Published 28 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Morpheus8 is a fractional radiofrequency microneedling device made by InMode. Fine pins enter the skin and release radiofrequency heat at depth, in the dermis and, with deeper tips, the fat beneath it. It is marketed for acne scars, texture and laxity on the face and body. It is not used at this practice; Dr Sin Yong performs RF microneedling on the Secret DUO.
Short answerMorpheus8 is one brand of RF microneedling, not a separate treatment. Its US filing describes a 1 MHz system with a maximal treatment depth of 4.0 mm for its face tips, and limits energy above 62 mJ per pin to skin types I to IV. Dr Sin Yong does not offer Morpheus8; he performs RF microneedling with Secret RF on the Secret DUO, choosing insulated needles as a rule in darker skin.
What is Morpheus8, and how does RF microneedling work?
Morpheus8 is a brand of fractional radiofrequency (RF) microneedling device, made by InMode. RF microneedling is the treatment; Morpheus8 is one machine that delivers it. An array of fine pins is driven into the skin to a set depth and radiofrequency current is released through them, heating small columns of tissue. The skin answers that controlled injury by remodelling collagen and elastin. The needles make the route in; the heat does the work.
Illustrative image — not a patient.
The manufacturer lists four interchangeable tips for its current Burst platform: a 12-pin Burst Prime, a 24-pin Burst, a 24-pin Burst Resurfacing and a 40-pin Burst Deep. Its Burst and Scale modes are described as delivering bipolar radiofrequency at several depths in a single pulse, and the Deep tip is described for contraction beneath the dermis as well as within it. That is part of how the brand is positioned: as a treatment for fat and laxity as well as for the skin surface.
Search terms such as Morpheus8 treatment, Morpheus8 face and Morpheus8 body all describe the same mechanism. What changes between them is the tip, the depth, the energy and the number of passes, which a doctor sets for each zone.
How it differs from microneedling alone
Microneedling without radiofrequency relies on the needle injury itself. Adding radiofrequency places heat at the needle tips, inside the dermis, and that heat is the difference between the two treatments. The comparison is set out on microneedling vs RF microneedling. RF microneedling is also not a laser: it does not resurface the skin or target pigment.
Morpheus8 depth: what the filings say, and what clinics claim
Depth is the number most often quoted for Morpheus8, and the one most worth checking. In its US FDA 510(k) summary from December 2019 (K192695), the InMode system with the Morpheus8 applicators is described as delivering radiofrequency at 1 MHz through an array of multi-electrode pins, with a maximum output of 65 W, and a maximal treatment depth of 4.0 mm for the 12, 24 and 40-pin tip heads. A tip fixed at 0.5 mm is listed for surface work.
A later filing, cleared in July 2023 (K231790), describes the Morpheus8 applicator and a Morpheus8 Body applicator with a 40-pin tip, and words the intended use as dermatologic procedures where coagulation or contraction of soft tissue, or haemostasis, is needed. Neither summary names acne scars as an indication. Clinic menus and social media often quote deeper figures for body tips. When a number is quoted, ask which tip it refers to, where on your face or body it would be used, and why.
More depth is not a stronger treatment. It is a different target. A shallow boxcar scar and an enlarged pore are dermal problems; early jowling sits deeper; and energy released into fat where fat is not the target can hollow a lean face, on any device. Depth should follow the problem in each zone, not the maximum the machine allows.
Source
What it states
FDA 510(k) K192695, 2019
1 MHz, up to 65 W; maximal treatment depth 4.0 mm for the 12, 24 and 40-pin tips; a fixed 0.5 mm tip
FDA 510(k) K231790, 2023
Morpheus8 and Morpheus8 Body (40-pin) applicators; coagulation or contraction of soft tissue, or haemostasis
Both filings
Above 62 mJ per pin, use limited to skin types I to IV
Manufacturer
Burst Prime, Burst, Burst Resurfacing and Burst Deep tips; bipolar RF at several depths in one pulse
“More depth is a different target, not a stronger treatment. In Asian skin the settings decide the risk long before the brand does.”
