Microneedling with PRP
Your own platelet-rich plasma, driven deep with medical microneedling — texture, tone, acne scarring and melasma, by the Satori medical team in Hillcrest.
Resurface · Refine · Regenerate · Infuse
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
PRP Microneedling in San Diego
Some skin concerns live deeper than any cream can reach. Acne scarring, enlarged pores, and rough texture that makeup can’t fully conceal. Melasma that resists even the strongest brightening serums. Fine lines and wrinkles that refuse to plump with at-home routines. This microneedling treatment is highly rated because it not only addresses those concerns, but it contains nothing artificial or synthetic.
Microneedling with PRP starts with a small draw of your own blood, which is spun in a centrifuge until the platelets — the cells that run wound healing — are concentrated into a golden plasma. Your nurse then glides the CytoPen, an FDA-cleared medical microneedling device, across the skin, opening millions of microscopic channels and feeding that plasma directly into them. The platelets release growth factors exactly where new collagen gets built, and over the following weeks the skin does what it does after any well-organized repair: it comes back smoother, firmer and more even than it was. Nothing goes in that your own body didn't make.
Made From You, Not From a Bottle
PRP is drawn from your own arm minutes before it goes into your skin — there is nothing to be allergic to, nothing synthetic to react against, and nothing on the ingredient list your body didn't manufacture itself. For the client who wants real regeneration without anything artificial, this is the honest end of the aesthetics menu.
Medical Depth, Registered Nurses
This is microneedling as a medical treatment: performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics with the FDA-cleared CytoPen, at depths a cosmetic treatment is not permitted to reach. Deeper channels mean the growth factors arrive in the dermis where collagen is actually made — which is the difference between a nice glow and remodeled skin.
A Blend Menu, Not One Serum
PRP is one of several things your nurse can drive through those channels. There is a PDRN skin booster (klárdie D+, with a brightening-focused sibling), hyper-dilute Sculptra for gradual collagen building, exosomes to amplify a plan, and micro-droplet Botox as an add-on for clients who want the GlowTox effect. The consult picks the blend to match the skin, rather than selling everyone the same syringe.
Honest About When PRP Isn't the Pick
PRP's potency comes from your blood, so it has limits we will tell you about: on much older skin, or after cancer treatment, plasma simply has less to work with, and a PRX biorevitalization blend will outperform it. If that is you, your nurse will say so at the consult and steer you to the stronger option — not quietly take the booking anyway.
Before · After
Actual patient of the Satori medical team, before and after microneedling with PRP. Individual results vary.
01 — The Consult
Your nurse reads the skin under bright light and asks what you actually want changed — scarring, pores, tone, melasma, laxity. That decides the blend. PRP for the nothing-artificial client and for pigment; a PDRN or PRX blend where they will simply work better. You will know what is going into your skin, and why, before anything is drawn.
02 — The Draw
A small tube of blood is taken from your arm, the same way and the same amount as a routine lab test. That tube is the entire ingredient list for what happens next.
03 — The Spin
While numbing cream settles onto your face, the tube spins in a centrifuge, separating your platelets into a concentrated golden layer — the platelet-rich plasma. By the time your skin is comfortable, the plasma is ready. Nothing about the timing is wasted.
04 — The Pass
The CytoPen glides across the skin in overlapping passes, opening microscopic channels while your nurse feeds the plasma into them section by section. You will feel vibration and pressure rather than pain. A full face takes well under an hour in the chair.
05 — The Finish
The remaining plasma is smoothed over the skin and left to keep working as a mask. You leave pink, protected and with simple instructions: no makeup for a day, gentle everything, and SPF like you mean it.
06 — The Build
The redness settles over one to three days, a first glow shows up within the week — and the real result is built silently underneath over the following four to six weeks as new collagen matures. Most plans run three to five sessions, spaced four to six weeks apart, and your nurse will often pair them with a different modality rather than repeating the same one four times. That pairing is deliberate, and it is where the results compound.
Why Have It Done at Conjure
Microneedling with PRP at Conjure is performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics, under Medical Director Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD, in the dedicated medical room at 1450 Washington Street. The draw, the spin and the needling all happen in one Hillcrest appointment, done by a team that does cosmetic medicine all day, every day — not as a sideline.
