INTRAcel and ULTRAcel

INTRAcel is a combination of radiofrequency and microneedling to lift and tighten the skin, and also to improve skin surface texture. Insulated needles are used in a stamping fashion, releasing radiofrequency waves from the needle tips that produce a heat effect at the tip without damaging the upper layers of the skin. This triggers cellular turnover and harnesses the body’s natural healing response. INTRAcel light is non-invasive. Fractional bipolar radiofrequency is non-invasive and used for small areas of rejuvenation.

INTRAcel has been used in the UK since 2012. However, the device was available in South Korea for several years prior to this, and the technology of radiofrequency and microneedling has been used for many years.

INTRAcel is classified as a medical device and has also been FDA approved since 2017.

Using insulated needles, it creates zones of tissue injury without actually damaging the upper levels of the skin. So, you get the benefit of microneedling, plus deeper radiofrequency for skin lifting.

INTRAcel is a versatile treatment which can treat the signs of facial ageing and other skin irregularities, such as stretch marks and scarring. It’s useful in ageing as it helps to contract open pores and diminish fines lines. It also has a deep radiofrequency component which helps to lift and tighten the skin from beneath. If there is any scarring present, it can help to decrease their appearance. It’s also helpful in softening stretch marks.

Yes, there are no animal products used during this treatment.

Yes, although you need to be aware that the treatment can make the beard hairs slow in growth for a couple of days post treatment.

Yes absolutely due to the collagen stimulation effect of both the radiofrequency and microneedling. This can help prevent skin from sagging and creasing quite as much as it otherwise may have!

Unfortunately, no… Although there are some creams which will provide a degree of skin tightening, there is nothing which will penetrate as deeply as radiofrequency or microneedling. However, it’s important to have good skincare prior to having microneedling, as this will optimise the results of your treatment.

Common areas include the face, neck and décolletage. Other areas include the hands, and any areas with stretch marks or scarring. It’s good for skin tightening and lifting, improved skin texture and tone, reduced pore size, improvement in scarring (such as acne scarring) and surface irregularities. It’s also effective in treating active acne in reducing oil production. In addition. it’s one of the few treatments suitable for neck rejuvenation.

There are a few absolute contraindications to INTRAcel. These include infections and open skin at the site of the treatment area or active cystic acne. ULTRAcel is not for use in persons who have had an implanted defibrillator, mechanical heart valves, pacemaker or any other device affected by radiofrequency energy. ULTRAcel is not a substitute for surgery, and patients with excessive tissue laxity will not benefit from this treatment.

It’s important that INTRAcel is performed after a consultation to make sure it’s right for you. On the day of treatment, you should arrive one hour before your appointment time, in order to have a topical anaesthetic applied. If you’ve arrived in makeup, your makeup will need to be removed, your hair tied back, and a thin layer of topical anaesthesia placed on the skin. After an hour, the treatment commences, and a pad is placed on your back to transmit the radiofrequency. The cream is removed, and the handpiece is passed over the face in a stamping fashion, one section at a time. There will be minimal discomfort during this time. There can be a little bleeding as with all microneedling procedures. One to three passes are performed over the skin. When the treatment is finished, a cooling mask is placed on the skin for a few moments, followed by an SPF. If desired, surgical makeup is applied to the skin to cover redness before leaving the clinic. Three to five treatments are recommended for the best results, spaced one month apart.

Skin rejuvenation treatments like this work best when followed by a two-week period using high strength retinol and vitamin C. It’s helpful if you come to your appointment without makeup, because it will help keep your skin cleaner and there will be less risk of infection. It’s also good to tie your hair up – and we’d advise wearing a top which is low or can be undone at the front to reveal the décolletage if this area is being treated.

Most people do not bruise at all after Intracel. Occasionally you can get bruising if the eye area is being treated due to the thin nature of the skin here. If you are prone to bruising, you may wish to use arnica or bromelain to help reduce any bruising.

