Virtue RF and other RF microneedling devices in Singapore, compared by published specification

What makes one RF microneedling device different from another?

RF microneedling devices differ in five published specifications: whether the needles are insulated, whether the radiofrequency (RF) current is bipolar or monopolar, the RF frequency, the range of needle depths and how long each RF pulse lasts. Every device pairs fine needles with RF heat released inside the skin, so the differences lie in where and how that heat is placed.

For how the treatment itself works, who it suits and what trials found, see our RF microneedling Singapore page.

Before comparing devices, our microneedling Singapore guide explains how classic, RF and needle-free microneedling differ.

• Needle insulation. Insulated or semi-insulated needles are coated along most of their length, so heat is released mainly near the tip. Non-insulated needles release heat along the part of the needle that sits in the skin.
• Polarity. In bipolar RF, current passes between needles within the tip. In monopolar RF, current passes from the needles through the body to a separate return electrode.
• Frequency. Makers list RF frequency in megahertz (MHz). Where the devices on this page publish a figure, it is between 0.5 and 2 MHz, and some platforms let the doctor choose between frequencies.
• Depth. Needle depth is adjustable, often in tenths of a millimetre, so one device can be set for thin skin near the eyes and thicker skin on the cheeks or body.
• Pulse time. How long RF flows through the needles at each insertion, given in milliseconds, or described as a pulsed-wave mode.

Tip design matters too: the number of needles per tip and the coating of the needles vary by device. These figures describe how a device delivers energy. They do not predict how any one person's skin will respond, which depends on the concern, the skin type and the settings the doctor chooses.

RF microneedling devices compared by published specification

The table below sets out six RF microneedling platforms using only figures published by each maker or its marketing partner, or reported in a published paper. Where the maker pages we opened do not publish a figure, the cell says so rather than estimating it. Specifications can change between device versions and between countries, so treat the table as a snapshot of what each maker published, checked in November 2026.

Sources: Cutera's Secret RF product brochure; Cynosure's Potenza physician brochure; InMode's August 2020 announcement of the Morpheus8 platform; Cartessa's VirtueRF product page; and, for the makers of Sylfirm X and Secret RF, a 2026 systematic review in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum. Full references are listed at the end of this page.

No column in this table is a measure of quality. A longer needle, a second frequency or a larger tip is a different tool, not a sign of a different result, and the right setting for one area can be the wrong one for the next.

Secret RF: the RF microneedling system SkinRev Lab uses

Secret RF is the RF microneedling system Dr Sin Yong uses at SkinRev Lab. It is made by ilooda in Korea, and its product brochure, issued by Cutera, lists bipolar RF at 2 MHz, a needle depth adjustable from 0.5 to 3.5 mm in 0.1 mm steps and an RF exposure time of 50 to 950 milliseconds, with an output of 25 W.

The brochure lists three tip types: 25 non-insulated needles, 25 semi-insulated needles and 64 semi-insulated needles. That range lets the doctor choose between releasing heat along more of the needle or mainly near its tip, and between a smaller and a larger treatment area per insertion.

On SkinRev's RF microneedling page, a session is described as usually under an hour, plus time for numbing cream, with a usual course of 3 to 6 sessions and redness and mild swelling for one to three days. A 2026 systematic review of RF microneedling for melasma listed Secret (ilooda) among the devices used in the studies it included, alongside Sylfirm and Sylfirm X.

Dr Sin Yong, SkinRev Lab's medical adviser, chooses the tip, depth and number of passes for each area after examining the skin. RF microneedling at SkinRev Lab is priced at consultation; RF microneedling price in Singapore explains what changes the cost of a course.

Sylfirm X: non-insulated needles and a pulsed-wave mode

Sylfirm X is an RF microneedling device made by Viol in Korea that delivers RF through non-insulated needles and has a pulsed-wave mode, according to a 2026 systematic review. SkinRev Lab does not use Sylfirm X.

The 2026 systematic review of RF microneedling for melasma lists Sylfirm and Sylfirm X (Viol) among the devices in its included studies, records them as non-insulated, and notes studies that used the pulsed-wave mode at shallow settings such as 0.3 mm. Separately, a 2022 study in Dermatologic Surgery tested a pulsed-type microneedling RF device with a very short pulse duration (the abstract does not name the brand) in 44 patients with facial melasma or Riehl melanosis, given as five sessions two weeks apart. The authors reported clinical improvement in most patients, no serious adverse events, and suggested it could be an option for these conditions.

The needle count, depth range and pulse durations for Sylfirm X were not published on the maker pages we could open, so the table marks those cells rather than estimating them. Sylfirm X explained covers how it works, sessions and downtime in more detail. At SkinRev Lab, RF microneedling is performed on the Secret RF system by Dr Sin Yong.

Potenza: monopolar and bipolar RF at two frequencies

Potenza is an RF microneedling platform made by Jeisys Medical and marketed by Cynosure that offers both monopolar and bipolar RF at 1 MHz and 2 MHz. SkinRev Lab does not use Potenza.

Cynosure's physician brochure lists several tip families. Tiger tips carry 16, 25 or 49 insulated or semi-insulated needles with an adjustable depth of 0.5 to 4.0 mm. The Fusion tip carries 21 insulated needles with a depth of 0.5 to 2.5 mm. Single-needle tips come in 0.8, 1.2 and 1.5 mm depths. The brochure gives an RF treatment duration of 5 to 500 milliseconds in 5 millisecond steps, a repetition rate of 0.5 to 3.0 seconds and a maximum output of 50 watts.

Two polarities and two frequencies give four combinations, but the maker's figures describe the platform's range, not the settings used in any one treatment.

