Sofwave
The Sofwave applicator is placed flat and held still for each pulse rather than glided. The ultrasound energy is delivered at a set depth under the surface.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Sofwave vs Morpheus8
Sofwave uses ultrasound and never breaks the skin. You are red for a few hours to about a day, so most people carry on as normal. Morpheus8 puts fine needles into the skin and heats the tissue below. It is the better choice for texture and acne scars, but plan on a few days of redness.
At a glance
| The difference | Sofwave | Morpheus8 |
|---|---|---|
| What it is best at | Mid-dermal firming and lines | Texture and acne scarring |
| Downtime | Hours to about a day | Three to four days |
| How long the results last | Not measured in the published work | Six months after the last treatment |
| Cost | One session to pay for | Paid per session, across a course |
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.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
Sofwave
One visit, about 30 to 45 minutes
Seven ultrasound transducers fire together through skin that stays intact. Cooling protects the surface. Nothing enters the skin.
Morpheus8
A course of 3 to 5 visits
An array of insulated pins goes into the skin. Each pin carries radiofrequency current into the dermis. Visits are repeated every 3 to 6 weeks.
How deep it goes
Sofwave
1 to 2 mm, heated zone under 3 mm
Ultrasound warms a band of the mid dermis. The energy spreads across that band instead of gathering at one deep point. Sofwave does not reach the 4.5 mm plane Ultherapy aims at, despite similar marketing language.
Morpheus8
Selectable, and it can go far deeper
Depth runs from 1 to 4 mm with the 12-pin tip, and up to 7 mm with the larger tips. The pins are insulated except at the last 0.5 mm, so the heat lands at the tip and the top layer of skin is largely spared.
What it is best at
Sofwave
Mid-dermal firming and lines
No recovery time is the main reason people pick it.
Morpheus8
Texture and acne scarring
Atrophic acne scars are the best-evidenced use of RF microneedling.
Downtime
Sofwave
Hours to about a day
Redness and mild swelling. This is the usual description, not a measured figure.
Morpheus8
Three to four days
In one series of 40 patients, everyone went red and about 30% swelled.
Skin tone
Sofwave
No skin type limit described
Morpheus8
Energy is capped for deeper skin
Above 62 mJ per pin, the applicator is limited to Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV. If your skin is deeper, ask what energy per pin is planned.
How long the results last
Sofwave
Not measured in the published work
Morpheus8
Six months after the last treatment
That is the longest properly measured follow-up. The one to three years clinics often quote has no published source.
Cost
Sofwave
One session to pay for
Sofwave is usually a single visit, so you pay for a single visit.
Morpheus8
Paid per session, across a course
Budget for 3 to 5 sessions rather than one.
The at-home version
Sofwave
No home version of the device
Handheld firming wands put a fraction of the power into the surface. Sofwave works at 1 to 2 mm, and a home wand does not reach that depth.
Morpheus8
Home rollers are a different treatment
A home roller has no radiofrequency in it, so it never heats the tissue below. Its needles are shorter and blunt quickly, and a blunt needle does more damage than a sharp one.
Who tends to be happy with it
Sofwave
- Best for — People who cannot give up any days, and whose concern is lines and mild laxity rather than scarring.
- The mindset — One appointment, nothing visible afterwards.
Morpheus8
- Best for — People who also want texture or acne scarring treated, and can take a few days of redness.
- The mindset — A course of treatments, each of which is a small wound.
Most of the evidence was made on other machines
Morpheus8
Almost no published study used a Morpheus8. The research on radiofrequency microneedling was done on other brands of device. No randomised controlled trial of Morpheus8 was found. So results you read about Morpheus8 were mostly produced on different equipment.
The fine print
Sofwave
Sofwave's clearance names real cosmetic uses. As of April 2025 (K250146): to improve facial lines and wrinkles, lift the eyebrow, and lift lax submental and neck tissue in people aged 22 and over; short-term improvement in the appearance of cellulite; treatment of acne scars; and improvement in the appearance of skin laxity on the upper arms. Its original 2021 clearance used Ultherapy as its predicate device, in the same FDA product category Ultherapy created. It works at 10 to 12 MHz using parallel, non-focused transducers.
Morpheus8
Morpheus8's clearance names no cosmetic use at all. K192695, December 2019: electrocoagulation and hemostasis. K231790, July 2023: procedures "where coagulation/contraction of soft tissue or hemostasis is needed." Wrinkles, acne scars, jawline and double chin appear nowhere in it. Almost every RF microneedling device sold in the US carries the same electrocoagulation wording. Manufacturer labelling states 1 to 6 treatments, generally 3 to 5. InMode markets an "8 mm" figure, which is 7 mm of needle plus a 1 mm thermal profile.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Which one has more downtime?
Morpheus8. Sofwave is usually redness and mild swelling for hours to about a day. For RF microneedling, one published study describes three to four days, and redness afterwards is close to universal.
Is Sofwave really FDA cleared for wrinkles, and Morpheus8 not?
Yes, and this is the sharpest contrast between them. Sofwave's current clearance names facial lines and wrinkles, eyebrow lift, submental and neck laxity, acne scars, cellulite and upper-arm laxity. Morpheus8's clearance names only electrocoagulation and hemostasis, and since 2023 coagulation or contraction of soft tissue. Neither fact says which works better — clearance rests on equivalence to an earlier device, not on proof of benefit.
Which is better for acne scars?
Acne scars are the best-evidenced use of RF microneedling as a class, and one split-face trial found it about as effective as fractional CO2 laser with less downtime and fewer pigment problems. Sofwave carries acne scars in its cleared indication. Neither of those is a head-to-head comparison — no study has compared these two devices against each other.
Which is better for a double chin?
Neither is a fat treatment. There is no dedicated trial of RF microneedling for submental fat, and the one study that measured the fat layer found it unchanged. Both can be aimed at loose skin under the chin; if the issue is the fat pad itself, that is a different category of treatment.
How long do the results last?
Six months is where the published evidence stops for RF microneedling. Nothing longer has been properly measured, and neither device stops ageing in the meantime.
Does Sofwave lift like Ultherapy?
It was originally cleared using Ultherapy as its predicate, in the same FDA product category, but it works at 1 to 2 mm in the mid dermis rather than at 4.5 mm. It is not a deep-plane device, despite marketing language that sounds similar.
Can Sofwave be done on any skin tone?
Its clearance sets no skin type limit. Morpheus8's does: above 62 mJ per pin, use is limited to Fitzpatrick I to IV. That is a labelled safety limit worth asking about if your skin is deeper.
Safety to keep in mind
Sofwave is made by Sofwave Medical; Morpheus8 is made by InMode.
A clearance is not proof that a benefit was demonstrated. A 510(k) clearance means a device was judged substantially equivalent to an earlier one. Depth is not something the FDA clears in the first place.
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.