What is microneedling, and is it good for your face?
Microneedling pricks the skin with fine needles, on a pen or a roller, to leave rows of tiny channels. Healing those channels is how it works, and no heat is involved. On the face it is directed at surface texture, fine lines and soft, shallow scars.
Whether it is good for your face depends on where the problem sits. Scars with a deep floor, enlarged pores and early laxity lie deeper than a channel alone is aimed at, and pigment is a laser question. RF microneedling, which this page covers, adds heat at a set depth for those dermal concerns.
What does RF microneedling do in the skin?
RF microneedling is also called radiofrequency microneedling, gold RF microneedling or 黄金微针. Insulated needles pass through the outer skin and release energy only from the exposed tip, inside the dermis. Non-insulated needles warm the skin along the whole shaft.
The aim is remodelling of collagen and elastin, not resurfacing. RF has no light target, so the radiofrequency part is not a laser. Any change is gradual, over weeks to months. Results vary, and no one can promise that a scar will disappear.
Needle-only or RF microneedling: what is the difference?
They share a needle, not a job, so neither is ranked above the other. Here, needle-only microneedling is not offered as a treatment on its own. A needle alone is used only as the route for a skin booster, planned alongside RF microneedling.
| Point | Needle-only microneedling | RF microneedling |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Channels prompt the skin's own repair | Radiofrequency heat is released at the needle tips inside the dermis |
| Where the effect is aimed | A surface-led repair response | A depth set for each zone, about 0.5 to 3.5 mm on the device used here |
| Directed at | Surface texture, fine lines, soft shallow scars | Rolling and shallow boxcar scars, enlarged pores, texture, early laxity |
| Not for | Tethered or deep scars, laxity, pigment | Tethered or ice-pick scars on their own, pigment, deeper laxity |
| Heat-related risk | None from heat | Present, so depth and energy are set by the doctor |
Which RF microneedling device is used here?
Dr Sin Yong uses the Secret DUO platform, developed by ilooda, which is now part of CLASSYS. It pairs RF microneedling with a 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser. Needle depth adjusts from about 0.5 to 3.5 mm. Depth and energy are set for each zone, deeper over the cheeks and jaw, and more cautious near the eyes and over bone. Needle-only microneedling with pens or rollers is a separate treatment. It is not offered by itself here, and it is used only as a route for a skin booster or sequenced with RF. Home dermarollers and pens are discouraged because of depth and sterility. Insulated needles are generally preferred in darker skin types. Evidence sits at the level of RF microneedling as a type of treatment, not at individual devices, so a device name alone tells you little.
What sits at each depth, and what is the heat there aimed at?
RF microneedling acts where the needle stops, so it helps to think layer by layer. How many millimetres down each layer lies varies by area and by person, so depth is chosen zone by zone, with more depth on the cheeks and jaw and less near the eyes and over bone.
| Layer | What is there | What heat there is aimed at |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Pigment cells and the skin barrier | Not the target; insulated needles carry heat past it, while non-insulated needles also warm it |
| Upper dermis | Fine collagen and small pore walls | Fine lines, crepey texture, fine pores |
| Mid dermis | Denser collagen, oil glands and pore walls | Enlarged pores and shallow rolling scars |
| Deep dermis | Thick collagen bundles and the floor of deeper scars | Rolling scars, where the collagen loss sits deeper |
| Where skin meets fat | Fibrous bands tying the skin to the layer below | Early laxity over the cheeks and jaw |
| Beyond reach | Tethering bands, ice-pick tracts, the SMAS | Not RF microneedling: subcision, TCA CROSS or lifting |
Who is RF microneedling suitable for?
Rolling and shallow boxcar scars.
Enlarged pores and oily, congested skin, as one part of a wider acne plan.
Rough, uneven skin and static fine lines. Expression lines are a different problem.
Along the jaw and lower face, before jowls form.
Fitzpatrick III to V, with settings chosen for pigment risk. Pigment history is part of the assessment.
In some plans, as one part of the 4K Body Lift. Suitability depends on what the examination finds.
Who should wait or need a different plan
Active infection, inflamed acne or open wounds in the area. Pregnancy. Recent oral isotretinoin.
A pacemaker or other implanted electronic device. Metal or gold-thread implants in the area. Keloid or hypertrophic scarring tendency. Bleeding tendency or blood thinners. A history of cold sore flares.
Tethered scars need subcision first. Deep ice-pick scars need TCA CROSS first. Heavy skin excess needs a surgical assessment. Melasma or rosacea as the main concern is planned separately.
What it cannot do
It cannot release tethered scars or deal alone with deep ice-pick scars. It will not clear pigment or lift deeper laxity, which goes to HIFU or other lifting options. It cannot close pores, and it only targets the collagen around them. It does not replace a laser, though some plans stage the two together. See our acne scar laser page. If you expect pores to change outright, it is better to wait and talk it through.