It also means the consult can route you honestly. If you love the idea of microneedling but want the lighter cosmetic version first, our Micro-needling MAX facial is the gateway — same principle, gentler depth, no blood draw. If what you really want is the microneedling-plus-PRP-plus-micro-Botox combination, that is its own treatment — GlowTox, the Botox Facial — with a page of its own. Texture and scarring that need resurfacing rather than regeneration belong to Opus Plasma, and skin that is loose rather than rough belongs to XERF skin tightening. One consult sorts it.
FAQ
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Yes — that is the nickname that made it famous. "Vampire Facial" is actually a registered trademark belonging to a specific franchise system, which is why you will see careful med spas call the treatment by its generic name: microneedling with PRP, or a PRP facial. What we offer is the treatment itself — your own platelet-rich plasma, delivered through medical microneedling by a registered nurse. Same idea the nickname sold, without the franchise branding.
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Platelets are the cells your body sends to run repairs, and they carry growth factors — the chemical signals that order new collagen, new elastin and new blood supply to be built. Concentrating them and placing them into fresh microchannels puts those signals exactly where the skin remodels, which is why PRP shows well on texture, acne scarring, tone and melasma. The same biology is used for hair restoration, too — if thinning is on your mind, ask about it at the consult.
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PRF and PRFM are spun differently, so they form a gel that releases growth factors more slowly — best used as an injectable, not a needling serum. For microneedling we use PRP, which stays liquid and travels into the channels. PRFM is offered here as its own separate treatment: spun twice and injected where a subtle, natural fill is wanted — under the eyes, lash lines, the lines above the lip — with none of the overdone look filler can produce. The Satori team chose PRFM over kits like EZ Gel deliberately. If you are torn between the two, that is exactly what the consult is for.
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Numbing cream goes on while your blood is being spun, so by the time the pen touches skin, most clients feel vibration and pressure rather than pain. Afterward the face runs pink to red for one to three days — closer to a sunburn than to anything dramatic — with possible light flaking as it settles. Skip makeup for a day, be gentle for a few, and wear SPF seriously. Most clients book it before a quiet couple of days rather than before an event.
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Most plans run three to five sessions, spaced four to six weeks apart, because collagen is built in layers, not appointments. Just as important: the Satori team plans in pairings, not repetitions — two PRP microneedling sessions alternated with two Opus or XERF sessions will beat four of the same thing, because the modalities work at different depths. Your nurse will map the sequence at the consult instead of quoting a number before seeing your skin.
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Yes — the blend is the decision. Micro-droplet Botox infused during the pass is our GlowTox treatment, which has its own page. Beyond that, the menu includes klárdie D+, a PDRN skin booster famously derived from salmon DNA (your own plasma being the all-you alternative), hyper-dilute Sculptra for slow structural collagen, a PRX biorevitalization blend, and exosomes to amplify any of it. Your nurse builds the cocktail around your skin at the consult.
Book Microneedling with PRP in Hillcrest
Microneedling with PRP appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.
Explore Related Treatments
Forma Radiofrequency Skin Tightening
A warm, no-downtime radiofrequency series that firms the jawline, jowls and neck — safe on every skin tone, performed by the Satori medical team in Hillcrest.
Warm · Sculpt · Firm · Glow
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
Radiofrequency Skin Tightening in San Diego
Some faces don't need resurfacing, needles, or downtime — they need firmness. The jawline that's gone a little soft, the cheeks that don't sit quite where they used to, the early looseness under the chin that shows up in photos before it shows up in the mirror. Forma is the treatment for exactly that stage: early enough that heat can do the work a scalpel would eventually be offered for.
Forma uses bipolar radiofrequency to warm the deeper layers of your skin to a precise 41–43 degrees Celsius — the temperature where existing collagen contracts and your skin is signaled to build more — and holds it there, with built-in sensors reading your skin's temperature in real time so no spot is ever under- or over-treated. The experience feels like a warm stone gliding along your face. There is no numbing, no recovery, and no reason you can't book it on a lunch break. Most people do a series of about six weekly sessions and watch the firming build for months afterward.
Heat That Reads Your Skin
Forma's A.C.E. technology — Acquire, Control, Extend — measures your skin's temperature continuously as it works, holding the deep layers at the exact degree where collagen remodels and never past it. No guesswork, no hot spots, no operator hoping the settings are right. The device knows, in real time.
The No-Downtime Tightener
No needles, no numbing, no surface damage — just deep, controlled warmth. You leave with a light flush that settles within the hour and skin that feels like it just had a workout. Forma is the tightening treatment you can book before a workday, a dinner, or a flight.
Safe on Every Skin Tone
Radiofrequency doesn't see melanin — it heats water and tissue, not pigment. That makes Forma one of the few firming technologies that is equally safe and equally effective on every skin tone, with no tan questions and no exceptions list.
