Intracel: What You Need to Know
How Infini is different
Fast facts
Intracel RF microneedling is an FDA-cleared nonsurgical device that combines microneedling with radiofrequency (RF) to ramp up collagen production as a means of treating skin laxity, wrinkles, pitted acne scars, enlarged pores, and stretch marks. It’s also known as microneedling RF or fractional radiofrequency and can be safely used on the face and body.
Before treatment, your doctor will clean your skin and apply numbing cream. As the tool’s ultrafine, insulated needles stamp (or puncture) the skin, built-in electrodes emit thermal energy into the dermis, creating a controlled injury and stimulating skin’s healing response to boost collagen production, for firmer, smoother skin over time. Your provider will do several passes over the treatment area. Since the needles pierce the skin to deliver energy into its deeper layers, the technology is generally thought to work better than noninvasive RF devices that are applied to the skin’s surface. Intracel involves minimal downtime and can treat deeper skin tones with less risk of inflammation-induced pigmentation than most lasers.
Immediately following treatment, your doctor will smooth on a soothing ointment. Still, expect redness, swelling, and sometimes bruising for the first few days (you can apply makeup after the first 24 hours). As skin heals, it may look dry and flaky. For the first week or two post-procedure, doctors recommend a bland product regimen (mild cleansers and healing moisturizers free of potentially irksome ingredients) and a strict sun-protection routine: sun avoidance and SPF 30+. Mineral sunscreens with 10–15% zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide tend to be least irritating.
For best results, you’ll likely need a series of two to five treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart. Most doctors recommend at least three sessions. While you’ll feel some immediate tightening following each treatment, full benefits typically show three to six months later as collagen production ramps up.
Intracel results can last up to two years, at which point you might consider another round.
Pros
- It’s a minimally invasive way to get taut, smooth skin or treat a range of common concerns, without much downtime.
- It’s quick: the typical treatment takes 30 to 45 minutes.
- Once skin is numbed, the treatment is pretty tolerable. RealSelf members report feeling a prickling sensation from the needles and warmth from the RF.
- Unlike certain resurfacing lasers, which can trigger hyperpigmentation in dark skin, Intracel RF microneedling is safe for all skin tones.
- Intracel can be used on the delicate eye area for sagging (aka festoons)
Cons
- It can be expensive. According to RealSelf reviews, Intracel RF microneedling costs at least $575 per treatment, and you’ll likely need more than one to see dramatic results.
- Results require maintenance. After a series of treatments, your doctor will likely recommend touch-up sessions every year or two.
- Temporary track marks or grids from the puncture marks can occur on skin, if the technician is too aggressive with the procedure. In inexperienced hands, scarring can occur.
Infini RF is another microneedling RF device that’s FDA-cleared for the treatment of wrinkles but often used off label on the body. Many RealSelf doctors say the it's the next generation of Intracel, with the ability to penetrate even deeper into the dermis (3.5 millimeters down versus 2 millimeters), which may make the Infini superior—for pitted acne scars, especially. (Dr. Davin Lim, a dermatologist in Queensland, Australia, says that in most cases, tethered fibrotic acne scars sit below the 2 mm mark.) The procedures' costs and recovery time are comparable.
Updated June 13, 2023