"If I get Potenza once, do all my pores get filled in?"
"They say acne scars improve along with it too — is that really true?"
These are the first things people looking into Potenza ask.
I'm Director Kwon Si-jin — we'll be seeing you in Myeongdong soon ^^
We're getting ready to open our doors in Myeongdong soon, and since so many people have been weighing up pores and scars ahead of our opening, we wanted to put together this overview for your information first.
If enlarged pores or pitted scars have been on your mind every time you look in the mirror, we completely understand that feeling.
That said, it's best not to believe the claim that 'pores vanish in one session'. Potenza isn't a treatment that shaves the surface; it's a treatment that makes the dermal collagen build up over several weeks. So let us lay out the principle — what you can expect and why sessions are needed.
Potenza Doesn't 'Shave Away' With Needles
Potenza isn't a treatment that shaves away the skin surface; it's an RF microneedling method that delivers RF energy into the dermal layer with fine needles.
Let me clear up one misconception first.
Rather than directly grinding down the pores on the epidermis, it gives stimulation from inside the skin to make collagen and elastin again.
So the change is less the result of scraping the surface and closer to a flow that appears as the dermis slowly builds up.
Why It Addresses Pores, Scars, and Firmness in One Place
There's a reason Potenza is brought up across pores, acne scars, skin texture, and even reduced firmness.
What these treatments target is ultimately the same place — the collagen structure of the dermal layer.
When fine needles reach the dermis and deliver RF heat, collagen and elastin build up anew in the process of recovering from that stimulation.
The built-up collagen supports the sagging pore walls from the inside, fills the floor of pitted scars, and works in the direction of tidying up skin texture that's lost its firmness.
The design of stimulating only the dermis while minimizing epidermal damage, which lets you carry a relatively lighter recovery burden, is also brought up.(responses differ for each person)
There's a Reason It Doesn't End in One Session
There's a clear reason Potenza can't produce every change in one go.
Collagen doesn't build up right on the day it's stimulated; it's made anew and settles in over several weeks.
When a single treatment stimulates the dermis once, that recovered amount needs time to accumulate, and in the next session you add stimulation again on top of it.
So it's usually done over several sessions spaced a few weeks apart, and the number of sessions needed varies with the depth of the pores and scars and your skin condition.
The extent and speed of change also have individual differences, so rather than nailing down the number of sessions at the start, it's more reasonable to adjust as you watch how it progresses.
What About the Days After, and I'm Curious About Downtime
There are really a lot of people who hesitate because of the recovery period.
Since it's a treatment where needles reach the dermis and RF heat is added, there can be minor downtime right after.
Redness, a slightly swollen feeling, or fine scabs can show for a few days, but they usually settle naturally.
That said, the recovery speed and degree of response have individual differences, so with the same treatment, some people feel lighter within a few days while others take a bit longer.
Reducing irritation is important during this period, so refrain from saunas, intense exercise, and hot baths on the day of the treatment, and it's especially good to be careful about sun protection.
These People Should Take an Extra Moment to Check
Potenza isn't a treatment casually recommended for every situation.
If there's active inflammation or herpes in the treatment area, it's safer to first calm that condition and then decide whether to proceed.
If you have a keloid-prone constitution where scars easily stand out during healing, or if you're allergic to the metal the needles touch, prior consultation is needed too.
Also, if you're pregnant or you're worried because it's your first treatment, it's best to check your skin condition and whether you can proceed first, then decide.
What "dividing by depth" means
The core of understanding Potenza is depth.
Fine needles enter to a set depth, and radiofrequency comes out at their tips.So it's described as a structure that relatively protects the surface while placing heat only in the layer you want.
What divides it here is the tip combination.The number and length of the needles, and whether they're insulated, change the depth reached. What's used to tidy texture shallowly differs from what's used on deep scars.
So rather than "how many Potenza sessions," "at what depth, with which tip" decides the result.Watch for whether this comes up in consultation.
The device families used here
Pores, scars and post-acne marks often overlap, so one device rarely solves all of it. The depth and method they target differ.
- Potenzadelivers radiofrequency through fine needles at different dermal depths. The tip combination lets the depth be divided, so it comes up where pores, scars and firmness are considered together
- CO2 fractional (Hestia)divides the surface finely to prompt repair. There's downtime, but the range of texture improvement is spoken of as large
- NeoBeamdescribed as an acne device targeting the sebaceous glands
- LDM-MED and Sonoelthe recovery and aftercare side, settling sites that have taken stimulation
The reason we have these families together at our Myeongdong clinic is simple: you can only say "this device can't do that" if there are alternatives. With one device, whatever skin walks in converges on that one device.
And whether a calming stage follows the stimulation changes the condition you arrive in for the next session.That's why the recovery devices sit separately too.
What to attend to during recovery
With this family, the aftercare shapes the result as much as the treatment, because a stimulated site is going through healing.
- Sun protectionrecovering skin makes pigment easily. Miss this and a red mark can stay as a brown one
- Moisturisingbetter to lean on hydration rather than irritating active ingredients
- Don't touch the flakingforcing it off makes a mark likely
- Avoid heatsafer to postpone saunas and hard exercise for a few days
If redness runs severe beyond three days, if blisters form, if there's weeping, or if pain steadily worsens, don't wait — contact where you had the treatment.
- It uses microneedles and RF together
- It settles as collagen fills back in the dermis
- It handles pores, scars and texture together
FAQ
Q. If I get Potenza once, do all my pores get filled in?
A. Potenza is less a treatment where 'pores vanish in one session' and closer to a treatment that tidies up pores and skin texture by building up the dermal collagen in stages.Because collagen is made anew over several weeks after being stimulated, rather than declaring a big change from one session, it's more reasonable to watch the flow while accumulating several sessions. Since the response and the number of sessions needed vary with how enlarged the pores are, the depth of the scars, and your skin condition, it's good to keep in mind that the extent and speed of change have individual differences.
Q. How do I manage the scabs and redness after the treatment?
A. For a few days right after the treatment, redness, fine scabs, and a slightly swollen feeling can show, but they usually settle naturally.During this period, don't force the scabs off; it's best to leave them until they fall off on their own.To reduce irritation, refrain from saunas, intense exercise, and hot baths on the day, and since recovering skin is more sensitive than usual, it's especially good to be careful about sun protection. That said, recovery speed has individual differences, so if a response different from usual continues for a long time, it's safer to have your condition checked in a consultation.
Q. About how many sessions should I have?
A. It varies with the depth of the pores and scars and your skin condition, but because of the property that collagen takes time to build up, it's usually done over several sessions spaced a few weeks apart. When you stimulate the dermis in one session, that recovered amount needs time to accumulate, and in the next session you add stimulation again on top of it. Shallow pores and deeply pitted scars can differ in response and in the number of sessions needed. So rather than nailing down the number of sessions at the start, it's more reasonable to adjust the interval and number of sessions together as you watch how things progress.
Pores narrow as they fill
I've said a lot, but this one line is what stays.
Potenza isn't a treatment where 'pores vanish in one session'; it's a treatment that builds up the dermal collagen in stages to tidy up pores, scars, and skin texture.
I hope the doubt you started with has eased a little.
If the pores or scars in the mirror have been on your mind, it's fine to look at it as a way to ease that burden. Just please keep in mind that the number of sessions and the results vary by individual.
DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon.We'll share news of our opening and treatment information first on our blog and Instagram ^^
Thank you for your time today.This was Director Kwon Si-jin at DA Clinic Myeongdong.
This column is an informational article meant to provide general medical information, and the effects and side effects of treatments may vary by individual. DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. (Medical Service Act Art. 56)