The Gentle Door Into Tightening
Think of Forma as the entry point on our tightening menu: a relaxing weekly series that firms gradually and naturally. When deeper laxity needs a heavier tool, XERF delivers monopolar radiofrequency to the foundation layer in about two sessions — and your nurse will tell you honestly which one your skin actually needs.
Before and after Forma. Images courtesy of InMode. Individual results vary.
Forma on the neck and jowls. Images courtesy of InMode. Individual results vary.
Your Forma Session, Step by Step
01 — The Consult
Your nurse maps where your skin has started to loosen — jawline, jowls, under the chin, around the eyes — and confirms Forma is the right tool for your stage of laxity rather than a deeper treatment. Honest triage first, always.
02 — Prep and Glide
Skin is cleansed and a thin layer of conductive gel goes on. The handpiece begins gliding in slow, overlapping passes — most clients say the first pass already feels like a warm stone massage.
03 — Reaching Temperature
Over the first few minutes the deep layers of your skin climb to the working range of 41 to 43 degrees Celsius. The built-in sensors read your skin continuously; the device adjusts itself so the warmth stays deep, even and comfortable.
04 — The Hold
This is where the work happens. Each zone is held at temperature for about ten minutes — long enough for existing collagen fibers to contract and for your skin to receive the signal to build new collagen and elastin where it's thinned.
05 — Zone by Zone
Your nurse works methodically through each treatment area — jawline, cheeks, neck, brow — so every zone gets its full therapeutic hold rather than a quick pass. A full-face session is typically comfortable enough that clients doze.
06 — Walk Out Warm
No recovery, no aftercare beyond SPF and hydration. Expect a light flush for an hour or so — most people go straight back to their day. Firming builds over the series, with results continuing to develop for months after your last session.
Why Have It Done at Conjure
Forma at Conjure is performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics, under Medical Director Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD, in the dedicated medical room at 1450 Washington Street. A weekly series only works if you actually keep coming — and a treatment room in Hillcrest with free parking at the door is one you'll keep coming to.
It also means your series is built honestly. If your laxity is deeper than Forma's lane, your nurse will say so and point you to XERF rather than sell you six sessions of the wrong tool. And if what's really bothering you is texture and sun damage rather than looseness, Opus Plasma resurfaces while it tightens — the consult sorts it out before anything is booked.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Forma delivers bipolar radiofrequency heat into the deeper layers of your skin, holding them at 41 to 43 degrees Celsius — the range where existing collagen fibers contract and your skin is triggered to produce new collagen and elastin. The result is gradual, natural-looking firming of the jawline, jowls, neck and around the eyes, without needles or downtime. In InMode's clinical data, treatment produced measurable skin tightening and collagen remodeling.
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No — Forma is widely described as the most relaxing treatment on the medical menu. The sensation is a warm stone gliding over your skin, and the built-in temperature sensors keep the heat in the comfortable, effective range at all times. Many clients doze during a full-face session.
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A series of about six sessions, spaced one to two weeks apart, is the standard protocol. Your nurse will set the exact number based on your skin's laxity and how it responds. Many clients then maintain results with a single session every few months.
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Some tightening is visible early — collagen contracts from the very first sessions — but the real result builds as your skin manufactures new collagen over the weeks and months after the series. Forma rewards patience: it is a treatment whose after photo keeps improving long after the last appointment.
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Yes, fully. Radiofrequency heats water and tissue, not pigment, so melanin plays no role in how the energy behaves. Forma is equally safe and equally effective on every skin tone — no tan questions, no exceptions list.
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Forma is the gentle, gradual option: a relaxing weekly series for early laxity, with zero downtime. XERF is the deep one: monopolar radiofrequency reaching the foundation layer in about two treatments, for laxity that has gone past what surface warming can correct. The honest answer depends on your skin, and your nurse will give it to you at the consult — before you book either.
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Forma is the gentlest device on our menu — no pain, no downtime, safe across skin tones — but it still runs on radiofrequency, so it's skipped with pacemakers, AICDs or any implanted electronic device, as well as during pregnancy and on skin with an active infection or flare. Your nurse confirms all of this at the consult before anything is booked.
Book Forma in Hillcrest
Forma appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.
Explore Related Treatments
Vasculaze Laser Vein Removal
A 1064 nm laser that clears spider veins, broken capillaries and cherry angiomas one vessel at a time — safe on every skin tone, performed by the Satori medical team in Hillcrest.
