VirtueRF is bipolar radiofrequency microneedling. Needles enter the skin to a set depth, current runs between them, and the dermis is heated enough to contract collagen and start a healing response that builds new collagen over the following months. The pigmented surface is largely spared.
The distinguishing features are in the handpieces and the pulse control.
SmartRF is the standard face handpiece: 36 gold-coated needles for the face, neck, hands and chest.
DeepRF uses the same 36-needle array with a reusable cooling plate, which lets the provider run deeper, hotter settings on the body while keeping the surface tolerable. Cooling is more useful than it sounds — surface pain is often what stops a provider from using the settings a body area actually needs.
ExactRF is a single needle. Instead of stamping an array, the provider treats point by point. It is used for etched lines around the mouth, the skin close to the lash line, and small areas along the jaw where a 36-pin tip cannot sit flat. Very few devices in this family offer this, and it is the strongest reason to seek out VirtueRF specifically.
Cartessa also markets Robotic Precision Delivery — motorized needle insertion — and RF sub-pulse technology, which splits each energy delivery into smaller pulses. Both are aimed at comfort and even heating. The platform is cleared to run at 0.5, 1 and 2 megahertz; lower frequencies penetrate further, higher ones heat faster and shallower.
None of this is a different category of treatment. It is a well-equipped version of the same one.
Tell your provider about implanted electrical devices, blood thinners, cold sore history and any tendency to scar thickly.
Stop retinoids, acids and scrubs about five days ahead.
Ask which handpiece is planned. If your concern is fine lines around the eyes or mouth, ask specifically whether ExactRF will be used — it is the reason to be at this device rather than another.
Ask for antiviral tablets if you get cold sores and your face is being treated.
Come with clean skin and no makeup, and allow 30 to 60 minutes for numbing cream. Work close to the eyes may need extra numbing and eye shields.
Avoid alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers the day before if you bruise easily.
Numbing cream is applied and left for 30 to 60 minutes. Areas near the eyelid margin may need protective shields.
The provider selects the handpiece, sets depth, energy and frequency, and attaches a sterile tip.
With SmartRF or DeepRF, the handpiece is placed flat and fired stamp by stamp across the area, usually in more than one pass at different depths. The needles are motor-driven, which most people find smoother than a spring-loaded stamp.
With ExactRF, the provider works point by point along a line or around a small area. It is slower, and it feels different — a series of individual hot pinpricks rather than a broad stamp.
Expect pressure, heat and prickling. Bony areas and the upper lip are the sharpest. The cooled body handpiece makes deeper settings noticeably more bearable.
Pinpoint bleeding is normal.
A full face runs about 20 to 40 minutes of treatment time. Adding ExactRF work extends it.
You leave red, warm and mildly swollen.
Day of treatment. Red, hot and tight. Swelling builds over the evening, and is most noticeable around the eyes if that area was treated. Gentle cleanser and plain moisturizer only.
Day 1. Puffiness usually peaks on waking. Redness begins settling into pink.
Day 2 to 3. Most people are presentable. Fine flaking and a slightly rough feel are normal, and makeup is generally fine once the skin is intact.
Day 4 to 7. Residual pinkness fades. Skin can look flat for a week or so before improvement starts.
Body treatments with the deeper handpiece take longer — expect up to a week of redness and sometimes bruising.
For about a week: no retinoids, acids, exfoliation, saunas or hot yoga. Daily sunscreen, and be strict for a month.
None. VirtueRF is a clinic platform with sterile single-use needle cartridges and adjustable dermal energy delivery, operated by a trained provider.
Home derma rollers and pens have no radiofrequency and needles far too short to reach the dermis. Home radiofrequency wands heat only the surface. Neither approximates what this does.
If cost is the barrier, plain microneedling in a clinic costs meaningfully less and still helps surface texture. It does less than RF microneedling, and it is honest to say so.