This post was sponsored by Southern Pines Aesthetics & Laser Institute. All opinions are my own.
Do you remember back in May, when I wrote about my IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment? {Read about it here if you missed it} I shared before and after photos, how the procedure felt, and what the recovery period was like.
Today I’m back to share my experience with the procedure I mentioned at the end of that post, the Morpheus8. Also, if you’re local to Southern Pines/Pinehurst/Aberdeen or surrounding areas, please grab a special offer at the end of this post!
| Sweater (similar) | Camisole | Earrings (same; splurge) or (similar; save)
| All of these photos are unfiltered; the only editing I did was to resize and watermark them |
Just to recap quickly, last January I finally went in for a free consultation at a local med spa to see what their recommendations were to help me to look my best and correct years of sun damage and apparently, frowning. When I asked some of the prettiest ladies I know locally where they went, they all pointed me in the same direction, which is how I wound up walking through the doors at Southern Pines Aesthetics & Laser Institute (SPALI).
Brianna, my beautiful P.A.–who looks like she’s 19 because she follows all of her own advice–outlined a recommended plan for freshening up my skin. She recommended that I give her a year to work all of her magic on me; after all, you can’t reasonably expect to reverse years of damage overnight. I’m planning on a third and final post in January so we can look back at the entire process.
| In Munich after my IPL treatment |
I wound up having four Morpheus procedures over a period of about six months and I am super happy with the results.
Here’s my last “after” shot from after my IPL treatment. Also, why didn’t anyone tell me that the bangs were a bad idea?
Here’s a quick bathroom selfie after the Morpheus treatments (and after the bangs grew out), but I’ll share my official B&A photos further down.
Morpheus is a “fractional skin treatment that stimulates collagen production of the underlying layers of the dermis. By targeting the deeper layers of the skin, the building blocks will recognize themselves in a natural anti-aging process.” What that actually means is that areas of the face and neck that have wrinkles, discoloration, or acne scarring will see benefits; I have all three of those skin issues because I’m an overachiever and that made me a really good candidate for Morpheus.
The recommendation is 1-3 treatments to see best results although there’s no upper limit on how many treatments you can have, and the nice part is that you continue to see improvements in your skin for up to three months after treatment as collagen production continues, so I am continuing to age in reverse!
On the day of the treatment, they put topical numbing cream on my face for about a half hour. I also had a hose so I could suck on some nitrous oxide during the procedure, like during the IPL treatment (if you want to see video that includes the hose setup, just visit the IPL post here).
Morpheus works to rebuild collagen and fat and minimize wrinkles by delivering fractionated RF energy into the deeper layers of the skin. The Morpheus “gun” is a matrix of micro needles that injects that RF into your skin.
Bri basically “stamped” the areas of my skin that she was targeting. In the post-procedure photo below you can see the areas she stamped are reddened and if you look closely you can even see the needle marks; they really just look like enlarged pores.
To answer the obvious question, yes, you do bleed a little. Brianna just rubbed the whole blood back into my skin because that’s super healthy and stimulates cell turnover. My teenage daughter was kind of impressed with what she called my “vampire facial,” but it’s really a different procedure altogether.
I’m not going to lie, my first treatment was pretty painful. I think it had something to do with the time of the month it was scheduled and an elevated prostaglandin level. For the other treatments, we planned accordingly and Bri had me premedicate with ibuprofren and a Xanax, and they were so, so much easier. I probably didn’t even need the Xanax but holy wow, I sure did enjoy it!
The big takeaway is that even though that first one was rough, I wanted to do the other ones because I saw such a difference in my skin once I got past the initial recovery period.
When I say it was rough, check out this bruise. Good thing my husband was in Germany or people might have asked questions. That never happened again after the first round, though.
