Fractional RF Microneedle
- Time in clinic
- 60 to 90 minutes, with numbing
- Sessions
- Usually 3, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart
- Downtime
- Usually 1 to 3 days
- Results from
- Several weeks, building for months
Key takeaway
Is it acne scarring or open pores you want to change? Both can improve over the months after a course, as your skin makes new collagen.
Before your visit
It suits
- Acne scars and rough, uneven texture
- Pores that look larger
- Fine lines and early wrinkles
- Skin losing a little firmness
- Some other scars and stretch marks
Not during pregnancy, or with a pacemaker, stent or other implant, a bleeding disorder or blood thinners, a skin infection, keloid scarring or skin cancer.
To prepare
- Tell your practitioner about medication, allergies, active skin conditions and any recent facial procedure.
- Do not come with sunburnt or irritated skin.
- Arrive with clean skin where you can.
- Pause retinoids and exfoliating acids before and after, as your practitioner advises.
- Treatment is postponed if the area has an infection, an open wound or severe inflammatory acne.
- Mention cold sores, abnormal scarring, poor wound healing or pigment changes after past treatments.
- Mention prescription skincare and isotretinoin, now or recently.
The needles carry the heat
Time in clinic60 to 90 minutes, with numbing
The FRM tip holds 25 fine, insulated gold needles. They enter at a depth your practitioner sets for the area and your skin, and radiofrequency energy travels down them as heat, released below the surface.
The insulation keeps the top layer cool, and much of the skin between the needles is left alone. The skin heals each tiny channel like a wound, remodelling collagen and elastin.
On the day
Numbing cream goes on first and is left for 30 to 40 minutes. Your practitioner then passes the handpiece across the area, section by section, about 20 to 30 minutes for a full face. A collagen mask follows, then aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, Aquaphor and SPF 30.
Where it can be used
- Full face
- Forehead
- Cheeks
- Around the mouth
- Chin
- Jawline
Our clinics
A skin treatment at Cocoon Canggu. 
The consultation comes first, with your doctor, before anything is booked. 
Reception at Cocoon Canggu. 
Refreshments are waiting when you arrive. 
The corridor to the treatment rooms at Legian. 
The Ubud lounge, and the rice field beyond it.
Healing, day by day
DowntimeUsually 1 to 3 days
Until it settles
- Keep the skin clean and hydrated while it settles, and do not pick at dry patches.
- No makeup for the first 24 hours.
- No hard exercise, saunas, hot tubs or steam rooms for at least 24 hours.
- Keep out of direct sun and wear sunscreen every day.
- Contact us if anything unexpected develops afterwards.
Skip pools, the sea and hot tubs for 48 hours. For at least 7 days, keep out of direct sun, tanning beds, saunas, steam rooms and hot yoga, and sleep on a clean pillowcase.
Day by day
- Day 0 to 1
Red, warm and a little swollen, like sunburn, perhaps with pinpoint bleeding. A cool compress eases it.
- First 24 hours
Only the serum or cream we give you, and no makeup or hard exercise.
- First 3 days
Wash with a mild cleanser and lukewarm water, with clean hands and no scrubbing.
- First 2 to 3 nights
Sleep with your head raised to bring the swelling down.
- Days 1 to 3
Skin can feel tight, itchy or rough like sandpaper. Keep it moisturised, with SPF 50 or higher outdoors.
- Days 3 to 5
Light flaking may start. Let it shed, and do not pick or scratch.
- Days 5 to 7
Skin feels smoother and the pinkness fades, though sensitive skin can stay a little flushed.
- Two weeks
No retinol, AHAs, BHAs or low-pH vitamin C until your practitioner clears them.
- 2 to 4 weeks
Pores look finer and texture smoother, and collagen goes on building for months.
Results
Results fromSeveral weeks, building for months
Needle marks usually fade by about day four. Texture and firmness start to change within several weeks, and the tightening can go on building for six to eight months. Results vary, and your practitioner says what to expect from a course.
The skin may feel dry or rough for a few days. Burns, infection, scarring and pigment changes are uncommon but possible.
Questions people ask
Dermapen is microneedling alone. FRM adds radiofrequency heat inside the tissue, which makes it particularly useful for acne scars and loosening skin.
Three is the usual course. Long-standing acne scars, uneven texture or looser skin may need more, depending on how your skin responds.
Redness and swelling usually settle within one to three days, so plan photographs or a special dinner after that.
Wait until your skin has settled. The same goes for intensive facials and strong vitamin C formulas.
For deep wrinkle folds and acne scars, a fractional CO₂ laser can follow the microneedling. Your practitioner decides whether that suits your skin.
Yes, the two can be done together, and our Bio Cell Lift Package pairs them. Where the plasma goes in, a little bruising is more likely.
