Simone Gannon: I tried Potenza RF Microneedling, the €500 skin treatment with excellent results

Your best skin yet? This treatment takes microneedling to the next level

'Potenza RF Microneedling punctures the skin just like SkinPen, but the addition of radiofrequency is where it completely changes the game.'

Over the last year, I have become obsessed with microneedling.

Recommended by skin professionals worldwide for its skin tightening and rejuvenating benefits, it’s a treatment that now has a solid place in my skincare regimen.

So, how does it work? Microneedling (also known as Collagen Induction Therapy) is a minimally invasive treatment that punctures the dermis with microscopic needles, causing small wounds. Your body responds by healing these wounds with collagen and elastin, which in turn plumps, smooths fine lines, and generally revives the skin. It’s a treatment that can help with everything from lines and skin texture to enlarged pores, scarring, skin laxity and more (and it can be done anywhere on the body).

The first microneedling treatment I tried was SkinPen. A popular, modern approach that requires a few days of downtime but delivers fantastic results. Results so fantastic that it has often been heralded as an alternative to Botox thanks to its skin-smoothing abilities.

I had several successful SkinPen microneedling sessions before becoming aware of a new approach called Potenza RF Microneedling. This treatment claims to offer more dramatic results with little to no downtime. The latter is what reeled me in, as although I loved the results I achieved with SkinPen, I struggled with the three (or sometimes) more days that followed when I looked like I was suffering from a severe case of sunburn. Not ideal when you have meetings, school runs, and general life admin to attend to.

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Potenza RF Microneedling punctures the skin just like SkinPen, but the addition of radiofrequency is where it completely changes the game. Having had two sessions of Potenza at the time of writing this column, and with my third appointment already booked, I must tell you that it’s wholly blown SkinPen out of the water for me, and here’s why.

The actual treatment takes just 15 minutes, so it’s quite speedy. Thirty minutes before the treatment is dedicated to numbing cream, so by the time it begins, you feel suitably relaxed (and numb, which is essential). The microneedling device is passed over the skin twice, and as it punctures the skin, it delivers radiofrequency energy. This energy heats the skin and accelerates collagen and elastin production, so the results are quicker and more dramatic. The needles in the device are not the smallest, and it is quite uncomfortable in certain areas, even with the numbing cream doing its thing. This is important to keep in mind if you are squeamish or have a low pain threshold.

After the treatment, my skin felt tight and warm. It was red and inflamed, and needle marks were still visible on my neck and forehead. The inflammation decreased within an hour, however, at which point my skin just looked slightly irritated. By the same time the next day, it was all but back to normal. It’s important to mention that you cannot wear makeup for 24 hours post-treatment, and skincare actives must be avoided for seven days (no Vitamin C, no Retinol, etc). It’s all about gentle, repairing serums and moisturisers (and lashings of sunscreen) to help bring your skin back to life.

Two to four weeks post-treatment is when the results start rolling in. After my first session, my skin was noticeably tighter and smoother (especially around the jawline, an area of concern for me), my pores were visibly reduced, and the lines on my forehead were minimised. My skin looked and felt plumper and bouncier on the whole and I had a few ‘you look great!” comments from friends and family. Always a good sign. 

I return for my third and final session in several weeks and I’m quite excited, as I’m truly delighted with the results I have achieved to date. Once my final treatment is out of the way, I will then enter the maintenance phase, as it’s often referred to. This is where I book additional sessions of microneedling as and when I need them. Most likely, one treatment every six to eight months.

If you’re starting out with microneedling, or if you’d like to try Potenza RF Microneedling in particular, it’s important to note that you will be looking at a series of three to five treatments to begin with, spaced six to eight weeks apart. At approximately €495 a treatment (depending on where you go), Potenza is certainly not cheap (SkinPen is about €250). Still, if you’re looking for excellent results with little to no downtime, I can’t recommend it enough.

• From €495 per session. Available from several clinics, including The Kelly Clinic in Galway, Therapie Clinic in Dublin and Face Theory in Belfast.