Topical anaesthesia is used prior to treatment with INTRAcel, so any discomfort is minimised. Aim to arrive at the clinic one hour before your appointment time so you can have the cream applied.

Not for this procedure, although you’re always welcome to come back for a review.

You can apply surgical makeup after treatment, but only after an SPF has been applied to the skin for protection.

There is an immediate improvement to the texture of the skin within the first few days after treatment. The best results will become visible around two to four months after treatment.

There can be a little bit of swelling the day after treatment, although this is fairly unusual, most people do not have swelling the following day.

You might want to take the day off, because there will be some redness and swelling after treatment, but after that you will be fine.

This treatment is not approved for use during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding.

This is variable, but many patients will have one treatment every six to twelve months after their initial course of 3 treatments.

This depends on the rate of facial ageing, though we prefer not to treat those under 25 without an exceptionally good reason. For INTRAcel to be of benefit, there should be some texture irregularity in the skin or a desire for improved skin texture.

Absolutely yes. The great thing about INTRAcel is it doesn’t cause any volume change in the skin, simply some contraction. So not only does the skin tighten up, but it also looks more vibrant and healthier as well, due to collagen stimulation.

No! The skin will be red for a day or so after treatment, although this tends to disappear rather quickly.

Yes, INTRAcel will not affect facial movement at all.

There is a risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and persistent redness after treatment, although this is unusual. INTRAcel can be used to treat all skin types, although the energy is usually turned down to minimise the risk of any side effects.

INTRAcel is a more comprehensive version of microneedling. This means you still get the benefit of the skin being disrupted by the needling technique. But you also get the radiofrequency for deep collagen stimulation, which helps to lift and tighten the tissues further and also to reduce pore size.

Microneedling needles enter the skin. Sublative radiofrequency needles are blunt and do not enter the skin, and are used for small areas of superficial rejuvenation such as around the eyes and the upper lip.

There is some evidence to suggest that having an energy-based treatment over an area previously injected with dermal fillers will lead to inflammatory changes. Whether this is clinically significant at the moment is unclear. In our experience, having INTRAcel over an area previously injected with dermal filler does not lead to any detrimental effect.

Please note that you are paying for the treatment only and no guarantee is made of any outcome. Refunds cannot be given under any circumstances, as the product has been used and the service has been delivered.

It’s a combination of radiofrequency and ultrasound to lift and tighten the skin. The benefits are new collagen stimulation and tissue contraction of the deep and superficial tissues.

ULTRAcel has been used in the UK since 2015. However the device was available in Korea for several years prior to this, and the technology of radiofrequency and ultrasound have been used for lifting the skin since 2001 and 2008 respectively.

• Radiofrequency
  This is the heating of the superficial dermis of the skin to stimulate fibroblasts to produce new collagen and elastin fibres. This causes an immediate shrinkage of the collagen fibres, giving both an immediate and longer lasting effect.
• Ultrasound
  This uses a focused beam of ultrasound energy to heat the deeper tissue, producing small areas of damage to stimulate new collagen production and cause tissue contraction.

With facial ageing changes, there are only so many things which can be treated with injectables. Sometimes it’s necessary to tighten the skin too. ULTRAcel is a way of tightening the skin 100% non-invasively, so nothing is put inside the skin at all. There is no downtime, and patients like the fact they can get straight back on with their lives immediately after treatment.

ULTRAcel could be described as such; if had on a regular basis, it will help to slow down further tissue descent.

Unfortunately, no! Although there are some creams which will provide a degree of skin tightening, there is nothing which will penetrate as deeply as radiofrequency or ultrasound.

Common areas to treat are the neck and midface. It’s also possible to treat the brow area. The eye area can also be treated with radiofrequency.

It is possible to achieve a mild brow lift; however results can be unpredictable.

There are a few absolute contraindications to ULTRAcel. These include infections and open skin at the site of the treatment area or active cystic acne. ULTRAcel is not for use in persons who have had an implanted defibrillator, mechanical heart valves, pacemaker or any other device affected by radiofrequency energy. ULTRAcel is not a substitute for surgery, and patients with excessive tissue laxity will not benefit from this treatment.

