Abstract
Skin laxity and dynamic rhytids that signify facial aging are due, in part, to atrophic changes and volume redistribution in the underlying layers of the face: the bone and soft tissue. A microneedling device that delivers bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energy directly to the reticular dermis has been shown to yield rejuvenated, tighter skin in 100% of patients. Herein, the author describes a modification to the standard dermal technique in which the skin is gently gathered with the nondominant hand, and the microneedling device is tilted to deliver RF energy to the mimetic muscles-including the frontalis, orbicularis oculi, and orbicularis oris-as well as the dermis. Muscle penetration was inferred by intraoperative bleeding and postoperative bruising, neither of which is typical of standard RF microneedling. Preliminary findings suggest that the modified procedure may yield greater aesthetic benefits than achieved with dermal application alone, including subtle lifting of the brow and oral commissure, upper-lip shortening with vermilion eversion, tightening of the lower-lid fat pads, and reduction in lateral-canthal rhytids. Although this modified technique will need to be optimized and evaluated in large, controlled studies, the initial results presented herein are encouraging.