Tixel

No. Tixel does not use light. A titanium tip heated to about 400°C touches the skin very briefly and delivers heat directly. This method is called TMA (Thermo-Mechanical Action). Unlike with a laser, there is no step in which water or pigment in the skin absorbs light.

Each touch of the tip may bring a stinging, hot sensation, and how strong it feels varies from person to person. Tixel usually starts without numbing cream. For stronger settings, or if you are sensitive to heat, numbing cream is applied for 20–30 min before treatment. If it feels too hot or painful during treatment, tell us right away.

Tixel treatment usually takes about 10 min for the eye area and 15–30 min for the full face and neck. This does not include time waiting for numbing cream. If numbing cream is used, applying it and waiting adds another 20–30 min. We tell you the exact time at the examination, after the areas and intensity are decided.

Redness and swelling usually settle within 1–3 days, and small grid-patterned scabs come off within 3–7 days. You can wash your face from the evening of the treatment day and wear makeup from the next day. After a stronger treatment, wait 2 days before wearing makeup, and skip saunas and exercise that makes you sweat for 2–3 days. Recovery time varies from person to person with the intensity and your skin condition.

Typically, 3–4 sessions about 4 weeks apart. We schedule the next session after the redness and scabs have settled. After that, some people have 1 maintenance session every 6–12 months. DM Dermatology sets the number of sessions and the interval after an examination.

Triple Pore Care, Rejuran, and Potenza work differently from Tixel and have different goals. So they are sometimes planned together, depending on your skin. If wrinkles are deeply folded or the skin sags significantly, we also discuss other treatments. Whether to have them on the same day or at intervals is decided after an examination, based on your skin.

After the heat stimulus, it takes several weeks for new collagen to form in the dermis. So changes appear gradually as the sessions add up. We review progress at about 1–3 months after the last session. The degree of change varies from person to person.

Yes. Tixel is often used for fine lines around the eyes. Eyelid skin is among the thinnest on the face, so we start at a low intensity and treat with your eyes closed. Rarely, your eyes may feel dry or watery after treatment. Puffiness from under-eye fat is not a concern Tixel addresses, so we first tell the two apart in an examination.

Yes, Tixel is also used on horizontal neck lines. Neck skin is thinner than facial skin and tends to heal more slowly, so it is treated at a low intensity without overlapping passes on the same spot. If the lines are deeply folded, we also discuss other treatments. The degree of change varies from person to person.

Fraxel is one type of fractional laser: laser light is absorbed by water in the skin, and this creates heat. With Tixel, heat passes directly from a heated tip, without light. Both create tiny, closely spaced heat points in the skin. Which one suits you depends on how deep your concern is and how much time you can give to recovery.

Tixel is sometimes used to address shallow acne marks, rough texture, and visible pores together. For deep, depressed scars, one method alone may make little difference, so scar treatments are sometimes planned alongside it. We first examine the type and depth of the scars, then decide.

DM Dermatology is at 4F, 158 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is a 2-minute walk from Apgujeong Station (Line 3) Exit 5. We offer Tixel for three areas: the eye area, the full face, and neck lines. At your first visit, we check your skin thickness and concerns first, then plan your treatment.