It’s important that any ULTRAcel is performed after a consultation to make sure it’s right for you. In preparation, a picture will be taken of you in 3D to assess any areas of asymmetry. Then we’ll place a pad on your back to help transmit the radiofrequency. Any makeup will be removed. Typically, the radiofrequency portion is carried out first, which involves applying an oil onto the skin to transmit the radiofrequency. The skin is heated up with the device until treatment temperature is reached, and then passed over the skin in a controlled fashion to reach temperature in all the treated areas. Once both sides of the face have been treated, the oil is removed, and a gel is placed on the skin to transmit the ultrasound. We typically use two ultrasound transducers (3mm and 4.5mm) to reach different tissue depths. The transducers are used in a specific pattern on the face and neck to deliver optimum results. Afterwards the gel is removed, and you’re free to go about your day.

It’s helpful if you come to your appointment not wearing any makeup. If you do, don’t worry, we will take if off for you at your appointment.

Not for this procedure, although you’re always welcome to come back for a review.

Radiofrequency devices have evolved over the years, and a treatment which was once rather painful and may have required anaesthesia, has now evolved so that treatment is now more like a pleasant hot stone massage. The ultrasound portion is a more unusual feeling, more like being ‘zipped up from the inside’. You may have heard that ultrasound is painful; however due to advances in ultrasound technology, ULTRAcel is not described as such any more.

Not at all!

Yes, there are no punctures to the skin, so it’s fine to apply makeup immediately post treatment.

There is an immediate lifting effect; however the true effects of the procedure come around three to six months post treatment.

Yes, you can go straight back to work.

This is not approved for use during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding.

This is variable, but many patients will have a treatment every year.

This depends on the rate of facial ageing, though we prefer not to treat those under 25 without an exceptionally good reason. For ULTRAcel it’s best to see at least some tissue descent, although this can happen quite early for some people.

Absolutely yes; the great thing about ULTRAcel is it doesn’t cause any volume change in the skin, simply some contraction. So not only does the skin tighten up, but it also it looks more vibrant and healthier as well, due to collagen stimulation.

No, there is nothing visible on the skin at all after this treatment.

Yes, ULTRAcel does not affect facial movement at all.

There’s very little risk with ULTRAcel. Possible effects would include swelling and occasional bruising. There is a theoretical risk of post inflammatory skin discolouration, transient numbness, muscle weakness.

ULTRAcel is great for those who don’t want to have anything put inside the skin, and want to be able to go on with their daily life as soon as the treatment is completed. It’s also good for those who’d like a slow and subtle result which reveals itself over time. Threads are good for those who don’t mind the downtime and are happy to have an invasive treatment, and who want to see a larger lift than could be achieved with ULTRAcel. Dermal fillers are used to replace lost volume, so any volume loss needs to be assessed before deciding on ULTRAcel or fillers. In any case, the ULTRAcel will contract the skin even if there is still volume loss. When deciding to go for ULTRAcel and fillers, it’s preferable that the ULTRAcel is carried out first to avoid any potential issues of dermal filler breakdown.

There is some evidence to suggest that having an energy-based treatment over an area previously injected with dermal fillers will lead to inflammatory changes. Whether this is clinically significant at the moment is unclear. In our experience, having ULTRAcel over an area previously injected with dermal filler does not lead to any detrimental effect.

These terms are often used interchangeably in aesthetics. However, HIFU is used primarily in medical applications, such as the ablation of tumours or body contouring procedures, whereas MFU uses lower energy to treat the superficial layers of the skin. HIFU causes shearing forces and rapid heat generation, which causes cavitation of the tissues, whereas MFU uses only heat. This heat causes local collagen coagulation and the fat to contract.

Please note that you are paying for the treatment only and no guarantee is made of any outcome. Refunds cannot be given under any circumstances, as the product has been used and the service has been delivered.