The effects, mechanism, and duration of Potenza are thoroughly explained by a doctor.

Hello, I am a doctor at Smart Skin Clinic.

Do you have any of these questions about the treatment of potenza?

In this article, a physician explains the effects, mechanism, and duration of Potenza from a medical expert's perspective and in an easy-to-understand manner.

What is Potenza in the first place?

Potenza is a device used for a wide range of skin problems that utilizes microneedles (ultrafine needles) and RF (radiofrequency waves, a type of high frequency).

By inserting an ultra-fine needle under the skin and irradiating RF from the tip, heat energy is given directly to the dermal layer deep within the skin. By replacing the various tips, a single machine can be used to treat a variety of conditions.

If you are familiar with the Dermapen, it may be easier to recognize it as a machine that adds radiofrequency waves to the Dermapen.

How Potenza works

The reason that Potenza provides a variety of benefits is that Potenza has a variety of mechanisms, including the following

• Microneedling" treatment to promote wound repair

By piercing the skin with a microneedle and making numerous holes, the wound healing mechanism is activated to stimulate fibroblasts in the dermis layer to heal the wound on their own.

*Fibroblasts are the cells that produce collagen and elastin, which are the source of elasticity, firmness, and thickness of the skin.

• RF" treatment

RF (radiofrequency waves, a type of radiofrequency) is irradiated from the tip of an ultrafine needle inserted under the skin, giving heat energy directly to the dermal layer deep within the skin.

Heating changes the structure of proteins, which has the effect of tightening the skin in the same way that a raw egg becomes a boiled egg, and also activates the wound-healing mechanism to heal thermal damage on its own.

Potenza needles are basically coated with insulation except for the tip, which, unlike laser irradiation, reduces the risk of burns to the skin surface and allows for concentrated delivery deep into the skin.

The reason for the shorter downtime compared to microneedling alone is that the heat from the RF is expected to stop bleeding.

• Drug delivery systems.

This system uses a special pumping tip that is capable of injecting the drug, and at the same time as the ultrafine needle inserted into the skin is removed, air pressure is used to inject the drug solution evenly into the dermis. The pressure suppresses the return of the drug, making it easier for the drug to reach deeper into the skin than by simply applying it.

• A "variety of tips" for symptoms

By replacing the tips according to the symptoms, a single unit can be used to treat a variety of skin problems. There are tips with different needle lengths, number of needles, and insulation coating methods, or dedicated tips for RF therapy without needles, which can change the intensity, depth, and range of irradiation energy.

Potenza Effectiveness

The effects of Potenza can be more easily realized by choosing the right tip or drug for your symptoms. The following is a list of the effects that can be expected.

• Acne:
  One of the causes of acne is excessive sebum secretion. Using a single needle, RF is directly irradiated to the acne to destroy the sebaceous glands, which is expected to be the root cause of the acne.

• Acne scar cratering:
  The ultrafine needles and RF activate the wound healing mechanism and cells to produce collagen, which can be expected to improve the appearance of acne scars and craters.

• Wrinkles and sagging:
  The thermal stimulation of RF tightens the shallow to deep layers of the skin, which can be expected to have an improvement effect on wrinkles and sagging skin. RF irradiation with a needle-free tip causes little pain, can be performed without surface anesthesia, and requires little or no downtime.

• Pore opening:
  Factors that cause pores to open include excessive sebum secretion and sagging. Potenza can be expected to improve pore size by controlling sebum secretion and stimulating collagen production.

• Red face:
  A red face is a condition in which the number of new blood vessels increases abnormally, mainly due to capillary dilation, and the color of the blood vessels shows through. Potenza delivers RF heat to capillaries in the dermis layer, which is expected to suppress the formation of new blood vessels.

• Chloasma:
  The cause is believed to be the activation of melanin pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) due to ultraviolet rays and hormonal imbalance. Potenza directly irradiates RF to melanocytes and suppresses melanin production.

When will Potenza be effective?

The main effect of Potenza is brought about by the "wound healing mechanism" mentioned earlier. This wound healing mechanism is basically a gradual effect that develops over several weeks.

Potenza is effective once, but the effects are more easily felt with repetition. When the production of collagen and elastin is stimulated, the skin becomes firmer.

The time it takes to see results is after the third treatment, with treatments every 2 to 4 weeks for melasma and every 4 to 6 weeks for other conditions.

Therefore, it is recommended to think that the effect will be felt after 3 to 4 months.

On the other hand, Potenza also has a skin tightening effect due to the thermal action of radio waves. In many cases, this effect is felt immediately after the treatment.

Duration of Potenza Effectiveness

The duration of this effect is difficult to define. This is because the density of collagen, elastin, and other substances declines as a natural phenomenon due to aging and other factors.

However, if we dare to mention it, it may be said to be about six months, because after three to four months, an increase in collagen, elastin, etc. is taking place due to the "wound healing mechanism.

In fact, the following paper shows that microneedle RF wave (≈Potenza) treatment increased collagen/elastin density after 4 months.

Immediate lysis of adipocytes in submental fat was observed, as well as an increase in the density and compaction of elastin and collagen fibers 4 months later 4 months later. 

(Japanese translation)Four months later,With immediate dissolution of fat cells in the submental fat,Increased density and compressibility of elastin and collagen fibers were observed.

Virginia Benítez-Roig, Mario A Trelles "Procedure and results on lower face and neck rejuvenation using a temperature-controlled Lasers in surgery and medicine. 2022 07;54(5);639-647. doi: 10.1002/lsm. 23517.

Potenza is recommended for those with these problems

Potenza is recommended for those with the following skin problems. Please consult with us even if other treatments have failed to improve your skin.

summary

We hope you have learned about the effectiveness of Potenza.

Potenza is a treatment that works efficiently on skin problems by using microneedling, RF, a drug delivery system, and a variety of tips. Repeated treatments are more effective, but the results will vary depending on the symptoms and goals of the patient.

Please use your doctor's diagnosis and counseling to determine how soon you can benefit from this service for your condition.

Reference

・Jeisys

・Byalekere Shivanna Chandrashekar, Rashmi Sriram, Rajdeep Mysore, Sapnashree Bhaskar, Abhishek Shetty . "Evaluation of microneedling fractional radiofrequency device for treatment of acne scars. "Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery. 2014 Apr;7(2);93-7. doi:10.4103/0974-2077.138328.

・Soo Ick Cho, Bo Young Chung, Min Gyu Choi, Ji Hwoon Baek, Hee Jin Cho, Chun Wook Park, Cheol Heon Lee, Hye One Kim . "Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of fractional radiofrequency microneedle treatment in acne scars and large facial pores . "Dermatologic surgery : official publication for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al.] 2012 Jul;38(7 Pt 1);1017-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2012.02402.

・Procedure and results on lower face and neck rejuvenation using a temperature-controlled bipolar fractional radiofrequency microneedling device