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\u201cAre you turning me into a robot?\u201d I ask David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, as he places an oversized adhesive bandage connected to a cord on my lower back\u2026and plugs it in. No, this isn\u2019t The Jetsons<\/em>, and no, I\u2019m not in an AI lab.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and instead of heading to the airport for a flight to see my family for the holiday, I\u2019m at Dr. Kim\u2019s office getting ready for my first XERF treatment. (Don\u2019t worry, I totally went home for Christmas.)<\/p>\n XERF is a radio-frequency (RF) skin-tightening device by Cynosure Lutronic, which also makes the Genesis and PicoSure Pro brightening lasers, as well as Clarity II for hair removal. XERF made its debut in South Korea in 2024, but it wasn\u2019t FDA-cleared for use in the US until last August. Unlike drugs, devices don\u2019t need the FDA\u2019s approval<\/em>, which requires proof of both minimal risk and meaningful benefit; but they do need its clearance, which requires proof of only minimal risk or similarity to an existing device.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever engaged with (or even thought of) in-office aesthetics content, you\u2019ve probably seen XERF on your feed since the device arrived in the US. It already has celebrity fans, such as Kim Kardashian. (Incidentally, she also helped push skin-tightening devices Morpheus and Sofwave to prominence with her social media thumbs-up, which some believe was not an entirely organic endorsement.)<\/p>\n All that said, as a 35-year-old beauty editor who has tried more than a few in-office skin treatments over the past decade in an effort to flatten fine lines and tighten my jawline, I had no concerns about trying this new option\u2014with a board-certified dermatologist, of course. They had me at \u201cKorean\u201d and \u201cno downtime.\u201d Here\u2019s everything you need to know about XERF, including its benefits, possible side effects, pricing, and more.<\/p>\n XERF, which is a shortened version of eXperience Exponential RF, is a monopolar radio-frequency device designed for non-invasive skin-tightening and rejuvenation. \u201cIn monopolar systems, energy travels from a single treatment tip into the deeper layers of the skin and exits through a grounding pad placed elsewhere on the body,\u201d explains Jenna Queller, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Boca Raton, Florida. \u201cThis allows for deeper penetration of heat compared to other [systems].\u201d<\/p>\n She continues, \u201cWhat makes XERF unique and, honestly, quite interesting from a science standpoint, is that it uses dual frequencies\u20146.78 MHz and 2 MHz\u2014to deliver energy at multiple depths of the skin simultaneously.\u201d Most other tightening devices use one frequency and can thereby work on only one layer of skin at a time. Dr. Queller has not yet invested in XERF for her practice, but she has reviewed its clinical studies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a refinement of existing radio-frequency technology in which they’re delivering radio-frequency energy from the surface of the skin using two frequencies intended to heat multiple tissue depths simultaneously,\u201d says Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. In her opinion, though, \u201cthis is not exactly a brand-new scientific breakthrough. Radio-frequency energy has been used for many, many years, if not decades at this point.\u201d Like Dr. Queller, she has not brought the machine into her office yet: \u201cI always hesitate to treat my patients with a device that hasn\u2019t been around long,\u201d she says. \u201cI generally wait at least six months to a year to make sure the results are consistent, and there are no unexpected risks.\u201d<\/p>\n But let\u2019s get back to XERF, specifically, in which the dual frequencies have two different jobs: tightening (targeting fine lines) and lifting (triggering collagen remodeling). As Dr. Kim explains it, \u201cat 6.87 MHz, [the RF energy] goes very superficially, so it helps tighten the skin, but 2 MHz goes down deeper\u201d to the subcutaneous layer where collagen is produced. The RF energy is delivered into the skin via an oversized flat tip that produces heat while also emitting cooling gas for comfort\u2014so there\u2019s no numbing, needles, or pain. That last part is particularly impressive because I\u2019ve tried RF with microneedling in the past\u2014like the Cutera Secret RF\u2014and it left me in tears. XERF didn\u2019t. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat is XERF?<\/strong><\/h2>\n