Tweak of the Week: Linda Lusardi tries Morpheus8 at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic

Morpheus8 is the best-known brand of radiofrequency microneedling, and it’s the hottest tweakment around just now.

Why? Because this device, which combines the skin-smoothing-and-tightening benefits of microneedling with the ‘shrink-wrapping’ effects of radiofrequency energy, has gained a reputation for delivering impressive improvements in skin texture, strength and quality (this is the treatment that worked so well for Judy Murray a couple of years ago – and it’s also great for acne scarring and smoothing the neck).

Why did Linda want to try Morpheus8?

I went to The Cosmetic Skin Clinic in Stoke Poges to meet actress Linda Lusardi and film her Morpheus8 treatment with Dr Matthew Jarvie-Thomas. It was a great opportunity to find out why Linda wanted the treatment, what it feels like, what it costs, and more. Plus, we followed up on her results (they’re impressive).

Linda said she felt as though the side of her face when in profile looked ‘a bit bumpy’, coupled with some lines and wrinkles she wanted to treat without injectables – ‘I do think a lot of women just want the youthful look back,’ she told me.

Prices: From £1,250 per session
Downtime: Three days
For more information about The Cosmetic Skin Clinic, click here.

This video is sponsored by The Cosmetic Skin Clinic.

How does Morpheus8 work?

We know Morpheus8 is hugely popular, but what exactly is it, and how does it work? Dr Jarvie-Thomas explained it as ‘a combination of microneedling and radiofrequency. So, the needles come through the surface of the skin and fire radiofrequency or energy down through the connective tissues, and by heating up the connective tissue, you get it to contract’. This, he said, results in skin tightening plus stimulation in the production of collagen and elastin. This process takes 10 to 12 weeks, so while you do get some instant results, patience is required over a period of about three months to see further improvements.

Is Morpheus8 painful?

It’s not a walk in the park (all those needles!) but a good practitioner will be able to help you through it. Linda had numbing cream (containing lidocaine, a local anaesthetic) on her face before treatment, and she also took a couple of painkillers. The numbing cream means you still feel pressure on the face, but the needles won’t feel sharp, and you won’t feel the heat so much. Something else Dr Jarvie-Thomas did before beginning Linda’s treatment was to use a nifty handheld ultrasound device to scan her face – not for pain relief, but to help him plan the treatment. ‘It lets me look at all the different structures [in the face] to see at what depth everything is sitting for you, and then it allows me to plan the treatment because I can adjust all the depths on the Morpheus machine,’ he explained. More and more practitioners are starting to incorporate ultrasound scanning into their treatments because it allows them to tailor the procedure to each patient and gives an extra level of safety when it comes to working in important anatomical structures.

‘It wasn’t that bad – I thought it would be more painful. It’s absolutely doable. I wouldn’t say it was an extremely pleasant experience, but it was one that I would come back for if the results are fantastic, which I’m sure they will be.’ Linda Lusardi

What happens during a treatment?

On to the actual treatment – Linda had both her face and neck treated – and Dr Jarvie-Thomas performed a small patch test under Linda’s chin to check her tolerance – which she said was ‘totally painless’. ‘You’ll see a result certainly after one treatment,’ Dr Jarvie-Thomas told Linda, ‘but most people will have a course of two or three. Almost everyone is potentially a good candidate for Morpheus8 – it can be used for any age, any skin type, any skin tone, for anything from acne scarring to skin tightening, to skin texture or fine lines.’

He then started on Linda’s neck, moving pretty swiftly across the skin, explaining why Morpheus8 is so good for this area: ‘A lot of the things that Morpheus8 achieves – skin tightening, improvements in skin texture and treating fine lines – are people’s main concerns with their neck. So, it’s a treatment that really lines up with what people are looking to achieve on the neck, but anywhere on the body, where there’s thin or crepey skin, Morpheus8 is a fantastic treatment.’

The first ‘pass’ with the device is done using a 24-needle tip at a 3mm depth using. This is then followed by a quicker second pass with a shallower 12-needle, 2mm tip. ‘Treating deeper is about that kind of prolonged collagen remodelling process – whereas treating more superficially with lower energy is more about the skin tightening and initial contraction,’ explained Dr Jarvie-Thomas.

What does it feel like?

Once the treatment was done, he advised Linda to give active ingredients – particularly retinol – a break for three days until the redness had completely gone and the skin feels healed. She was left quite red, but that will have gone down by the end of the day. Her verdict immediately after having Morpehus8? ‘It wasn’t that bad – I thought it would be more painful. The numbing cream really helped. It’s absolutely doable. I wouldn’t say it was an extremely pleasant experience, but it was one that I would come back for if the results are fantastic, which I’m sure they will be.’

The results

Linda went back for a second treatment a month later, and another month after that, the ‘after’ pictures were taken. Linda’s results are impressive, and her skin looks smoother and more taut. You can see the effect this improvement has on her jawline on the video, which looks a good deal sharper in the ‘after’ pictures. If you look at the detail on the picture of Linda’s eye area, you can see how the treatment has refreshed the skin and smoothed away fine lines. What a great result!