ElaDerm or Secret RF: how we choose between them
We run both, which means we have no reason to sell you one over the other. Here is what genuinely separates them, and what does not.
The same category, not the same job
ElaDerm and Secret RF are both radiofrequency microneedling: fine needles pass through the surface of the skin to a set depth, and release radiofrequency energy at the tip. Everything else is detail on top of that one idea.
Because the category is the same, the honest answer to which is better is that neither is, in general. The useful question is narrower: which one suits this skin, this concern, and this person's week.
Where they actually differ
ElaDerm releases a cooling flow while it works, which is the design choice you feel most during a session. It is the one we reach for around active acne and acne scarring.
Secret RF is the device we have run longest, across firmness, texture and the appearance of scarring, and it is the one most people arrive already having read about.
Both are adjusted for depth and energy rather than run at a single setting, and that adjustment matters more than the name on the handpiece.
What decides it in the room
Your skin comes first: what is happening on it now, whether acne is active, how it has reacted to treatment before, and what medication you take.
Then your calendar. Both are planned as a course rather than a single visit, so the spacing has to be one you will actually keep.
Then comfort, which is not a small thing. A treatment you dread is a course you will not finish, and an unfinished course is the most common reason people feel let down.
What does not decide it
The brand name, the country a device was engineered in, and the number of needles quoted in a brochure. These are facts, not reasons.
Price is not the tiebreaker either. If two plans genuinely suit you, we will say so and let you choose on cost. If one clearly suits you better, we will tell you which and why.
Why we publish both pages
It would be simpler to promote one device and stay quiet about the other. We run both, so we have no reason to.
If you are comparing clinics rather than devices, that is the thing worth asking wherever you go: does this clinic recommend the treatment it owns, or the one that suits you?
This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Treatment suitability is always assessed individually in a consultation with our qualified team.
Common questions
Is ElaDerm better than Secret RF?
Neither is better in general. They are both radiofrequency microneedling, and the choice is made on your skin, what you are treating, your medication and the spacing you can keep.
Can I have both?
They are not usually combined in the same plan, because they do the same kind of work. A plan uses one, and it is reviewed as your skin changes.
Which one is used for acne scarring?
Either can be considered. ElaDerm is the one we reach for most often around active acne and acne scarring, with cooling as it works, but suitability is assessed individually.
How do I find out which suits me?
A complimentary consultation, where we look at your skin, ask what you have tried and what you take, and tell you which we would use and why.