Dr Sin YongOn RF microneedling devices
Morpheus8 in Asian skin: pigment, settings and spacing
Asian skin is the main reason settings matter more than the brand. Both Morpheus8 filings carry the same limit: at energy levels above 62 mJ per pin, use is limited to skin types I to IV. Many people in Singapore are Fitzpatrick III to V, so that limit shapes the energy a careful operator chooses.
Radiofrequency has no light chromophore, so it is not absorbed by surface melanin the way laser light is. That is why RF microneedling is often chosen for darker skin. Surface-sparing is not the same as risk-free. The needles injure the skin, heat spreads a short distance from each column, and any inflammation can prompt post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the darkening that follows irritation in reactive skin. Where along the needle the heat is released also matters: an insulated needle, coated along its shaft, releases heat at its tip and spares the epidermis, while a non-insulated needle heats the whole track, surface included. How this plays out in darker skin is explained on RF microneedling in Asian skin.
What lowers pigment risk with any RF microneedling device
Conservative energy, with coverage built across staged visits rather than one aggressive pass.
Depth set zone by zone, and more cautious over bone, around the eyes and over thin skin.
Visits spaced so that each response can be read before the next is added.
Daily sun protection, and no treatment on freshly tanned skin.
Declaring any history of darkening after lasers, peels or acne, which changes the settings and the timing.
If darkening appears after RF microneedling, it is assessed before anything stronger is tried; post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation sets out how it is approached.
Who Morpheus8 may suit, and who it does not
Morpheus8 is aimed at what RF microneedling of any brand is aimed at: rolling and shallow boxcar acne scars, enlarged pores, uneven texture, and early laxity of the lower face and neck. The examination decides whether RF microneedling is the right tool at all, before any brand is discussed.
Finding
Is RF microneedling the tool?
What is usually considered
Rolling or shallow boxcar scars, pores, texture
Often
RF microneedling, sometimes with a fractional laser in the same plan
Tethered rolling scars
Not on its own
Subcision first, to release the band
Ice-pick scars
No
TCA CROSS for the narrow, deep track
Deep or widespread scarring
Sometimes, within a wider plan
S3 Resurfacing Lift on the DEKA SmartXide Tetra CO2
Melasma or other pigment
No
A pigment plan rather than heat
Established jowls or heavy laxity
No
A lifting assessment
Reasons to wait or choose differently
Active infection, inflamed acne or open wounds in the area; pregnancy; recent oral isotretinoin.
A pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, or metal or gold-thread implants in the area, which need review before any radiofrequency.
A keloid tendency, a bleeding tendency or blood-thinning medication, each of which changes the plan.
Morpheus8 vs Secret RF is a common question here, because Secret RF is the platform used at this practice. Both are RF microneedling systems. From their FDA filings, Morpheus8 runs at 1 MHz with a maximal treatment depth of 4.0 mm for its face tips; Secret RF runs at 2 MHz with needle depth adjustable from 0.5 to 3.5 mm in 0.1 mm steps. The Secret DUO adds a 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser on the same console. Comparative trials between branded devices are scarce, so the decision rests on the skin, the scar type and the settings rather than on the brand.
Morpheus8 is not offered here. Dr Sin Yong performs RF microneedling himself with Secret RF on the Secret DUO, made by ILOODA in Korea, and he is a Global Key Opinion Leader for the Secret RF platform. That role is disclosed so that the choice can be read in context; this page does not claim that one device outperforms another.
How the Secret DUO is used here:
Needle choice by skin type. Insulated cartridges are chosen as a rule in Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin, so heat is released at the tip and the surface is spared. Non-insulated needles are kept for broad, shallow texture work where the skin type allows.
Depth by zone. Needle depth is set between about 0.5 and 3.5 mm for the tissue in each zone, after its thickness has been felt.
A fractional laser on the same console. The 1540 nm non-ablative laser can treat the skin around a scar in the same visit, through intact skin.
Scars in sequence. Tethered scars are released by subcision and ice-pick scars treated with TCA CROSS before RF microneedling works on the dermis around them. Deep scars may go to the S3 Resurfacing Lift, and superficial scars to FSX.
The device, its filings and what it is used for here are set out on Secret RF Singapore.
