Two to five days. After a Morpheus8 session on the face the skin is red and a little swollen, with the fine grid marks of the pins visible for a few days. The body is similar, often with some bruising, and takes a little longer. Makeup goes on from day two, exercise from day four, and the treated skin stays out of the sun for a week. Knowing the days in advance makes them easy to plan around.
The session itself
A strong numbing cream goes on for 30 to 45 minutes before the treatment. A full face then takes 30 to 45 minutes, face and neck about an hour, the abdomen 45 to 60 minutes. With the numbing, most patients in our clinic rate the sensation at 3 to 5 out of 10: a hot, prickling pressure, sharper on the bony areas. If your pain threshold is low, say so at the consultation; the clinician plans the numbing and the energy around it.
Day by day
- Straight after: the skin is red, warm and tight, like a sunburn, with the grid pattern of the pins visible. Swelling comes up over the first hours, more around the eyes.
- Day 1: the redness fades to pink and the swelling is at its most, especially around the eyes. No makeup for 24 to 48 hours, no exercise, nothing on the skin except what the clinician gave you.
- Day 2: the redness settles to pink, the swelling starts to go down, and makeup can go on. The grid marks are fading into light dots.
- Days 3 to 5: pink, a little dry or flaky, the dots fading. Exercise from day four. Most people are back to normal appearance by day five on the face.
- The body: the same pattern with bruising, which can take a little longer to clear.
- The first week: no direct sun on the treated area. SPF 50 every day for a month. No retinoids, acids or exfoliants for two weeks.
Planning around it
Plan an event for two weeks after a session and a holiday in the sun for four. Sessions in a course are four to six weeks apart, so a course fits around a diary with some care. The sessions page sets out the course.
When the result shows
The redness is not the result. You see the change from about three weeks, as the first collagen builds; the tightening builds from six weeks and peaks at three months after the last session, when we take the after photograph. It keeps improving a little to six months.
What is not normal
Redness, swelling, grid marks, dryness and bruising are expected. What is not expected, and what you should call us about the same day, is increasing pain, pus, spreading redness, a fever, a blister, an area that stays numb, or swelling that gets worse after day two. The clinician's depth and energy for each zone, clean technique and your aftercare are how we avoid them; the safety page explains what the regulator has reported and how we work.
Book a free consultation
Call 8 Clinic on 0207 043 8128 or use the form below. The clinician tells you what your own skin will do in the days after a session, and the full Morpheus8 guide covers aftercare in detail.
