- 40-pin body tip: for the abdomen, the arms, the thighs and knees, reaching 7 mm in the US clearance, with about 1 mm of heat beyond that in InMode's description.
The clinician chooses the tip by the area and sets the depth and the energy for each zone: shallower over bone and thin skin, deeper where there is tissue to contract. Usually two or three passes are made over an area at different depths.
A session, step by step
- Consultation. The clinician looks at the area, confirms that nothing rules Morpheus8 out for you, agrees the tip, the zones and the number of sessions, and quotes in writing.
- Numbing. A strong topical anaesthetic goes on for 30 to 45 minutes.
- The treatment. A full face takes 30 to 45 minutes, face and neck about an hour, the abdomen 45 to 60 minutes. You feel heat and pressure in pulses, strongest over bone; most patients in our clinic rate it 3 to 5 out of 10 with the numbing.
- After. The skin is red and a little swollen with the grid marks of the pins for two to five days on the face, a little longer with bruising on the body. Makeup from day two, exercise from day four, no sun for a week. The downtime page goes through it day by day.
Why it is a course
Collagen remodelling after a session runs for weeks, so sessions are four to six weeks apart and a course is usually three. You see the change from about three weeks, the tightening peaks at three months after the last session, and the result lasts a year or more in our clinic's experience with one maintenance session a year. The sessions page sets out the course by concern.
Who it is for
Morpheus8 suits skin that has started to loosen or lose its texture. On the face and neck that means a softening jawline and early jowls, a crepey neck, lines and pores and acne scars; on the body, loose skin on the abdomen after children or weight loss, the upper arms, the thighs and knees. It is not a surgical facelift and does not lift heavy, hanging skin. At the higher energy levels it is cleared in the US only for Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV; darker skin is treated at lower settings and the clinician says what is safe. The full Morpheus8 guide carries the complete list of what rules it out and the comparison with the alternatives.
See it for yourself
Book a free consultation at 8 Clinic on 0207 043 8128 or through the form below. The clinician shows you the device and the tips, explains what it will do for your skin, and gives you the price per area and per course in writing.