Post-treatment care is pretty straightforward. You ice that first day and sleep with your head elevated at night to minimize swelling. You’ll also want to skip makeup for the first day or two (your skin is full of tiny holes, after all), wash your face gently and keep it clean, and apply the post-treatment serum they give you–but make sure it’s this one:
Seriously. The SPALI folks started carrying this one toward the end of my treatments and I broke out a bunch post-treatment without it and not at all with it. If you’re local and get your treatments at SPALI, of course that’s what they’ll give you, but if you’re not local and are just reading this to learn about the procedure, then be sure your med spa gets it for you or order it through the link I posted above.
This is with no makeup after about a week (definitely still blotchy and healing but the bruise is almost gone):
This is with makeup that same day:
When Amy and I saw each other in Richmond in July, she noticed a difference right away and remarked on it. I asked her what she thought was different, and she said, “I don’t know for sure, but it just looks so much better. And I noticed that you don’t have the side smile wrinkles that I still have.”
You can see what she’s talking about in my “official” B&A photos. I also think the evening out of my overall skin tone is one of the biggest differences I’ve noticed, combined with the luminosity.
If you’re interested in non-surgical anti-aging and scar revision treatments, Morpheus is definitely worth considering. The next six weeks (October to mid-November) is also the perfect time to get started because then you’ll be glowing and fabulous for the holiday season.
If you’d like to see the followup on this post one year later, click HERE.
If you’re local, be sure to book a free consultation with the team at SPALI; they will work with your timeline and budget to come up with the perfect plan. And if you mention this blog post, they’ll give you a 10% discount and a $50 post-procedure product voucher. Can’t beat that!
Southern Pines Aesthetics and Laser Institute
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Please let me know if you have any questions I didn’t answer in this post; I’ll be happy to answer them!
Where is that adorable shell you have on in your first picture from?
Hey, Sue–I didn’t link to it because it’s a few years old, but I did find the exact one on eBay here: https://rstyle.me/+514vOHkvvEiAFcoODAniUA It’s a beautiful blue-gray and it washes beautifully (just hang it to dry).
I’m bad (or good, depending on how you look at it!) with fashion posts because I tend to buy things and wear them for years; plus I buy a lot of high-quality items that have been preloved.Hope that helps–Christy
Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s definitely something I’m seriously considering trying for myself.
Please don’t be insulted when I say this but you really need to update your eyebrows. I have sparse ones too, but I’m having microblading done because I’m tired of having to take time in the morning to fill them in and get that modern, full, symmetrical shape. The shape of your brows can really age you or make you look more youthful, just a thought.
Dee, I don’t know if you’ll see this or not but as I wrote below I totally disagree with your assessment of Christy’s eyebrows. She looks perfect and I pray you do as well if you had yours done.
Hi. Your results are great. Where exactly did you get this done. I live in New York. What was the cost of the Morpheus treatments?
Thanks!
Hey, Kristin–I’m in North Carolina so I’m guessing my prices would be lower than those in New York…full face is around $500-900 per treatment down here. If your prices are a lot higher, you should consider taking a trip down south to get your “work” done!Happy holidays–Christy
Thank you for posting this! Now I am going to have the procedure! I was afraid but your results made me brave enough, you look beautiful!
Thank you, Ronni, that’s so kind of you to say. I hope your procedure goes smoothly and that you love your results. Good luck and take care!
Hi just stumbled upon this I had my first morpheus8 treatment Monday it is 2 days post op and I am broken out terribly I don’t know what to do. You mentioned that you broke out the first time around… Thanks
Hey, Kim–I get it! It will pass but it takes awhile. I hate to say it, but it was at least a week before things started to settle down. If you do additional treatments, DEFINITELY get the post-care serum that I mentioned in my post. I didn’t break out at all with it!Hang in there–the results are worth it even if you don’t think so now. Christy
Have you got any Botox or fillers as well ?
Your skin looks phenomenal, what skincare products are you using after the treatment?
Hi! Is the “official” B&A results after all four treatments or just the first one? I just booked my first session and super anxious about both the pain and results for the investment. Thanks!
