Morpheus8…Making The Right Choice

Choosing the best treatment to improve your wrinkles, stretch marks, scars or just lax skin can be confusing. There are many possible treatments such as skin peels, lasers and dermabrasion.  Morpheus8 is the most recent and exciting option to consider since it has the least downtime and can be used in all skin types.

What is Morpheus8?

Morpheus8 is micro-needling combined with radiofrequency energy which is designed to penetrate the skin at depths between 4 mm and 2 mm. It delivers  heat to the dermis beneath the skin, causing dermal collagen to shorten and realign.

Alternatives to Morpheus8 are lasers, chemical peels and dermabrasion.  It is important to understand that all three, lasers, chemical peels and dermabrasion, work from the surface of the skin downwards and because of this, they all carry the risk of hyperpigmentation as well as the risk of scarring. The deeper the treatment the greater the risk. With deeper treatments there is also a very real risk of loss of pigmentation (hypopigmentation). Darker skins have a greater risk of both hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.

Dermabrasion is unsuitable for darker skin types and also has an increased risk of loss of skin pigment and scarring. In paler skin types, dermabrasion often results in a shiny unnatural marbelized appearance.

Depending on the depth of treatments, lasers, skin peels and dermabrasion, all have significant healing period or down time. Downtime varies from 3 to 4 days to several months with prolonged redness being common, especially after a carbon dioxide (CO2) ablative laser treatment.

In contrast, because Morpheus8 works from the lower levels of the skin upwards, the down time is less. Radiofrequency energy is delivered from the tips of twelve or twenty-four insulated pins at a depth from 2 to 4 millimeters. By heating the underlying collagen in the dermis, Morpheus8 contracts the collagen. As it heals, the older, disorganized collagen fibers are realigned into a tighter configuration. This is highly effective in improving skin lines, skin laxity and in improving scars and stretch marks. Different energies are used depending on the severity of the condition. Even with the higher energies, the effects of redness and small punctate needle sized holes are rapidly resolved in in two to three days. There is no prolonged period of unsightly peeling as is the case with other treatments such as a TCA peel.

TCA peels and lasers can be effective treatments, especially in the sun-damaged lighter skin types. The less aggressive chemical peels and lasers have a shorter downtime than the deeper ones but because they are more superficial, their effectiveness in improving lines and skin laxity is limited. For many of these patients Morpehus8 is the best option.

Morpheus8 treatments are administered in the office. First, a topical local anesthetic cream is applied for thirty minutes. At the same time an oral sedative, DSUVIA,® is placed under the tongue. The combination of anesthetic cream and DSUVIA® help to reduce the pain and anxiety of the Morpheus8 treatment. DSUVIA,® in particular, has been a game-changer for our patients. Morpheus8 treatments are usually done in a series of three sessions, one month apart. It takes three to six months to see the maximal effect. Morpheus is often combined with AccuTite or FaceTite to further tighten and recontour the sagging areas such as the jowls, cheeks, neck, inner thighs and underarms.

Facetite & Morpheus face and neck 5 months front

Facetite & Morpheus face and neck 5 months oblique

Bodytite Arms

Morpheus8, Facetite Peri-Oral & neck with Liposuction neck, oblique

Morpheus8, Facetite Peri-Oral & neck front