Morpheus8
The Morpheus8 tip up close. The gold pins are what carry the radiofrequency energy below the surface — the needles are the delivery route, not the treatment itself.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Morpheus8 vs CO2 Laser
A CO2 laser resurfaces the skin from the surface down. Morpheus8 goes through the surface with needles. That difference drives everything else. CO2 asks for a real recovery and carries more risk of brown marks in deeper skin tones. Morpheus8 heals faster and is the safer option in darker skin — and in the one trial that compared them on acne scars, the results came out the same.
At a glance
| The difference | Morpheus8 | Fractional CO2 Laser |
|---|---|---|
| How much it hurts | Numbing cream, then a sharp session | Numbing cream, then a sore few days |
| Cost | Paid per session, out of pocket | Paid per session, out of pocket |
Fractional CO2 Laser
The treatment head is held above the skin rather than resting on it. The blue shields are not optional — they protect the eyes from a beam that would otherwise reflect.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
Morpheus8
Needles plus radiofrequency, in clinic
Insulated needles pass through the surface. They release energy at a depth the operator sets. Three sessions, three to eight weeks apart, is the usual plan in trials.
Fractional CO2 Laser
A laser pass, in clinic
The laser vaporises a grid of tiny columns of skin. The untreated skin around each column drives the healing. In the head-to-head trial, CO2 was given as three sessions eight weeks apart.
How it works, illustrated
Fractional CO2 Laser
Conditions treated
Fractional CO2 Laser
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
The strongest result available from a device for fine lines, texture and sun damage, particularly around the mouth and eyes. One treatment usually does it, and the trade is a week or more of raw, red, peeling skin. The pigment risk is significantly higher on deeper skin tones, so settings are lowered, a test spot is done first, and the provider's experience with your skin matters.
1 / 5→
Acne Scarring
The most effective single option for indented scarring, and the one with the most downtime — about a week of raw, swollen skin and months of strict sun avoidance afterwards. It does most for boxcar and rolling scars; icepick scars need something aimed at them separately. Settings are dialled back on deeper skin tones because of the pigment risk.
←2 / 5→
Rosacea
Used to reshape a nose that has thickened, by removing the excess tissue layer by layer. This is the answer for rhinophyma, since creams and tablets do not reverse it. It is a real procedure with real downtime of a couple of weeks, and results are strongly dependent on who does it.
←3 / 5→
Stretch Marks
An ablative laser that removes columns of skin rather than only heating them, so downtime is longer and the response can be larger. It is the highest-risk option on this page for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and for thickened scars on the chest, shoulders and upper back, which is why it is not a first choice on deeper skin tones.
←4 / 5→
Melasma
An ablative resurfacing laser with a real risk of making melasma worse, particularly on medium and deep skin tones. Any benefit tends to be short-lived and the rebound darkening can last a long time. If a clinic is offering aggressive resurfacing as the answer to melasma, that is a reason to get a second opinion.
←5 / 5
What you can expect to see
Morpheus8
Shallower acne scars, smoother texture
Also mild to moderate looseness. Acne scars are the best-evidenced use. A review of 16 studies and 481 patients concluded it is likely to work on its own.
Fractional CO2 Laser
The same list, with more resurfacing
CO2 is the stronger tool when the goal is to genuinely resurface the skin.
How deep it goes
Morpheus8
The operator sets it, 1 to 7 mm
The operator picks a needle depth to suit the area.
Fractional CO2 Laser
Set by the laser settings
It works downward from the surface, removing tissue as it goes.
The downside
Morpheus8
Three to four days looking red
One series of 40 patients reported redness in everyone and swelling in 30%. Another put downtime at three to four days.
Fractional CO2 Laser
Longer, with scabbing
In the same patients, redness, swelling, pain and scabbing all lasted longer after CO2. Lasting redness is a known feature of ablative resurfacing.
Related topic illustrations
Fractional CO2 Laser
RF microneedling
Moderate evidence. Reaches depth through needles rather than light, so melanin does not absorb the energy. Less improvement for scars, considerably less downtime, and a much smaller pigment risk. Often the better trade on deeper skin tones.
1 / 3→
Microneedling
Moderate evidence. Far cheaper, minimal downtime, safest across skin tones, and clearly less effective. Needs a course of three to six rather than one to three sessions.
←2 / 3→
Chemical peel
Strong evidence for pigment and pores, none for indented scars at superficial depth. Not a substitute here.
←3 / 3
How much it hurts
Morpheus8
Numbing cream, then a sharp session
In the one stretch-mark study that measured it, the RF side hurt more during treatment than the CO2 side: 5.4 against 2.4 out of 10.