Pinpoint · Clear · Calm · Erase
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
Laser Vein Removal in San Diego
There is usually one. A thread of red beside the nostril that shows up in every photograph. A cluster of purple at the outer cheek that appeared after a decade of San Diego sun. A tiny red dot on the chest — a cherry angioma — that you have been covering since your thirties. None of it is a medical problem, and all of it is the first thing you see in the mirror.
Vasculaze treats exactly that. It is a 1064 nanometre laser, delivered through a tip roughly three millimetres across, aimed at one vessel at a time. The energy passes harmlessly through the surface of the skin and is absorbed by the haemoglobin inside the vessel. The vessel closes. Over the following weeks your body clears it, and the mark that has been in every photograph is simply not there anymore. Most people need two to four short sessions, and most walk back out into Hillcrest the same afternoon looking like they have been outdoors, not treated.
A Laser, Not a Light Flash
Vasculaze is a true 1064 nm laser with a tip about the size of a pencil eraser, so your nurse treats one vessel at a time rather than flashing a whole region and hoping. That precision is why it can take out a single capillary beside your nose without touching the skin on either side of it.
Safe on Every Skin Tone
1064 nm is the longest wavelength in the vascular toolkit — it reaches deep to find the vessel while melanin absorbs very little of it. That makes it the correct and safest choice for medium and deep skin tones, and the one vascular treatment we offer that does not ask about your tan first.
Cooled at the Tip, No Numbing
The handpiece chills the skin at the point of contact while it fires, so most clients describe a fast snap rather than pain and nobody sits for forty minutes waiting on numbing cream. A few vessels take minutes; a full cheek takes a short appointment.
Honest About What It Cannot Do
Vasculaze is for surface vessels — facial capillaries, spider veins, angiomas. It is not a treatment for bulging varicose veins, and we will tell you so at the consult and point you to a vein specialist rather than sell you a session that was never going to work.
Before and after Vasculaze treatment. Images courtesy of InMode. Individual results vary.
Your Vasculaze Session, Step by Step
01 — The Mapping
Your nurse examines the area under magnification and separates what this laser treats from what it does not. Surface capillaries, spider veins and angiomas get marked. Anything deeper or bulging gets named honestly and referred out. You will know exactly what is being treated before anything fires.
02 — Cool and Prepare
The skin is cleansed, protective eyewear goes on, and the cooling tip is brought to temperature. There is no numbing cream and no waiting period — the cooling happens at the moment of contact rather than half an hour beforehand.
03 — The Pass
The handpiece is walked along each marked vessel, firing short pulses roughly three millimetres wide. Most people describe it as a fast snap, warm rather than sharp. A few isolated capillaries take a couple of minutes; a broader area of cheek takes longer but is still a short appointment.
04 — The Endpoint
Vessels respond while you are still in the chair. Some blanch and vanish outright, some darken to a fine grey line — both are the response your nurse is looking for, and she confirms each one before moving on rather than treating blind and hoping.
05 — Cool Down and Cover
The area is cooled, soothed and sent out under SPF. Expect redness and a little swelling that behaves like a mild sunburn for a few hours, occasionally a day. Some people bruise faintly over a treated vessel; it fades like any bruise.
06 — The Fade
This is the part that takes patience. Your body absorbs the closed vessel over the following two to six weeks, so the result arrives quietly rather than all at once. Most people need two to four sessions spaced several weeks apart for full clearing, and stubborn or deeper vessels sit at the higher end of that range.
Cleared after a single Vasculaze session. Image courtesy of InMode. Individual results vary.
Why Have It Done at Conjure
Vasculaze at Conjure is performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics, under Medical Director Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD, in the dedicated medical room at 1450 Washington Street. It is medicine, delivered in a Hillcrest treatment room you can walk to, rather than a spa service with a medical-sounding name.
It also means we can tell you when a different treatment is the right one. Diffuse rosacea flush and sun-mottled redness across a whole cheek belong to Lumecca IPL, which treats broad areas of colour rather than individual vessels — though if your skin is medium or deep, or recently tanned, Vasculaze is the vascular option that is actually safe for you. Redness that is really texture and scarring belongs to Opus Plasma. And bulging leg veins belong to a vein specialist, not to us.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Surface vascular marks: broken capillaries and telangiectasia on the face, spider veins on the face and legs, cherry angiomas and spider angiomas, and the fine vessels that collect around the nose and outer cheeks. It is FDA-cleared for angiomas, hemangiomas, telangiectasia, port wine stains and leg veins. If you can see a distinct vessel or dot rather than a general wash of colour, it is likely in range.