If you have had Morpheus8 elsewhere, and how the plan is decided
Bring the device name, the dates, the tips or depths if you were told them, and a note of how your skin responded. Redness, swelling and small grid marks are common after any RF microneedling and usually settle. Darkening, a grid pattern that persists, blistering, crusting that spreads, or a hollow where fat was treated are reasons to be reviewed. A recent RF microneedling treatment changes the timing and settings of whatever follows, so the date matters.
The plan here starts with the skin, not with a device. Dr Sin Yong examines scars or laxity under good light, sorts scar types, feels skin thickness, and asks about pigment history and earlier treatments. What decides the plan:
Scar type and depth, or the layer where the laxity sits.
Fitzpatrick skin type and any history of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Active acne, which is brought under control first.
Earlier fillers, threads or energy treatments in the area.
Whether scars need subcision or TCA CROSS before any remodelling.
Fees follow the plan and are given in writing at consultation; how fees are quoted explains what a quote contains.
Your next step
1. MessageWhatsApp +65 8023 7170 with what is bothering you. A reply comes from the clinic, not a bot.
2. AssessmentDr Sin Yong examines you himself on Orchard Road, with ultrasound where earlier filler is involved.
3. A plan in writingWhat he would do, what he would not, the fee factors, and the option of no treatment.
Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong personally. Singapore Medical Council registered · invited to share his clinical expertise internationally for CLASSYS, DEKA, Fotona, Hironic and Ilooda.
Book an assessment with Dr Sin Yong on Orchard Road. Bring the name of any device used on your skin before. How consultations work.
No. Morpheus8 is explained on this page as a device other clinics use. Dr Sin Yong performs RF microneedling himself with Secret RF on the Secret DUO, choosing needle type, depth and energy for each zone after examining the skin. He is a Global Key Opinion Leader for the Secret RF platform, which is disclosed. Whether RF microneedling suits you at all is decided at consultation.
Morpheus8 is one brand of RF microneedling. Every device in the category drives fine needles to a set depth and releases radiofrequency heat in the dermis, which the skin answers by remodelling collagen and elastin. Brands differ in frequency, depth range, tips and how the energy is delivered. The first question is whether RF microneedling is the right tool for your skin, not which brand.
Its 2019 US FDA filing lists a maximal treatment depth of 4.0 mm for the 12, 24 and 40-pin tips, with a fixed 0.5 mm tip for surface work. Deeper figures are often quoted for body tips. Depth is a setting chosen for the problem in each zone; more depth is a different target, and energy placed into fat that is not the target can hollow a lean face.
RF microneedling is often chosen for darker skin because radiofrequency is not absorbed by surface melanin. Risk remains: both Morpheus8 filings limit energy above 62 mJ per pin to skin types I to IV, and any inflammation can lead to post-inflammatory darkening in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. Needle insulation, conservative energy, spacing between visits and sun protection matter more than the brand.
RF microneedling of any brand is used for rolling and shallow boxcar acne scars, although neither Morpheus8 filing names acne scars as an indication. It does not release a tethered scar or reach the floor of an ice-pick scar. Here, tethered scars are released by subcision and ice-pick scars treated with TCA CROSS first, and deep scarring may go to the S3 Resurfacing Lift.
No head-to-head trial was found that answers this. From their FDA filings, Morpheus8 runs at 1 MHz to a maximal 4.0 mm for its face tips, and Secret RF at 2 MHz from 0.5 to 3.5 mm in 0.1 mm steps. What decides the outcome is whether RF microneedling suits the skin, and the needle type, depth and energy chosen for each zone.
References
510(k) Premarket Notification K192695: InMode System with the Morpheus8 (Fractora) Applicators. US Food and Drug Administration, 2019. source
510(k) Premarket Notification K231790: The InMode System with the Morpheus8 Applicators. US Food and Drug Administration, 2023. source
Dermatologic facial applications of Morpheus8 fractional radiofrequency microneedling. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022. source
About this page: written and medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (NUS), MRCS (Edinburgh) · Last reviewed 28 October 2026 · Illustrative images only, not patients · Editorial policy