Hey, Victoria–It’s after all four, but I will say that I’ve continued to see improvement over time and will probably do a follow up post once all the COVID19 craziness settles down. Good luck with your treatment and it’s really not that bad.
Your post on Morpheus8 has been very helpful and your result speaks for itself! I was sure to get the iS Clinical Skin Shield before my first treatment and it is seriously great stuff. I’m hoping you can give some advice regarding skincare after the first four – five days of initial healing? (When to add vitamin C, retinol, exfoliate). I would really appreciate!
Thank you so much, Sally! I waited until my skin was completely healed before I went back to my usual skin care regimen (I imagine that your provider gave you products in addition to the Skin Shield to use during your recovery time?). I did find that my skin took longer to heal after my first treatment (without the Skin Shield), but with it I think that within 10-14 days I was back to my normal routine. Everyone heals differently but when I felt ready to wear foundation again was about the same time that I went back to my usual products. I hope that helps! -Christy
I’ve heard that some people only get a years worth of results and then the results go away. How are you continuing to find the results with time?
Hi, Shana—
I’m actually planning to write a follow up post in the next month or so, with some updated after pictures. I feel like my skin improved for several months after my final treatment. Since then, it’s stayed pretty much the same, but I don’t think I’ve lost ground. I will say that I haven’t done anything else since then – – not even a facial – – and I think that continuing to do facials and peels is helpful. I just got too busy.
I hope that’s helpful. Thanks for writing—Christy
Hi. What dosage of Xanax did you take before the treatment of Morpheus and does it help a lot with the pain ?
Hi, Jill-
I’m so sorry, but I don’t remember and no longer have the bottle. I would say that the numbing cream before the procedure and the nitrous during it were the most helpful for the pain, but I’m sure the Xanax didn’t hurt. Good luck to you with yours!
I just had it done yesterday. My skin feels very bumpy where I had it treated. Did this happen to you at all?
Yes, especially with my first treatment before I had the anti-breakout cream that I mentioned. If you don’t have that exact one, try to get it!
Yes! I ordered it after reading your page! They put something on my face after but didn’t send me home with anything so for next time I’ll be using the one you mentioned. Bumps now feel like scans and the breakouts of acne has seemed to be at a standstill thankfully.
Excellent–so glad to hear it!
I got the serum to use for after treatment. It made a HUGE difference! No breakouts. Thank you!
Wonderful–I’m so very glad to hear that!!
Hey there, thanks for your blog, it helped. I am just worried as it’s four days afterwards and my skin looks like it has a rash and it’s burned. You can see some of the marks from the machine and I am hoping it goes away. Yours did not look too bad, did you have that and if so, how long did it take to go away? Many thanks
Hey, Bella–
Yes, I did have some of the needle marks on my face after each of my treatments. The product I show in the post made a HUGE difference from one treatment to another, though. Without it, it took several weeks to be fully healed, and with it, it was about 7-10 days. A lot of it depends on the depth of the needles and that varies from one person to another. Don’t worry–you’ll be happy when you’re all healed!
Christy
Thanks for your reply, Christy.
The scabbing and redness has gone away but unfortunately I still have many needle marks on my face and neck and I can see some scars I never had before so I definitely will not be having this done again. It’s been a little over two weeks and I assume it should be clear by now. Very disappointing. 🙁
I’m considering getting this done for my neck and lower face area for tightening. My derm said I would only be red for a day or two and could cover with makeup. Based on your photo with makeup, looks you couldn’t cover with foundation until a week later based on what you said? I’ve done fraxel before and I couldn’t wear makeup for a week because my skin was so raw. I’m trying to figure out how much down time this really is. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Margaret–it was easily a week for me, but that depends on the depth of the needles (they can adjust that) and how you personally react. I also think the product I used post-treatment was a huge help. If your doctor has done a bunch of these and thinks it will just be a day or two, then I’d trust him or her since your case is probably different than mine. Expect the best but plan for the worst! I think you’ll still be pleased that you did it–I was.
