BHRC BLOG
RF Microneedling near Westlake Village & Encino — Morpheus8 Cost, Sessions & Evidence
RF Microneedling · Westlake Village & Conejo Valley
Three sessions, four weeks apart, from $1,400 — plus the difference between what this device is cleared for and what it is advertised for.
1. What makes RF microneedling different from microneedling
Plain microneedling creates controlled mechanical micro-injury through the epidermis into the dermis. Healing drives new collagen. The injury is purely mechanical and the depth of effect equals the depth of the needle.
RF microneedling uses the needles as electrodes. Once inserted, bipolar radiofrequency current passes between the needle tips, generating resistive heating in the dermis at depth. The needle shafts are insulated, so the energy is delivered below the surface and the epidermis is largely spared. You get a column of thermal coagulation in the dermis on top of the mechanical stimulus.
The consequence that matters most clinically: because the energy is delivered subdermally rather than by a light source that must pass through the epidermis, RF microneedling is decoupled from epidermal melanin. That is the basis for its comparatively lower pigmentary risk in darker skin relative to ablative lasers.
2. What Morpheus8 is actually cleared for
This section exists because the marketing around this device is unusually loose, and you deserve to be able to read it accurately.
Morpheus8 applicators are cleared under 510(k) as part of InMode radiofrequency platforms, product code GEI — electrosurgical cutting and coagulation. The 2020 clearance (K200947) describes the indication as “use in dermatological procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis.” In July 2024 InMode announced a further clearance covering coagulation and contraction of soft tissue.
Two more specifics from the clearance record that are worth knowing:
- Cleared needle depths are 0.5 mm (T tip), up to 4.0 mm (12-pin) and up to 7.0 mm (24- and 40-pin). The widely marketed “up to 8 mm” figure is needle depth plus an estimated millimetre of surrounding thermal effect. The cleared needle penetration maximum is 7 mm.
- Above 62 mJ per pin, use is restricted to Fitzpatrick skin types I–IV. Claims that the device is “safe for all skin types at all settings” are not supported by the clearance.
3. What the evidence shows
The strongest available synthesis is a 2025 systematic review of fractional RF microneedling as a standalone treatment for acne scars: 16 studies, 481 patients, including six randomized controlled trials.
The review’s own stated limits matter as much as its findings. Meta-analysis was not possible because the included studies used inconsistent scoring systems. Maximum follow-up was six months. No Fitzpatrick VI participants were studied at all. And the review covers fractional RF microneedling as a class — device-specific Morpheus8 evidence is thinner than you would guess from the marketing, and the most-cited Morpheus8 paper is a narrative review rather than a controlled trial. Claims that Morpheus8 specifically outperforms other RF microneedling platforms are not supported by comparative trial data.
4. Morpheus8 or Ultherapy? They are not competitors
People shop these against each other and they should not. They are different physics with different regulatory histories and different jobs.
On effect size, the Ultherapy literature is worth knowing too, because it sets a realistic scale for what non-surgical tightening does. A 2023 systematic review of 16 studies and roughly 573 patients found brow lift of 0.47 to 1.7 mm at three months and investigator-rated improvement in 92% of patients at day 90 — with the authors concluding “mild-to-moderate effectiveness” in women with mild-to-moderate laxity. Sub-two-millimetre lift is a real effect. It is not a facelift, and before-and-after marketing that implies otherwise is overreaching.
If you want the full comparison, we wrote one: Ultherapy cost in Las Vegas and what it realistically delivers.
5. What it costs at Westlake Village
| What you book | Price |
|---|---|
| Single session | $1,400 |
| 3-session series | $3,600 |
| 5-session series | $5,500 |
Rejuvenation Club members save 20% on every treatment plus priority scheduling. The three-session series is the protocol most closely matched to the published evidence. The five-session series is generally for larger or combined areas — face plus neck, or body — rather than for getting more out of a single facial area.
6. Downtime, honestly described
Erythema and swelling typically last one to three days, with a faint grid or track pattern often visible for several days after that. The longest mean erythema duration reported in the systematic review was 7.8 days — so plan for a week of not-quite-yourself if you have something important coming up. Pinpoint bleeding and light crusting occur at deeper settings. Mean reported pain during treatment was 5.66 out of 10; topical anaesthetic is standard.
7. What it treats well — and what it does not
The single most common source of disappointment in aesthetics is a good treatment applied to the wrong problem. RF microneedling has a real lane, and it has clear edges.
If your main concern is the line between your nose and mouth deepening, or your cheeks looking flatter than they used to, that is volume — and dermal fillers are the correct tool. If it is the horizontal lines on your forehead moving when you raise your eyebrows, that is muscle, and neurotoxins are the correct tool. RF microneedling changes the quality of the skin itself: its texture, its thickness, its tightness. Those are three different jobs and a good consultation will tell you which one you actually have — often it is more than one, which is why plans get sequenced rather than stacked.
