Sponsored by: Agnes Medical
Oculofacial plastic surgeon Jack Zamora, MD, has used external ultrasound energy devices, external radiofrequency (RF), and lasers for years at his aesthetic practice in Denver, Colo. He considers the FDA-approved Agnes RF the foundation of non-invasive facial sculpting at his practice.“I can truthfully say the Agnes [RF microneedling] stands apart,” he stated.
“Agnes allows us to deliver powerful levels of RF energy to significantly coagulate sub-dermal tissue in the safest way possible,” he noted.“We do use other RF microneedling devices for more superficial treatments; however, for deep yet non-invasive treatments, nothing delivers a visible arc plasma effect in the subdermal space like Agnes.”
Charles Kim, MD, a facial plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, Calif., has been using Agnes since 2017, along with external ultra-sound energy devices, RF, and lasers at his practice.
“Agnes is one of the most powerful tools a plastic surgeon can have to augment their surgical results,” Dr. Kim said.“The majority of facelift outcomes can benefit from minor refinements to further perfect and contour focal problem areas.”
The device’s larger insulated needles allow Dr. Zamora and staff to deliver energy that effectively treats skin and tissue in a safe manner.“We call it Agnes ‘Macroneeding,’” Dr. Zamora commented.
When done correctly, Agnes delivers visible and palpable skin contraction outcomes.
 Jack Zamora, MD Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon Denver, CO |
 Charles Kim, MD Facial Plastic Surgeon Los Angeles, CA |
“The Agnes device is easy to use and very precise. It allows us to be artists when performing our non-invasive sculpting procedures,” Dr. Zamora shared.“For patients who are wanting to have as much skin contraction as possible without surgery, I believe Agnes is the best option.”
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Dr. Zamora also uses the Agnes to enhance some of his surgical procedures, including to enhance difficult-to-treat jowls.
“I also enjoy the effect of contracting and reducing the posterior nasolabial fold tissue, treating lax malar tissue, festoons, loose brows, nasal sculpting, and loose earlobes. It really is a fun device to use,” he said.
Any patients who want nonsurgical skin contraction are candidates for Agnes. And, because Agnes RF energy is safely delivered through their proprietary insulated needles, Dr. Zamora feels comfortable treating up to Fitzpatrick skin type VI with success.
According to Dr. Kim, any patients with mild to moderate skin laxity or focal adiposity are good candidates.“In my practice, I use Agnes on most facelift patients three to six months after surgery to enhance the final results. Agnes works well to tighten the residual cervical laxity and reduce the subcutaneous fat,” he said. “Agnes is the best way to reduce the malar prominence that can result from facelift surgery and is perfect for the residual lower eyelid fat excess after lower blepharoplasty.”
An important best practice when using Agnes is to keep in mind that “just because some is good, more is not always better,” said Dr. Zamora, who has performed hundreds of Agnes procedures.
While he has rarely encountered any issues, the cases where he did experience problems were typically due to being overly aggressive with the treatment or the settings.