Hope that helps!
I am about to have this procedure done Monday! I was super excited until my doctor wanted to call in pain meds to take before and said I would need someone to drive me home. EEEEEKKKK ! She now is saying nitrous and Toradol. I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I guess I wasn’t expecting too much pain, just discomfort. Advice?? Also, you said you ended up having 4 treatments done, did you not see enough results after 1 or 2? Thanks!
Hello!!! I just had my second Morpheous8 treatment and they did not go directly below my eyebrow. Because of your bruise, did they needle right above your eye before the eyebrow? I am wondering why they didn’t do that to me! Thanks in advance.
They probably thought you didn’t need it there! She didn’t do my eyebrow area in subsequent treatments, either–it was new to her, too, so she was learning as she went.
Hi is safe to do it after filler or botox ? Or I need to wait a period of time
I’m not sure, Kathy, but I know your med spa will be able to answer that question.
I just had Morpheus 8 done this morning. It was no picnic! My nurse was awesome. They put a nice numbing cream on my face for an hour before the procedure. I had this done, previously, maybe a year ago. The numbing cream was very helpful, but she went a bit deeper than last time. It wasn’t pleasant, but I’m eager to see the results. I was happy with the previous one. I might try to squeeze this in once a year. I don’t want a facelift! I’m 65.
I’m feeling like I have a sunburn. The numbness is wearing off, but I put my big girl panties on, and am having a glass of wine.
Sara
Sara,I’m so sorry for the delay in responding your comment. I’ve been in the States all summer, traveling to visit family and friends, and then we moved our youngest into college. Now I’m back in Germany, recovered from jet lag (mostly) and getting caught up. I really appreciate your sharing your experience in the comments as I know most people read them for additional insight on the procedure. I hope that by this point you look twenty years younger! 😉
Take care,Christy
Hi Christy.
I stumbled on your blog while looking for before and after Morpheus8 treatment. I had my first treatment yesterday. My face didn’t look like your after photos. May I know what depth of needles she used on yours? I was told that she uses 2 and 3 depth on my face, and 2 passes. Most of the vlogs I watched said that the great result will depend on the one performing the procedure. It is not an inexpensive procedure so I would love to get my money’s worth, no matter how painful the process is, LOL I avail of the 3 treatment that was recommended and hoping I would get closed to your results. Thanks, you look fabulous!
Hey, Lyn–So sorry for the delay; the last month has been crazy with getting our daughter moved into college, finishing up our travel in the States, and then coming back to Germany and dealing with jetlag!
My guess is that this information comes too late to help you, but I believe the first treatment was a 3 depth and one pass (but it was my whole face). The other treatments were 2 passes. My PA was excellent and I do agree that the results depend on the practitioner.
Again, I’m so sorry for the delay. Remember that your results will continue to improve over time!
Take care, Christy
Hi! Your results are amazing and I’m seriously considering getting this treatment. My only concern is the pain and how long the results will last. If they only last a year or two I don’t believe it will be worth the pain and money. Can you give me an update? I really appreciate it. Thanks!!
Christy at 11 Magnolia Lane
Sun, Aug 7, 1:58 PM
to heidisw@aol.com
Hi, Heidi–
I think my results have lasted well, however, we moved to Germany in summer of 2020 and I haven’t kept up with my 3x/year botox that I used to do back in the States. With all the Covid quarantines over here, it just didn’t make sense to spend the money when I was stuck in the apartment for months at a time. I think if you keep up with your usual regimen you will have the very best results. I would also ask to see before and afters from your particular practitioner as I’ve heard that results can really vary widely.
Let me know I can help with any other questions. Good luck!