A treatment that is right for someone else’s face is not right for yours because it is popular. It is right for yours when it matches the thing you actually want changed.
One practical note about sequencing: if you are planning both, we generally do the skin-quality work first and reassess volume afterward. Tightening changes how the face sits, and filling before you know the new baseline is how people end up overfilled. There is no rush — collagen remodelling takes three months either way.
8. Who should not have it
Because this is an RF device, the contraindication list is different from a laser’s:
- Implanted electronic devices — pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators.
- Metal implants in the treatment field.
- Active infection or inflammatory lesions in the area.
- Active herpes — reactivation is documented in the literature, so prophylaxis is warranted if you have a history.
- Keloid tendency, pregnancy, recent isotretinoin, anticoagulation, and autoimmune or connective-tissue disease affecting wound healing.
9. Westlake Village and the Conejo Valley
Our Westlake Village clinic sits on South Westlake Boulevard and draws from Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Newbury Park, Oak Park and over the hill from Encino. If you have been searching “RF microneedling near Encino,” this is likely your closest BHRC location — about twenty minutes west on the 101.
968 S Westlake Blvd, Ste 10, Westlake Village, CA 91361
(805) 374-2472 · Monday–Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
the Westlake Village clinical team
4.9 stars across 80 verified reviews
Consultations are free and carry no obligation.
We also run Morpheus8 at BHRC Summerlin and across our other locations — see our Las Vegas Morpheus8 guide or the Scottsdale cost breakdown if one of those is closer.
Questions we get asked
How many sessions will I actually need?
Three, about four weeks apart, is the protocol used in most published studies and the one we plan around. Extensive acne scarring or a face-plus-neck treatment may warrant more. We would rather book three and reassess at three months than sell you five up front.
Is it safe on darker skin?
Safer than an ablative laser, because the energy is delivered below the epidermis rather than through it. But the clearance restricts settings above 62 mJ per pin to Fitzpatrick I–IV, and the systematic review included no Fitzpatrick VI participants. Conservative settings and a test area are the right approach in darker skin, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was reported in seven of sixteen studies.
Does it hurt?
Mean reported pain in the published studies was 5.66 out of 10. Topical anaesthetic for 30–45 minutes beforehand makes it manageable for most people. Deeper settings on the jawline and forehead are the sharpest.
Can I combine it with anything?
Commonly, yes — PRP or Cell Factor applied after the treatment is a frequent pairing, since the channels are open. Ask about combining it with PRP at your consult.
When will I see the result?
Immediate mild tightening from thermal contraction, then a genuine change over the following three months as collagen remodels. Photograph yourself at baseline — memory is unreliable and three months is long enough to lose your reference point.
Is Morpheus8 better than other RF microneedling devices?
There is no comparative trial data establishing that. The published evidence is for fractional RF microneedling as a class. Device brand matters much less than the provider’s settings and judgement.
Keep reading
- Morpheus8 at BHRC Westlake Village
- Morpheus8 in Summerlin and Las Vegas — cost, results, downtime
- Morpheus8 cost and results in Scottsdale
- Ultherapy cost in Las Vegas — a pricing guide
- Microneedling with PRP in West Hollywood
- Acne and acne scar treatment options
- Kybella at BHRC Westlake Village
Book at any of our six locations
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — 510(k) summary — InMode System with the Morpheus8 applicators (K200947), 2 July 2020. accessdata.fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — 510(k) summary — InMode RF System (K240780), 24 July 2024. accessdata.fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — De Novo classification order DEN160029 — microneedling device for aesthetic use. accessdata.fda.gov
- Niaz G, Ajeebi Y, Alshamrani HM, et al. — Fractional radiofrequency microneedling as monotherapy in acne scar management: a systematic review. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2025;18:19–29. dovepress.com
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — De Novo classification DEN080006 — Ulthera System, granted 11 September 2009. accessdata.fda.gov
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023) — A systematic review of the efficacy of microfocused ultrasound for facial skin tightening. 2023;20(2):1522. mdpi.com
- eCFR — 21 CFR 878.4430 — microneedling device for aesthetic use. ecfr.gov
Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center. This content is for general education and does not create a physician-patient relationship or constitute medical advice. Morpheus8 is FDA-cleared, not FDA-approved. Its clearance covers electrocoagulation, hemostasis and contraction of soft tissue; it does not name a specific cosmetic outcome. Candidacy, dosing, results and pricing vary by person and are confirmed at a free consultation. Reviewed by the BHRC clinical team.
