Neither is better; they do different things, and we provide both at 8 Devonshire Place. Sofwave heats a band of the dermis, the living layer of the skin, with ultrasound from the surface: no needles, usually one session, a few hours of redness. Morpheus8 drives radiofrequency deeper through fine pins: a course of three, two to five days of recovery, and a deeper reach into texture, pores and scars. For loose skin at the brow, under the chin and on the neck with no time off, Sofwave; for texture and scars, Morpheus8; many people have both. The clinician says which at a free consultation.
How each one works
Sofwave's seven parallel transducers send ultrasound at 10 to 12 megahertz into a band of dermis centred at 1.5 millimetres, heating it to 60 to 70 degrees Celsius for four to five seconds a pulse while the surface is cooled. The fat layer begins at about 3 millimetres and is not reached; a 2025 biopsy study found the thermal injury restricted to the dermis. Morpheus8 is fractional radiofrequency microneedling: gold-coated pins pass through the skin and the current flows between them in the deeper layers, with tips from 12 pins for the eyes and lips to 40 pins reaching 7 millimetres on the body. One treats the dermis from outside; the other treats the dermis and below it from inside.
What the evidence covers
Sofwave is FDA-cleared in the US for lines and wrinkles, lifting the eyebrow and lax tissue under the chin and on the neck, short-term cellulite, acne scars and upper-arm laxity. In the brow and neck clearance study, 80 people treated twice had the brow rise 0.69 millimetres on average; blinded reviewers picked the after photograph in 79% at the brow, and the treating physicians rated 80% improved. Morpheus8's US clearances describe the coagulation and contraction of soft tissue; no indication names a body area or a condition, so its uses rest on published series rather than clearance studies, most of them combination or retrospective. We know of no head-to-head trial of the two. Both are FDA-cleared in the US, and neither adds volume.
Session, numbing and recovery
Sofwave: numbing cream for 45 to 60 minutes, then a short hot sting at each pulse, rated 4 to 6 out of 10 in our experience. Redness lasts one to three hours, swelling or tenderness up to a day, back to work and make-up the same day. Morpheus8: numbing for 30 to 45 minutes, a hot prickling pressure rated 3 to 5 out of 10 in our experience. Then two to five days of redness, swelling and grid marks, make-up from day two, exercise from day four, no sun for a week. Sofwave's clearance studies reported no serious adverse events, and we have not seen fat loss or nerve injury with it in our clinic.
Results and how long they hold
Sofwave: an early change at one to two weeks, visible at six to eight, peak at three months, and around a year in our experience, with a session a year to maintain. Morpheus8: from about three weeks, peak at three months, a year or more in our experience; no study measures a year for either. The results page follows the Sofwave timeline, and the sessions page explains why it is usually one.
Consultations and follow-ups are free
How we choose between them
Loose skin with good texture, at the brow, under the chin or on the neck, in someone who cannot take days off: Sofwave. Open pores, rough texture or deeper scarring, or a loose apron of skin after major weight loss: Morpheus8, at 8 Clinic, our sister clinic at the same address. Sofwave also treats acne scars, cellulite and loose skin on the upper arms. Both at once for a neck that is both loose and crepey, in one plan. The jowls page covers where Sofwave reaches on the lower face. Sofwave is priced per area from £799, confirmed in writing at your free consultation, with a price match on any comparable written quote.
Plan your treatment
Book a free consultation at Sofwave Clinic on 0207 099 9640 or through the form below. The clinician examines your skin, says which of the two fits it, or both, and gives you the price per area in writing, with 0% finance available. Our patients review the clinic on review.clinic, where it scores 4.9 out of 5 from 66 reviews in November 2026.