My background: I am 54, with pale and sensitive skin, with a history of short-lived rosacea that resolved about 30 years ago. On a hot day or after a few glasses of wine, I develop a distinct blush on my cheeks. I cannot handle heavy steam during a facial. That said, I had my first treatment yesterday. My goal is to greatly decrease the dreaded turkey neck. I showed up an hour early to thoroughly apply numbing cream all over my face and neck. Even with the cream and a handy tube to suck on for laughing gas breaks, it HURT. I would describe is as a heated, slow-moving sewing machine traveling all over my face and neck (I actually did not expect my entire face AND neck done but I suppose this is a good thing). Each puncture was done by the tech manually and there was occasionally a very faint burning odor (ick). Took about 40ish minutes for me. That was a shock; I did not expect such discomfort, and at such a long length of time. However, I was utterly surprised by a couple things…Firstly, my tech performs this procedure on herself! Secondly, post-treatment, my sensitive skin was only a bit pink, and swelling was minimal! I truly expected to look not as red as the blog-writer, but not too far from that! Only got a few blood spots here and there. I bought the spa’s vitamin C cream and sunscreen ($$$), to ensure I am using the exact skin care products required. I was told to apply the vitamin C cream within the following 6 hours and drink a lot of water. The cream was stinky but I experienced no discomfort in applying it. Today I am to start the day with the cream, followed by sunscreen. I was also instructed to use a fresh pillowcase. I rarely wear makeup (and don’t even have a skin-care regimen, don’t hurt me!) so the 24hr wait did not apply to me. Right now I am about 15.5 hours post-treatment; discomfort is very, very mild and easily tolerable. I am very excited to see results! I bit the bullet and went through the entire procedure as I was motivated not only by the expected results, but the cost…I was gonna get my money’s worth! I bought the 3-treatment package ($1900 at my particular San Diego spa). I am to get the remaining 2 treatments over the next 12 weeks. Then maintenance only once per year thereafter. I hope the next treatment is less painful than the first. Honestly, discomfort-wise, I would have rather gone to the dentist (and my cleanings are complicated; I require 2 shots of novocaine)! But from I read from various sources, apparently YMMV.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience in detail–it will be very helpful for other readers. So glad your recovery went quickly!
I just finished my second round of Morpheus8, and am worried maybe I didn’t get as good of treatment as I did the first time, bc my skin recovered after 2-3 days instead of 2 weeks like the first time. I see you said you didn’t have bruising after the first treatment—do you also feel like your skin recovered faster after the second and third treatments?
Yes, I absolutely think I healed faster than after the first treatment. I think some of that was needle depth but some of it was probably related to the recovery cream I used. It truly worked wonders. My guess is that in about 4-6 weeks you’ll see some permanent improvements when you look in the mirror!
I NEVER write comments or reviews BUT I had to address the comment by Dee about your eyebrows. I totally disagree!! Not only do I think yours look perfect for your face, I think some of the microblade brows look overdone and unnatural. I had a different procedure done many years ago and was never happy and while it eventually wore off, there are still some remnants that I wish were not there. I may have my eyebrows done again since they’re thinning (and graying) BUT I would likely ask for them to look exactly like yours.
Mimi–
Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely comment. I often wonder at people who forget the rule, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I agree with you that eyebrows today are a bit overdone. Thanks again for being so encouraging!
Christy
I’m on day 2 after my first treatment. Yes, it was painful but it was manageable. I only had the numbing cream for about 1/2 her before the procedure and the Dr used different depths on different parts of my face and neck I’m using Mesoestetic fast skin repair cream which soothes my skin but seems to make it redder. I’ve ordered the one you recommended. My face is still a little hot and feels slightly swollen. It also feels tighter but it’s hard, at this stage, to see any improvement, but I have high hopes. . My neck is very hot and a little swollen and is the most uncomfortable I’m going to have 3 sessions in total.
This is very helpful information, Marj. Thanks for sharing it with everyone so they can read about your experience. I hope you’re all recovered now!
Christy
It took 8 days to feel normal again. so a lot longer than I anticipated. However, I’m back to normal and can see subtle improvements. I will have the 2nd treatment because I do see a slight difference. so will see how it goes. This time I’m planning on 8 days downtime though.