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Yes — this is the treatment that does. Vasculaze runs at 1064 nanometres, the longest wavelength used for vascular work, which reaches the vessel while melanin absorbs very little of it. It is the standard choice for medium and deep skin tones, and it is the reason we can offer a vascular treatment to clients that intense pulsed light is not appropriate for.
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Most clients describe a quick snap, like a rubber band, with warmth behind it — the tip cools the skin at the moment it fires, so no numbing cream is needed. Afterward expect redness and mild swelling that behaves like a light sunburn for a few hours, sometimes a day, and occasionally a faint bruise over a treated vessel. Nearly everyone goes back to their day the same afternoon.
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Two to four for most people, spaced several weeks apart. Fine facial capillaries often clear in one or two; larger, deeper or older vessels sit at the higher end. Your nurse will give you a realistic number after looking at the area under magnification rather than quoting an average before she has seen it.
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It depends on whether you can point at the problem. Distinct vessels, threads and dots are Vasculaze, which treats one at a time with a small precise tip. A general flush of redness across the cheeks, or sun damage that is both brown and red at once, is Lumecca IPL, which treats broad areas. And if your skin is medium or deep, or you have been in the sun recently, Vasculaze is the safe option regardless. Your consult will settle it in about a minute.
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No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. Varicose veins are large, raised and often connected to underlying circulation problems that need ultrasound assessment and a vein specialist. Vasculaze works on surface vessels — spider veins, capillaries and angiomas. If you come in with varicose veins we will say so and point you somewhere that can actually help.
Book Vasculaze in Hillcrest
Vasculaze appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.
Explore Related Treatments
XERF Skin Tightening
Structural skin tightening — the facelift layer, without surgery, numbing, or downtime.
Tighten · Lift · Contour · Firm
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
XERF Skin Tightening in San Diego
XERF is the newest generation of radiofrequency skin tightening — FDA-cleared in 2025 — and it reaches where older RF devices couldn't. Dual-frequency monopolar energy heats the deep structural layer of the face, the same foundation a surgical facelift addresses, triggering an immediate tightening response and then months of fresh collagen building on top of it. No needles, no incisions, and thanks to built-in cooling, most sessions don't even need numbing.
Its lane is the geography of gravity: softening jawlines and jowls, loosening neck and under-chin skin, crepey décolleté, and laxity on the body — arms, abdomen, above the knees. There's a subtle lift visible soon after the session, but the real result arrives over eight to twelve weeks as the collagen rebuilds, and because radiofrequency heats tissue without caring about pigment, XERF is safe for every skin tone.
The Facelift Layer, Without Surgery
XERF's dual-frequency energy reaches the deep structural layer surgeons work on — a depth older RF devices never touched — and tightens it without a single incision.
No Numbing, No Downtime
Built-in cooling keeps the treatment comfortable without numbing cream, and there's nothing to recover from — mild redness fades fast, and makeup and normal life resume immediately.
Every Skin Tone
Radiofrequency heats tissue without targeting pigment, so XERF treats all skin tones and types — including everyone the light-based treatments have to turn away.
Face, Neck & Body
Jawline, jowls, neck and décolleté are the headliners — but the same energy firms crepey arms, abdomen and above-the-knee skin in the same chair.
Unretouched: before, and four weeks after a single XERF treatment. Photos courtesy of Jordan V. Wang, MD — Cynosure Lutronic. Individual results vary.
01 — Screening & Plan
A medical review first: monopolar radiofrequency means your nurse screens for pacemakers, implanted devices and metal in the treatment area, along with pregnancy and skin condition. Then the plan — which zones, what depth, how many sessions.
02 — Prep, Without the Numbing Wait
There's no numbing cream and no half-hour waiting for it to work. XERF's pulse technology and built-in cooling are engineered for comfort at full power — you're on the table and underway in minutes.
03 — The Settings
XERF treats at three distinct depths — the skin itself, the layer beneath it, and the deep structural foundation — across ten energy levels. Your nurse maps depth and energy zone by zone: one plan for a softening jawline, a different one for crepey neck skin.
04 — The Pass
The handpiece moves zone by zone, each shot spreading its energy across twelve micro-pulses with cooling between every one — a steady build of deep warmth rather than spikes of heat. Expect thirty to sixty minutes depending on how many areas you're treating.
