I’ve repeated the mantra “Beauty is Pain!” through clenched teeth in a doctor’s office on more than one occasion. Whether it’s a Botox injection, some chin filler or an in-office chemical peel, I’ve tolerated a few discomforts to address something that’s bothering me. When Delray Beach, FL dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby asked me to try her new cellulite protocol, of course I said yes—but I didn’t expect Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria’s favorite body treatment to be so powerful.
What is Morpheus8 Body?
Dr. Allenby’s cellulite-smoothing approach includes a soundwave-based cellulite treatment called Resonic, followed by a Morpheus8 radio-frequency microneedling treatment two weeks after. Kim Kardashian calls Morpheus8 “a game changer!” and her favorite laser (it’s not really a laser). “It’s painful, but worth it!” she recently posted and she is right. While it’s a total game-changer for remodeling skin, it also had me squirming in the treatment chair like nothing else.
“It’s called Morpheus8 because while it has the ability to penetrate down to seven millimeters, the the zone of where it affects skin can actually reach down to eight millimeters,” Dr. Allenby explained. The Morpheus8 handpiece consists of 40 thin, gold-coated microneedles that heat up tissue using radio-frequency energy. “It targets tissue at three levels in millisecond intervals,” she said. “It’s a great skin-tightener and I like to pair it with other modalities for cellulite or fat reduction.” Morpheus8 can be done on various parts of the body including the thighs, abdomen, upper arms, butt, knees and even in the bra roll area.
What to Know Before You Go
A few weeks after the Resonic acoustic cellulite treatment on my outer thighs, I was ready for my Morpheus8 follow-up with Dr. Allenby. Before we got started, I learned a little more about what to expect and the slight discomfort involved. For a more tolerable treatment, my outer thighs were numbed with cream and I was also offered Pro-Nox, a mix of nitric oxide and oxygen that you breathe in during your treatment. Once we got started, even with the Pro-Nox, I really felt the microneedles as they stamped my outer thigh. Once we got started, I asked for a few breaks in between passes.
Repeating my mantra, I was able to get through the first thigh treatment relatively unscathed. As we continued with multiple passes, the pain management meds really kicked in and we moved through the second leg in a much less squirmy fashion.
Multiple Sessions
While I’m only three weeks out from my Morpheus8 treatment, I can already see some resurfacing benefits as my skin heals. “Ideally, you’d want three treatments spaced six weeks apart. It’s usually around the second treatment that you really start seeing it,” Dr. Allenby said.
My results aren’t final yet, but it’s been exciting to see my skin and dimples improve at each stage. To boost results, Dr. Allenby advised I use Alastin’s Body TransForm cream ($205) which helps accelerate the body’s natural removal process of broken-down fat cells, and I slather that on once a day.
As I’m looking forward to seeing my final outcome, I know if Kim can do it, I can do it, too. I’m just a few more “Beauty is Pain” mantras away from smoother-looking thighs and I agree, it’s worth it.
