Secret Pro Explained: RF Microneedling and CO2 Laser for Firmer, Glass-Like Skin

Some evenings the conversation just flows. When Dr Yasmin Tayeb sat down for her first Instagram live alongside Dr Hannah Sunley, the plan was to talk about one machine. What came out was closer to a masterclass on how to rebuild skin from the inside, why winter is the right time to start, and how a single device can quietly do the work of several treatments at once.

That device is the Secret Pro. It pairs two clinically proven technologies in one platform: radiofrequency microneedling (often shortened to Secret RF) and fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. One works in the deeper layers of the skin to tighten and firm. The other resurfaces the very top to smooth texture and bring back a glow. Used together, and used thoughtfully, they treat the whole thickness of the skin rather than just the surface.

This post walks through how Secret Pro works, what it treats, what a session and its downtime actually feel like, and why so many of our patients are choosing it as the foundation of their skin plan rather than an add-on.

Two technologies, one device

Most skin concerns don't sit neatly on one layer. Laxity and thinning come from deep within the dermis. Rough texture, dullness, pigment and enlarged pores show up on the surface. Secret Pro is built to reach both.

The radiofrequency microneedling side uses very fine needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin, then delivers radiofrequency energy at a precise depth beneath the surface. Those tiny, controlled injuries kick off the skin's natural healing cascade, which is really the whole point. Dr Yasmin often describes ageing skin as a mattress whose springs have started to pop off, so the surface begins to sag and slope. The needling and the heat together prompt the skin to lay down fresh collagen and elastin, which is like putting the springs back in. Because the energy is delivered below the surface, RF microneedling is suitable for all skin tones, which is not true of every resurfacing option.

The CO2 laser side is a fractional, ablative resurfacing treatment. Rather than treating the whole surface in one go, it works in a grid of tiny columns and leaves healthy skin in between to speed healing. That fractional approach is a world away from the full ablation lasers of a decade ago, which came with weeks of downtime and real risk. This is far more tolerable and far more controllable. The CO2 works on the epidermal concerns: sun damage, pigment, fine lines, that stubborn crepey texture, and the final polish that gives skin its clarity.

Dr Hannah Sunley puts the division of labour simply. The microneedling and radiofrequency handle the dermal concerns, the firmness and the lift, while the CO2 sits on top and refines the surface. Together they make up a full treatment for the skin rather than a single fix.

What Secret Pro can treat

Because the settings are so adjustable, the range of concerns Secret Pro can address is genuinely wide. Skin laxity and early sagging respond well, particularly along the jawline, the neck and the jowls. Texture is where a lot of patients notice the biggest change, from general roughness to enlarged pores, and Dr Yasmin has been struck by how much the treatment tightens pores in particular. Sun damage and pigment that build up over a summer are a common autumn request, along with the simple wish to get the glow back into dull, tired skin.

Scarring and acne pitting

One of the strongest reasons Wellface brought Secret Pro in was scarring. Profhilo and skin boosters are wonderful for hydration and glow, but they were never going to fill or smooth a deep pitted scar. Dr Yasmin had one patient in mind, someone who had lived with deep acne scarring for twenty years and had beautiful bone structure but no glow to match. Even after a single treatment, those deep pits had improved noticeably. For very prominent scars, the CO2 laser can be layered over the top to work the surface texture directly.

Body treatments

Secret RF is not just a facial treatment. On the body it has been especially useful for caesarean scars and other surgical scars, where the aggressive redness often calms to white, the scar thins, and the skin above and below it becomes smoother and more uniform. It helps with stretch marks too, softening their colour, their raised texture and those dips and troughs that no cream will touch. And by adjusting the depth, a small amount of fat melting can be added, for example above a caesarean scar or under the chin, so the skin blends and tightens rather than sitting over a pocket of fullness.

The one thing to know about body work is that skin elsewhere is less vascular than the face, so it heals a little more slowly. Where the face might be red for hours, the tummy, arms or area above the knee can take roughly a week to settle, sometimes a touch longer in the drier winter months.

What a session is really like

The reputation of RF microneedling as a painful treatment doesn't hold up here. A numbing cream goes on for around 25 to 45 minutes, often with a mask over the top, and then the work begins. Because the needles enter and exit smoothly rather than stamping at the skin, there is no unnecessary heat, burning or aggression, and most patients find it very comfortable. Dr Yasmin is happy to say it does not sting the way Profhilo does. First-timers can feel unsure of what to expect, but most settle into it quickly, and plenty of patients treat their appointment as twenty minutes to sit still and chat.

Dr Yasmin works slow and steady by choice, especially with a new patient. Rather than doing everything at once, she likes to understand how a person's skin reacts, what suits their lifestyle and what actually bothers them, then build the plan around their priorities. That pace is part of how trust is built, and it tends to produce more natural, more bespoke results than treating a checklist.

