Topical numbing
Redness, mild swelling
About a day
Build over weeks
Overview
What Matrix Pro Is
Matrix Pro is radiofrequency microneedling. Fine needles carry radiofrequency energy through the surface and into the dermis, the deeper layer of skin where texture and firmness are set. It is not a laser, and it does not work the way a laser does.
A laser puts light into the skin, and light is absorbed by pigment, so on darker skin the same beam that treats can also heat a brown spot and leave a mark. Radiofrequency does not read color. That is why it reaches scarring and early laxity on skin that a resurfacing laser would treat cautiously, in selected patients.
At Spectrum Skin Clinic in Irvine, Sabeen Munib, MD performs every Matrix Pro treatment. It is an energy device, so under California rules it is not handed to an esthetician. Matrix Pro is the radiofrequency applicator from Candela's Matrix line.
The Spectrum approach
Why the Approach Differs
Dr. Munib sets the energy to the skin in front of her. Density, oil, hydration and pigment differ from one face to the next, and from the cheek to the thinner skin under the eye, so a single preset would over-treat one spot and under-treat another.
She performs the treatment herself, start to finish. Matrix Pro is an energy device, and in California an esthetician cannot operate one, so the person holding the handpiece is the physician who planned the session.
More than fifteen years in cosmetic dermatology sit behind that judgment. The plan starts from what you want changed and how your skin tends to heal, and it is weighed against pigment risk before any energy is delivered.
Physician performed
Calibrated settings
Radiofrequency energy
Informed consent
Before & After
Laser Skin Resurfacing Before and After
The eMatrix before and after below shows fractional radiofrequency results on perioral skin. Look at the fine texture around the mouth, where the surface smooths as the dermis underneath remodels.
How Matrix Pro Works
The needles open tiny channels and release radiofrequency energy at the tip, below the surface. The energy turns to controlled heat in the dermis. Heat at that depth prompts the skin to repair itself and build new collagen over the weeks that follow.
The surface is spared most of the work. Because the energy is radiofrequency rather than light, it does not depend on pigment to land, so no beam is being absorbed by a brown spot. That matters most on darker skin and on the thin skin around the eyes, where an uneven light dose shows.
How the Dose Is Set
Skin is not uniform. A scarred cheek is denser than a crepey neck, and a dehydrated surface carries energy differently than a moisturised one. Dr. Munib adjusts depth and power to the tissue in front of her rather than to a protocol.
That calibration is the point of a physician holding the device. The setting that smooths a thick acne scar is the wrong setting for the skin under the eye, and which is which is decided in the room.
Which findings it fits
Which Findings Matrix Pro Fits
Matrix Pro works at one depth, in the dermis. That makes it right for some findings and the wrong tool for others.
Pairings
Combined Approaches
Who It Suits
Matrix Pro works in the dermis, so it fits the findings that live there. Acne scarring and post-inflammatory roughness, enlarged pores, early laxity, fine lines on the cheek and jawline, and crepey thinning on the neck or décolletage all respond to remodeling at that depth. Stretch marks on the abdomen, arms or thighs are scar tissue too, and they can be treated the same way.
How Dr. Munib decides
The consultation starts with the texture, scarring or laxity you want changed and how your skin tends to heal. Sabeen Munib, MD assesses your skin type and your pigment risk, then maps whether radiofrequency microneedling fits the goal or whether another treatment does. Suitability is settled in person, not in advance.
A reasonable fit
Acne scars, rough or pitted texture, enlarged pores, early skin laxity, crepey skin on the neck and chest, and stretch marks. Skin that a resurfacing laser would treat cautiously because of its tone is often a candidate here, since radiofrequency does not target pigment.
Where it falls short
Deep folds and lost volume are a filler question, not a remodeling one, because radiofrequency firms skin but does not add bulk. Heavy sagging that needs lifting is surgical. Brown spots and melasma are pigment sitting in the skin, and radiofrequency does not reach them, so clearing them needs a pigment-directed treatment instead.
Recovery
What to Expect Afterward
How fast this moves depends on your skin and the plan, and Dr. Munib sets the interval between sessions at your recheck.
Risks
Documented Risks
Radiofrequency microneedling is minimally invasive, and most of what follows is short-lived. The findings below are the ones worth knowing before you book.
Redness and swelling
The needles and the heat leave the skin flushed and mildly swollen afterward. It is the skin reacting to controlled injury, and it settles on its own.
Pinpoint marks and bleeding
Each needle leaves a tiny entry point, and a few may bead with blood during the session. The points close quickly.
Heat in the skin
The deeper pulses leave a warm, sunburn-like feeling for the first hours as the dermis cools and begins to repair.
Pigment change in darker skin
Any needle injury can prompt temporary darkening in some skin tones. Dr. Munib lowers the power and may space the sessions to reduce that risk, which is one reason the dose is set per patient.
None of this replaces the in-person consent conversation, where the specific risks for your skin are discussed and your questions answered.
How the Risk Is Kept Low
A physician performs the treatment and sets depth and power to your skin rather than to a preset. Reading pigment and density before the first pass is how the darkening risk is managed.
What the treatment can and cannot change, and what recovery looks like, is reviewed with you before anything begins.
Aftercare
Cost
What Matrix Pro Costs
The price depends on how much skin is treated and what the plan involves, so it is quoted after Dr. Munib has seen your skin rather than listed as a flat figure. A full face is quoted differently than a single scar, and a session paired with PRFM differently than one on its own.
The aesthetic consultation is $65.
New patients: 15% off your first treatment.
Pay monthly with
Will it look done?
What the Change Looks Like
Matrix Pro does not change your face in a day. The skin firms and the texture smooths as the dermis lays down collagen, and that happens gradually over weeks, not at the appointment. You leave flushed, not altered.
Nothing is added and nothing is filled. The treatment works with the skin you have and asks it to repair, so the result reads as your own skin in better condition rather than as a procedure.
Explore
Related Treatments
Matrix PRO vs Morpheus8
Choosing between Matrix Pro and Morpheus8 comes down to needle depth and the finding being treated. This comparison lays out where each one fits.
PRP/PRFM Microneedling
Microneedling paired with Selphyl PRFM from your own blood, for texture and post-acne scarring that needs healing support.
Laser and Energy Devices
The full roster of resurfacing and tightening platforms here, every one operated by Sabeen Munib, MD.
Patient reviews
What Patients Say
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Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Matrix Pro is the radiofrequency microneedling applicator from Candela's Matrix line. Fine needles carry radiofrequency energy into the dermis, where texture and firmness are set, so the skin repairs itself and builds new collagen over the following weeks. It is not a laser.
Sabeen Munib, MD performs every Matrix Pro treatment herself. It is an energy device, so under California rules it is not handed to an esthetician.
Radiofrequency does not depend on pigment the way a laser's light does, which is why it can reach scarring and early laxity on skin a laser would treat cautiously. Any needle injury can still cause temporary darkening in some skin tones, so Dr. Munib sets the power to your skin and may space sessions to lower that risk.
Expect flushing, mild swelling and a warm, sunburn-like feeling for the first hours. Most people return to normal activities. Skip heat, saunas and heavy sweating, hold off on harsh actives until the redness settles, and protect the skin from the sun.
The price depends on how much skin is treated and whether the session is paired with PRFM, so it is quoted after Dr. Munib has seen your skin. The aesthetic consultation is $65.