While there are number of studies suggesting that lasers and RF do not affect fillers, a recent article by Dr. Weiss opened up the debate again. In his paper he stated that biopsies showed evidence of heating around the filler. It did not evaluated the changes in the filler volume over time. He concluded that the filler was at risk to be affected by the heat. Dr. Davin Lim’s recently published study contradicts Dr. Weiss, and showed with RFM, there was no affect on fillers (biopsy proved) at multiple different energy levels.
The heat from RF Microneedling reaches approximately 65-75 C for 100 msec to up to 3-4 seconds depending on the device and parameters used. This is the “hottest” version of RF delivery used in aesthetics. This compares to the sterilization process of the fillers at the (Galderma) manufacturing plant of 110-120 C for 15-20 minutes.
Lasers can heat the tissue to a higher level, up to 100 C, but again, it is for milliseconds at best.
Conclusion: There should be no concern regarding placement of HA fillers with RF Microneedling or lasers, at any level of the dermis or subcutanous planes on the same day. Furthermore, there will be no effect on previously placed HA filler. As a side note, PMMA has to be heated to 160 C to cause changes to it’s structure. While the exact temperature is unknown for calcium hydroxyapatite, it is significantly higher than HA, so it too is safe from RF and lasers.