05 — Straight Back to Your Day
Some warmth and light redness afterward, gone within hours. No peeling, no swelling to hide, no aftercare beyond sunscreen you should be wearing anyway. There's often a subtle tightness you can feel immediately — that's the collagen contracting on day one.
06 — The Build
The immediate tightening is the preview; the feature is the rebuild. Over the following eight to twelve weeks, collagen and elastin thicken and shorten, and the improvement keeps compounding at the one, three and six month marks. Most plans run about two treatments, with an annual session to maintain the structure.
Why Have XERF at Conjure
XERF at Conjure is performed by a registered nurse from Satori Medical Aesthetics under Medical Director Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD, in a dedicated medical room inside the studio — in Hillcrest, with free private parking at the door. Energy at facelift depth belongs in exactly those hands.
And it slots into a menu built to give the honest answer instead of the available one. If your concern is surface texture — lines, scars, sun damage — that's Opus Plasma resurfacing, not tightening. If it's skin quality and glow, PRX Biorevitalization is the gentler tool. XERF's job is structure: the jawline, the jowls, the neck. Your nurse will tell you which one your face is actually asking for.
It's also the go-to for skin laxity after significant weight loss, including for clients in our GLP-1 weight loss program.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No numbing is used, and none is needed — that's engineered, not bravado. Each shot spreads its energy across twelve micro-pulses with cooling gas between every one, so you feel a deep, building warmth rather than spikes of heat. Most people describe it as intense but entirely manageable.
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Different layers, different jobs. Opus resurfaces — it renews the surface for texture, lines and sun damage. XERF tightens — it heats the deep structural layer to firm jawlines, jowls and necks. One is about the quality of the canvas, the other about the frame it hangs on. Plenty of faces eventually want both.
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Most plans run about two treatments, and the manufacturer's own results photos are taken after exactly that. From there, a single annual session maintains the structure. Your nurse sets the plan by how much laxity you're starting with. And if your laxity is early and mild rather than structural, ask about Forma — a gentler, no-downtime radiofrequency series that may be all your skin actually needs.
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There's often a subtle tightness immediately — collagen contracts on contact with the heat. The real result builds over eight to twelve weeks as collagen and elastin rebuild, and keeps improving through the six-month mark. This is a treatment that gets better after you've stopped thinking about it.
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Yes — radiofrequency heats tissue without targeting pigment, so XERF treats every skin tone and type safely. It's one of the treatments we point people toward when light-based options like IPL have to turn them away.
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It's skipped with pacemakers or any implanted electronic device, metal implants in the treatment area, during pregnancy, and on skin with an active infection or flare. The medical screening at the start of your appointment covers all of it before the device is ever switched on.
Book XERF in Hillcrest
XERF appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.
Explore Related Treatments
Lumecca IPL Photofacial
The high-powered photofacial — sun spots, redness and San Diego's handwriting, cleared in one to three sessions.
Fade · Clear · Even · Glow
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
The Lumecca IPL Photofacial in San Diego
Lumecca is intense pulsed light with the volume turned up — a broad-spectrum flash that targets brown and red at the same time. Sun spots, freckles and age spots absorb the light and break apart; the flush of rosacea and broken capillaries fade alongside them. Standard IPL machines ask for five or six sessions to show it; Lumecca's higher peak power means most skin shows real change in one to three.
In San Diego, this is less a luxury than a maintenance plan — the sun writes on every face, neck, chest and hand in this county eventually. Here's the honest timeline: treated spots darken first, wearing a coffee-grounds speckle for a few days, then flake away across the week. By week two the skin underneath reads clearer, brighter and more even — and the light's collagen nudge keeps working quietly after that.
Brown and Red in One Treatment
Most light treatments pick a target. Lumecca's broad spectrum takes on pigment and redness in the same pass — sun spots and rosacea flush, freckles and broken capillaries, together.
Fewer Sessions Than Standard IPL
Higher peak power means the machine does in one to three sessions what standard IPL stretches across five or six. You pay for fewer visits and see the change sooner.
Built for San Diego Skin
Two hundred and sixty days of sun a year land somewhere — face, neck, chest, the backs of your hands. Lumecca treats all of them, and an annual pass has become the local maintenance ritual.
Honest About Skin Tone
IPL works by targeting pigment, which means deeper skin tones and fresh tans aren't candidates — and we'll say so to your face. Your nurse screens first. When Lumecca isn't your fit, PRX and Opus are the renewal treatments built for every tone, and Vasculaze clears visible vessels at a wavelength melanin barely absorbs — safe on every skin tone.