How does Dr Sin Yong plan RF microneedling?
He performs it himself on one platform, the Secret DUO, and the plan starts from your skin, not the device.
His first decision is how deep each scar, pore field or patch of laxity lies. Needles, depth and energy come after that.
Each scar is checked by stretching the skin and viewing it in angled light. He works across the cheeks, temples and jaw like this, because one small area often holds more than one scar type.
Insulated or non-insulated cartridges are chosen for your skin type and the target. Then depth and energy are chosen for each zone.
Active, inflamed acne is calmed first. A tethered scar is freed with subcision, and a deep ice-pick scar is treated with TCA CROSS, before RF microneedling is added.
At review, against the photographs taken at assessment. The next step depends on how each area of scarring has responded.
“The brand on the handpiece is the least important decision in RF microneedling. Depth, needle type and energy for each zone of your face are the decisions that matter, and those are made by the doctor.”
Where it fits in a scar plan
RF microneedling is often one step in a sequence, not a whole plan. Tethered scars are released first. Deep ice-pick scars are treated first with TCA CROSS. Where laser is also used, it is staged. If acne is still active, that comes first too. It can also be combined with a skin booster in some plans. Your doctor explains the order for your skin.
What should you do before RF microneedling?
Stay out of strong sun and avoid tanning in the weeks before. Tell the clinic about blood thinners, recent oral isotretinoin, a keloid tendency, cold sores, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any pacemaker or implant, including metal or gold threads. Pause retinoids and exfoliating acids if you are advised to. Bring records or photographs of earlier scar, laser or microneedling treatment if you have them. Active acne is treated first.
How a treatment runs
What is the recovery after RF microneedling?
Expect redness and pinpoint marks at first. How much depends on depth, energy and skin type. On the first evening, use only a bland cleanser and moisturiser. Do not use actives, do not put make-up over open channels, and do not pick at scabs. Over the next days, redness fades and the marks flake. Strict sun protection matters most in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. Make-up, swimming, saunas and hard exercise wait until the pinpoint marks have closed, and you are given timing on the day. Work and event plans are discussed beforehand.
What happens in the first days and weeks?
Timings depend on depth, energy and skin type, and you are given written timing on the day. Fever, spreading redness, pus, or a red hot lump: a doctor the same day, or A&E if none can see you.
| Phase | What is usual | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| First one to two days | Sunburn-like redness, warmth, mild swelling, sometimes a faint grid of pinpoint marks | Cleanse gently and moisturise; no make-up until the channels have closed and you are told it is safe; avoid heavy sweating |
| Days three to five | Tightness, dryness and fine flaking | Keep moisturising, and let flakes come away without scrubbing or picking |
| Around a week | Skin settles | Retinoids and acids can usually restart once the skin is comfortable |
| The following weeks | Remodelling continues out of sight | Strict sun protection, because post-inflammatory darkening is more likely in darker skin |
Side effects and risks
Redness, pinpoint marks, pressure and warmth, and tightness like sunburn.
Post-inflammatory pigmentation, more so without sun avoidance. Prolonged redness, small scabs or crusting, infection, cold sore or acne flares, and scarring in keloid-prone people.
Burns or uneven heating. Correct depth, energy and cartridge choice reduce this.
Worsening redness, rising pain, swelling or weeping, pus or spreading yellow crusts, fever, blistering, dusky or dark skin, or a cold sore flare.
Is RF microneedling worth it for you?
It can be worth considering when the problem sits in the dermis. The answer depends on your scar type, skin type and goals, so it is given after examination.
Rolling or shallow boxcar scars, enlarged pores, rough texture or early laxity along the jaw, darker skin included, with settings adjusted for pigment risk.
Tethered or ice-pick scars before release or TCA CROSS, raised scars, pigment, melasma or deeper sagging. Pores are covered on pore treatment. Scar types are mapped on acne scar treatment.
A 2025 systematic review of 16 studies and 481 patients with acne scars concluded that fractional radiofrequency microneedling is likely effective on its own, and called for more randomised trials on treatment settings. [1] Results vary.
Redness and pinpoint marks at first, change that builds over weeks to months, often more than one visit, and a risk of post-inflammatory darkening without careful sun protection.
How much does RF microneedling cost in Singapore?
Fees are not published. They depend on the area, findings, cartridges and consumables, the number of zones and passes, and any combination with laser, subcision or TCA CROSS. You receive a written quote after assessment, before anything is agreed. No duration is promised. The first redness and tightness are part of healing and do not show the outcome. Progress is judged at review. How long a change holds depends on the concern, settings, skin, sun exposure, smoking and any combined treatment.