The Potenza explainer covers its uses, sessions and who should wait. For RF microneedling at SkinRev Lab, the system used is Secret RF, and Dr Sin Yong sets the tip and depth at consultation.

Morpheus8: fractional tips and a 40-pin body tip

Morpheus8 is a fractional RF microneedling platform made by InMode. In its August 2020 announcement, InMode listed four tips for the platform: a 12-pin Prime tip, a 24-pin Resurfacing tip, a 24-pin Morpheus8 tip and a 40-pin Body tip. SkinRev Lab does not use Morpheus8.

The same announcement gives the Body tip 40 gold-coated pins with a 7 mm pin depth, and describes RF heating up to a thermal depth of 8 mm: the 7 mm pin depth plus about 1 mm of heating beyond the pins. InMode presented the Body tip for the body rather than the face. The maker pages we opened do not publish depths for the face tips, the RF frequency or the pulse duration, so the table marks those cells as not published.

A body tip with long pins reflects a design choice for thicker areas; it is not a ranking against shorter face tips, which are set for thinner skin. At SkinRev Lab, the body option that uses RF microneedling is 4K Body Lift on the Secret DUO platform, described below.

The Morpheus8 explainer has more on how it works and what the published studies cover. For the face, RF microneedling at SkinRev Lab is performed on Secret RF by Dr Sin Yong and priced at consultation.

Virtue RF: three frequencies and sub-pulse delivery

Virtue RF (written VirtueRF by its maker) is an RF microneedling platform sold by Cartessa Aesthetics and manufactured by ShenB, with three selectable RF frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 MHz. SkinRev Lab does not use Virtue RF.

Cartessa's product page lists three handpieces. SmartRF and DeepRF each carry 36 gold-coated needles, and DeepRF adds a reusable cooling plate. ExactRF is presented for areas that need precision, such as around the eyes and the jaw. The page also describes RF sub-pulse delivery, in which the energy of each pulse is delivered as a series of shorter sub-pulses that can be adjusted without lowering the total energy delivered.

The maker's page does not publish a needle depth range or pulse durations, so those cells in the table are marked as not published. Like Potenza, Virtue RF offers more than one frequency; like Morpheus8, it uses gold-coated needles. Those overlaps describe how the platforms are built, not how they compare in use.

SkinRev Lab has no separate Virtue RF page. Its RF microneedling page lists Virtue RF among the devices it does not use, and RF microneedling there is performed on Secret RF by Dr Sin Yong.

Secret DUO: RF microneedling with a fractional laser, used for 4K Body Lift

Secret DUO is a Korean device platform that pairs RF microneedling with a fractional laser; SkinRev's Secret DUO page says it is listed by CLASSYS and marketed in the United States by Cutera. At SkinRev Lab, Dr Sin Yong uses the Secret DUO platform for 4K Body Lift, which uses RF microneedling for body fat and loose skin.

SkinRev's Secret DUO page describes the laser as one that makes microscopic columns of heat through the skin surface without removing it, which places it among non-ablative fractional lasers. It also says Dr Sin Yong chooses the depth, density and number of passes for each area at consultation.

The table gives no RF frequency, needle depth or pulse figures for Secret DUO, and does not assume that the Secret RF figures above apply to it.

4K Body Lift is a medical treatment performed by Dr Sin Yong and is priced at consultation after he has examined the area. For the face, the RF microneedling system used at SkinRev Lab is Secret RF.

Does the device matter more than the treatment plan?

The device sets the range of what can be done; the plan decides what is done. Two people treated on the same device can have different tips, depths, passes and numbers of sessions, because the plan follows the concern and the skin, not the brand name.

The research reflects this. The 2026 systematic review of RF microneedling for melasma brought together 12 studies using several devices and settings. It found that the studies were small, varied and short in follow-up, and its authors did not yet recommend RF microneedling as a first-line treatment for melasma. Published papers describe what was done with one device in one group of patients; they do not turn a specification table into a ranking.

Questions worth asking before any RF microneedling course:

1. Which device and which tip will be used, and are the needles insulated or non-insulated?
2. What depth is planned for each area, and why?
3. How many sessions are expected, and how far apart?
4. Who performs the treatment, and who reviews you if the skin reacts?
5. What is the total price for the course, not just one session?

Your doctor will ask about your medical history and examine the skin before advising whether RF microneedling suits you at all. HIFU vs RF microneedling and S3 resurfacing vs RF microneedling for acne scars cover other options.

RF microneedling at SkinRev Lab: who performs it, price and what is not offered

At SkinRev Lab, RF microneedling is performed by Dr Sin Yong, medical adviser, on the Secret RF system, after a consultation, and is priced at consultation. The clinic is at #B1-28 CityLink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, by City Hall MRT, open daily 11am to 8pm.

• Offered: RF microneedling on Secret RF (face), and 4K Body Lift on the Secret DUO platform (body), both by Dr Sin Yong and priced at consultation.
• Not offered: Sylfirm X, Potenza, Morpheus8 and Virtue RF. Classic microneedling without RF is also not offered.
• Without needles: SKINTIGHT® uses Alma PrimeX microplasma and UltraWave with no needles, is performed by Aesthetic Therapists, and is listed at S$588 per zone before GST.

At the consultation, Dr Sin Yong examines the skin, asks about your medical history and explains which tip and depth he would use for each area, how many sessions are likely and how they are spaced. If RF microneedling does not suit the concern, he will say so and explain the alternatives.

For how RF microneedling works, who it suits, preparation and recovery, see RF microneedling at SkinRev Lab. To ask a question first, message the clinic on WhatsApp at +65 8266 9585.