01 — Screening & Sun Check
Your nurse reviews your skin tone, medications and sun history — including any recent tan, which matters more here than anywhere. IPL is only offered to skin it's right for; that's the deal.
02 — Cleanse & Shield
Skin is cleansed, cooling gel goes on, and your eyes are covered — the flashes are bright, and the shields do the squinting for you.
03 — The Settings
The light's spectrum and energy are tuned to your targets — one calibration for brown spots, another for redness, adjusted zone by zone rather than one blast for everything.
04 — The Pass
The handpiece moves across each area delivering quick flashes — each one a warm snap, like a rubber band with the temper of a sunbeam. A full face runs about twenty minutes; add the chest or hands and you're still out within the hour.
05 — Calm & Protect
Cooling, moisturizer, and the strictest SPF talk you'll ever enjoy. For the next two days: no hard workouts, no saunas, no sunbathing — the light did its work, now the skin does its part.
06 — The Reveal
Your spots get darker before they leave — the coffee-grounds phase, days two through seven, is the treatment working, not going wrong. They flake away on their own; by week two the skin underneath is clearer and more even. Most plans run one to three sessions a month apart, then a yearly refresher to stay ahead of the sun.
Why Have Lumecca at Conjure
Light-based treatments live or die on judgment — the read of your skin, the calibration, the honesty about whether you're a candidate at all. At Conjure, Lumecca is performed by a registered nurse from Satori Medical Aesthetics with physician oversight, in a dedicated medical room in Hillcrest with free parking at the door.
And because the studio treats skin every day, the answer never has to be just no. Pigment concerns on deeper tones route to our Bright Skin Peel — built precisely for that job — while texture and firmness cases belong with PRX Biorevitalization or Opus Plasma. Whatever your skin's actual story, there's a right-tool answer in the building.
FAQ
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Each flash lands like a warm rubber-band snap — brisk, quick, and over before you've decided how you feel about it. Most people take a full face without numbing and rate it easier than expected. Sensitive areas like the upper lip get a gentler setting.
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Because it's working. The light shatters the pigment, and the debris rises to the surface as darker speckles — the coffee-grounds phase — for roughly days two through seven. It flakes away on its own. The one rule: don't pick, don't scrub. Let it leave on schedule.
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Most skin shows real change in one to three sessions, spaced about a month apart — noticeably fewer than standard IPL machines, because Lumecca runs at higher peak power. After that, one session a year keeps San Diego's sun from rebuilding its collection.
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Honestly: often no, and we'd rather tell you than treat you wrong. IPL targets pigment, so it can't reliably tell a sun spot from a tan or from deeper natural melanin. Your nurse screens first — and when Lumecca isn't your fit, PRX, Opus Plasma and our Bright Skin Peel are built for every tone. If what bothers you is visible vessels rather than brown pigment, Vasculaze runs at 1064 nm and is the vascular treatment that is safe on every skin tone.
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Melasma — the hormonal kind of pigmentation — is the big one; light can provoke it rather than clear it, so it belongs with our pigment-correcting peels instead. Deep wrinkles and skin laxity are collagen problems, which is Opus Plasma territory. Lumecca's lane is spots, sun damage and redness — and in that lane it's the best tool we have.
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It's skipped during pregnancy, on tanned or recently sun-exposed skin, alongside photosensitizing medications including isotretinoin and certain antibiotics, and on skin with an active infection or cold-sore flare. The screening at the start of your appointment sorts all of this before the first flash.
Book Lumecca in Hillcrest
Lumecca appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.
Explore Related Treatments
Opus Plasma Skin Resurfacing
Serious resurfacing with days of downtime, not weeks — fractional plasma tuned from gentle refresh to deep rebuild.
Resurface · Tighten · Smooth · Renew
Medically reviewed by Dr. James Veltmeyer, MD. Performed by the registered nurses of Satori Medical Aesthetics.
Opus Plasma Skin Resurfacing in San Diego
Opus Plasma is skin resurfacing for people who want serious-laser results without surrendering two weeks to recovery. Instead of drilling columns of laser energy down through the skin, Opus pairs fractional plasma with radiofrequency at the surface — thousands of micro-zones of controlled renewal that trigger fresh collagen while leaving far more skin untouched. The intensity tunes from light-peel gentle to CO2-laser strong, and the downtime stays a fraction of either.