Boosting the treatment: PRP, exosomes and hyaluronic acid

The micro-channels created during RF microneedling are also a perfect route to deliver actives straight into the skin. Dr Yasmin uses three options and has tried all three on her own face. Hyaluronic acid is her standard, drawing in hydration. PRP, the platelet-rich plasma drawn from your own blood, adds growth factors that push the skin's own repair. Exosomes are the newer option, rich in growth factors and amino acids, and in her experience they cut the redness and downtime most dramatically thanks to their soothing, healing effect. For someone who wants their glow with the least visible recovery, exosomes are often the answer.

Downtime you can actually plan around

This is where the combination really earns its place. On the face, the strongest redness tends to last around five hours, easing over the next day, with perhaps a few pink patches where the treatment was most thorough. Dr Yasmin describes 24 hours as the realistic maximum for most people, and it gets easier each time. After a first session she was red for a day. By her second she was out for dinner within a few hours. By the third the redness settled within two or three hours. As the skin's healing capacity and blood supply improve with each session, recovery shortens.

CO2 laser downtime depends entirely on how deep you go. A light peel might mean no downtime to a couple of days. A more aggressive, targeted treatment can mean five to ten days of visible recovery, with some flaking as the surface renews. Here is the clever part. When the RF microneedling has already done three rounds of deep work, the skin is in far better shape, so the CO2 does not need to be pushed as hard. Where a strong resurfacing might once have meant two or three weeks of redness, combining the treatments can condense that to around five to seven days. You can go stronger on one and gentler on the other, and tailor the whole thing to how much downtime a patient can genuinely spare.

For anyone new to all of this, Dr Yasmin's advice is to take it step by step. Start with a round of RF, understand what downtime means for you, then plan the CO2 as the finishing layer rather than doing everything at once.

Why timing and patience matter

Results build in stages, and knowing that saves a lot of second-guessing. In the first few days the skin looks and feels great thanks to the inflammatory response, which is exactly what you want because it is part of the healing cascade. Around three weeks in, some people start to wonder whether they are still seeing the benefit. Then the real change arrives between four and six weeks, as the deeper cellular work catches up and you notice firmer skin, more definition in the face, the jawline and the neck, and better lift.

Most people do a course of three treatments, spaced around six weeks apart, though some need an extra one or two depending on their skin and their goals. Starting a course in winter means the skin is being rebuilt exactly when you are covering up and wearing less makeup anyway, so by spring you can face the warmer months with SPF, a little mascara and not much else. Spring skin, as Dr Yasmin puts it, is made in winter.

There is a knock-on benefit worth understanding. When the skin is firmer and healthier, everything else you do works better and lasts longer. Anti-wrinkle injections hold up because you are no longer treating paper-thin skin. Profhilo sits better and its glow reads more clearly. And for a full rejuvenation plan, doing the Secret RF first often means fewer syringes of dermal filler are needed later, because well-supported skin shows and holds product far better than weak, lax skin. For that reason Dr Yasmin will frequently sequence skin health before injectables rather than the other way around.

Common questions about Secret Pro

Is it suitable for men?

Yes, and it is proving popular. Many men want to look healthier, brighter and more lifted without looking overdone or frozen, and this treatment does exactly that without softening their features or changing how their face moves. It is particularly good for pores, and Dr Yasmin now works especially thoroughly across the nose on male patients, where pores tend to be more visible.

Can it treat jowls and loose skin?

It can lift and firm the jowls and improve laxity along the jawline, but it is honest work, not a facelift. When patients pull their skin right up to show what they want, Dr Yasmin gently asks them to let a few fingers go, because the realistic gain is a millimetre or two of genuine lift rather than a surgical result. For a double chin, the surface skin can be tightened and, going deeper, a little fat melting added so the area blends smoothly.

Does it hurt?

Most people find it comfortable. With numbing cream and the smooth entry of the needles, it is far gentler than its reputation suggests and much easier to tolerate than a stinging injectable. First-timers may feel unsure at the start, but almost everyone relaxes into it.

How is it different from Profhilo or microneedling alone?

Profhilo and traditional microneedling are lovely for hydration and glow, but they cannot address deep scarring, significant laxity or pitted texture the way radiofrequency microneedling and CO2 laser can. Secret Pro reaches deeper and resurfaces the top, and it actually makes those other treatments perform better when they are used alongside it.

When will I see results?

Some improvement is visible within days, but the meaningful change comes at four to six weeks as new collagen forms. Over a course of three sessions, and the weeks that follow the final one, firmness, texture and lift continue to develop.

Book your Secret Pro consultation at Wellface

Every good Secret Pro plan starts with a proper conversation. At Wellface our doctors will look at your concerns, work out whether RF microneedling, CO2 laser or a combination of the two suits your skin, and map out a realistic timeline and downtime you can actually live with. Skin is personal, and the settings, the depth and the pace all get tailored to you.

If firmer, smoother, glass-like skin is on your list for the year ahead, come and see us at our clinics in Cobham, Esher or Wimbledon. Book a consultation and we will take it from there, one carefully judged step at a time.