Fractional CO2 Laser
Numbing cream, then a sore few days
In the acne-scar trial, pain afterwards lasted longer than with RF microneedling.
Cost
Morpheus8
Paid per session, out of pocket
Three to five sessions is the usual plan. The figure that matters is the course, not one visit.
Fractional CO2 Laser
Paid per session, out of pocket
Fewer, stronger sessions. Each one costs a longer recovery as well as money.
The at-home version
Morpheus8
Home rollers and RF wands
A home wand puts a fraction of the power into the surface. It never reaches the depth the clinic device works at.
Fractional CO2 Laser
No home version exists
Nothing you can buy removes columns of skin the way a fractional CO2 laser does.
Who tends to be happy with it
Morpheus8
- Best for — Someone who wants scar and texture improvement without a long recovery, or who has deeper skin and wants to keep pigment risk down.
- The mindset — Less each time, more times.
Fractional CO2 Laser
- Best for — Someone who wants the most resurfacing per treatment and can take a real recovery, with skin that tolerates it.
- The mindset — One bigger event.
What the evidence covers
Morpheus8
Most of the research was not run on Morpheus8. Almost no published study used the device itself. The numbers come from other radiofrequency microneedling machines. That does not make Morpheus8 worse. It does mean the numbers are borrowed.
The fine print
Morpheus8
Morpheus8 is made by InMode. Its FDA clearances do not name the things people book it for. It is cleared for electrocoagulation and haemostasis (K192695, December 2019) and, since 2023, for coagulation or contraction of soft tissue (K231790). Acne scars, wrinkles, laxity, cellulite, stretch marks and double chin do not appear in any Morpheus8 clearance.
A clearance is not proof that a treatment works. It means the device was judged similar enough to one already on the market. Treating outside the cleared wording is legal and routine.
FDA clears an indication, not a depth. InMode's manual lists 1 to 4 mm for the 12-pin Prime tip, 1 to 7 mm for the standard 24-pin, 2 to 7 mm for the Body tip, and a fixed 0.5 mm resurfacing tip. The marketed 8 mm thermal depth is 7 mm of needle plus 1 mm of heat beyond the tip, and is a marketing figure rather than a cleared specification.
Above 62 mJ per pin, Morpheus8 is used only on lighter to medium skin tones (Fitzpatrick I to IV).
"CO2 laser" is a category, not one product. Each machine has its own cleared wording, so what a given device is cleared to treat depends on the device.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Which one works better for acne scars?
In the one randomised split-face trial that compared them directly, neither did. Scar scores improved from 54.73 to 30.53 with RF microneedling and from 53.67 to 31.03 with CO2, with no significant difference between them (Li 2026, 30 completed, three sessions).
So why choose one over the other?
Recovery and pigment. In that same trial RF microneedling had shorter redness, pain, swelling and scabbing, and fewer episodes of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. CO2 remains the deeper, more powerful resurfacing option.
Is Morpheus8 FDA cleared for acne scars?
No. Its clearance covers electrocoagulation and haemostasis, and since 2023 coagulation or contraction of soft tissue. No cosmetic use is named in it. Treating acne scars with it is off-label, which is legal and routine - but it is not the same as FDA having reviewed it for that.
Which is safer for darker skin?
RF microneedling carries the lower pigment risk of the two, and radiofrequency does not target colour in the skin the way a laser does. It is not risk-free: above 62 mJ per pin, Morpheus8's own clearance restricts it to Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV, so lower settings matter.
Does CO2 remove skin and Morpheus8 not?
Yes. Fractional CO2 vaporises tiny columns of tissue from the surface down. RF microneedling puts needles through the surface and coagulates tissue below it, leaving the top layer largely intact.
How long do results last?
No one knows past six months. That is the longest follow-up properly measured in the RF microneedling literature. Claims of one to three years have no published source behind them.
Do I need antiviral tablets?
Tell your provider at booking if you have ever had cold sores. Antiviral cover started in advance is routine before CO2 resurfacing and is commonly used before RF microneedling too, though for RF microneedling that practice is borrowed from laser resurfacing rather than based on its own data.
Safety to keep in mind
RF microneedling can cause serious injury. The FDA has received reports of burns, scarring, loss of fat, nerve damage and disfigurement. Some injuries have needed surgery or other medical treatment. A few days of expected redness is not the full risk picture.
Choose a licensed medical professional trained on the device. Discuss the risks and other treatment options before deciding. RF microneedling should not be done at home.