It's built for the things time writes into skin: texture and fine lines, acne scarring, crepey neck and tech-neck lines, sun-worn chest and hands, even stretch marks. Texture and tone improve after a single session, while the deeper tightening builds over about three months as new collagen forms. Most plans run three sessions, four to six weeks apart — and most people are back to normal life by day five, not week three.
Tuned to Your Skin, Not a Preset
The same device runs from light-peel gentle to CO2-laser strong. Your nurse sets the intensity to your skin and your calendar — a weekend of recovery or a deeper rebuild, chosen deliberately.
Days of Downtime, Not Weeks
A sunburn feel for a day or two, light flaking around day three, presentable by day five. Traditional resurfacing asks for two weeks or more for comparable results.
Every Skin Type
With settings adjusted properly, Opus treats all skin tones — including deeper tones that many resurfacing lasers exclude outright.
Face, Neck, Chest & Hands
The plasma tips go where sun damage actually lives — tech-neck lines, crepey chest, weathered hands, even stretch marks — not just the face.
01 — Screening & Plan
Your nurse reviews your skin, your history and your goals — and just as important, your calendar. The depth of your treatment is planned around both your skin and how much recovery time you're willing to spend.
02 — Numbing
Topical numbing goes on and does its work for a while — this is most of your visit, and it's why the treatment itself feels far milder than it has any right to.
03 — The Settings
This is where Opus earns its keep: intensity, depth and coverage are dialed to your skin type and target — one setting for a pre-event refresh, a very different one for acne scarring or a deep rebuild.
04 — The Pass
The handpiece moves across each zone delivering thousands of fractional plasma micro-points — a full face takes about fifteen minutes. Expect heat and a prickling sensation, dulled well down by the numbing.
05 — Calm & Protect
Skin is cooled and finished with barrier-repair care and strict SPF instructions. You'll leave warm and pink, like a day in the sun you didn't plan.
06 — The Renewal
Days one and two feel like a sunburn; around day three the micro-zones flake away; by day five most people are presentable and back to everything. Texture improves within weeks — the tightening keeps building for three months as collagen remodels. Series of three, four to six weeks apart, for the full result.
Why Have Opus Plasma at Conjure
Energy-based resurfacing is exactly the kind of treatment that belongs in medical hands. At Conjure it happens in a dedicated medical room, performed by a registered nurse from Satori Medical Aesthetics with physician oversight — settings chosen by someone trained to read skin, not a preset menu. In Hillcrest, with free parking at the door.
And it sits inside a studio built for skin, so there's a right-sized option in both directions: if deep resurfacing is more than your skin needs, our chemical peels handle texture and tone the gentler way — and if zero downtime is the priority, PRX Biorevitalization delivers renewal with nothing to hide afterward.
FAQ
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You're numbed first, and that's most of the visit. During the pass itself you'll feel heat and a prickling sensation — noticeable, not gruelling — and the full face takes about fifteen minutes. Most people are surprised how quick it is.
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Here's the real timeline: days one and two feel and look like a sunburn. Around day three, the treated micro-zones flake away — that part you'll want a soft schedule for. By day five most people are presentable and back to everything. A deeper setting stretches that by a day or two; a lighter one shrinks it.
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Lasers drive columns of heat down through the skin — effective, but the recovery is measured in weeks. Opus creates its renewal zones at the surface using plasma and radiofrequency, leaving far more skin intact, which is why recovery is measured in days. And because the intensity is adjustable, one device covers the range from light refresh to near-CO2 results.
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The standard plan is three, spaced four to six weeks apart — texture improves after the first, and the collagen-driven tightening builds for about three months. A single lighter session works as a refresh before a big event; your nurse will tell you honestly which your skin calls for.
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Yes, with the settings adjusted properly — which is precisely why this treatment is performed by a medical professional and not a machine preset. Opus treats all skin types, including deeper tones that many resurfacing lasers rule out entirely.
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It's skipped during pregnancy, on skin with an active infection or cold-sore flare, after recent isotretinoin (Accutane) use, and with a history of keloid scarring. Retinoids pause the week before, and metal jewelry comes off for the treatment. Your nurse screens all of it before anything is switched on. Because the plasma is generated by radiofrequency, Opus is also skipped with pacemakers, AICDs or any implanted electronic device.
Book Opus Plasma in Hillcrest
Opus Plasma appointments are booked directly with the Satori medical team. Call or text 442.655.8617 and mention code CONJURE1 for preferred pricing. You'll be treated in the medical room at Conjure Skin Therapies, 1450 Washington Street, Hillcrest — free private parking at the door.