Treatment comparison
NeoGen Nitrogen Plasma vs Fractora RF Microneedling
NeoGen nitrogen plasma compared with Fractora RF microneedling in Newark. Needle-free resurfacing against deeper radiofrequency, and which suits which concern.
Side by side
At a glance
| Compare | NeoGen Nitrogen Plasma | Fractora RF Microneedling |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment type | Nitrogen plasma resurfacing, needle-free | Fractional radiofrequency microneedling |
| How it works | Radiofrequency turns nitrogen gas into plasma, which delivers controlled heat across the whole skin surface. Nothing enters the skin and no colour target is needed for the energy to be absorbed | A matrix of 600-micron pins delivers radiofrequency into the dermis, creating ablative micro-lesions at the pin tips and a thermal zone beneath them in a single pulse |
| Main concerns | Fine lines, crow's feet and eyelid skin, lines around the mouth, texture, photodamage | Acne scarring, skin texture, enlarged pores, fine lines, laxity, pigmentation |
| Depth of effect | The skin surface and the layer immediately beneath it. New collagen was found at a mean depth of 72.3 microns on biopsy three months after three low-energy sessions | Ablation at 250 to 1000 microns; thermal effect to 2.7mm depth |
| Can it treat the eyelid | Yes, closer to the lash line than a needling device safely reaches. This is the reason it is on the menu | No. The pins cannot be taken to the lash line |
| Downtime | Several days of redness, dryness and flaking. Re-epithelialisation by day four and redness for six days on average at low energy, four to six days at high energy | 2 to 5 days: micro-lesions and redness typically settling within one week |
| Sessions | Three to six sessions, three to six weeks apart. Our course prices buy three | 1 to 6 sessions depending on the concern and energy protocol |
| Discomfort | Warm pulses at lower settings. Uncomfortable at higher settings, where topical anaesthetic is applied first | Topical anaesthetic applied; manageable at standard settings |
| Strength of evidence | Small. One randomised controlled trial of eighteen people on the eye area, and single-arm studies of eight, nine and eleven patients | Stronger. Independent clinical data shows 65% average improvement in skin texture and wrinkles at six months from a single full-face treatment |
| Availability | Introduced with Energist's head of UK training overseeing every treatment, so sessions are planned around her clinic days | Available at any appointment |
| Price from | From £350 per session for the smallest areas. Price depends on the area treated | From £400 per session |
The science
How each treatment works
NeoGen Nitrogen Plasma
Radiofrequency passes through medical-grade nitrogen and ionises it into plasma. The handpiece releases that plasma as short thermal pulses, and your skin absorbs the energy at the surface. A laser or IPL needs a colour to aim at, a vessel or a patch of pigment. Plasma needs nothing. The energy lands evenly across everything the handpiece passes over, so the whole treated area is covered with no untreated skin left between microcolumns. Nothing is vaporised either. Your outer layer dries out and stays where it is, working as a dressing while new skin builds underneath, and separates on its own over the following days. No needle enters the skin at any point, which is what lets your clinician work up to the lash line. Patients often confuse this with our Plaxel+ plasma pen. That device draws a fine electrical arc to mark individual points and lift a small area of skin, and it is a shorter, cheaper, more local treatment.
Full NeoGen Nitrogen Plasma details →Fractora RF Microneedling
Fractora uses a handpiece containing a matrix of 600-micron pins to deliver fractional radiofrequency energy precisely into the dermis. At 1kHz, the RF current creates two simultaneous effects in a single pulse. First, ablative micro-lesions form at each pin tip, resurfacing texture, acne scarring and pigmented damage at a depth of 250 to 1000 microns depending on the energy setting selected. Second, as the current flows from the pin tips to the flat side electrodes, it exposes the entire non-ablated papillary and reticular dermis to a sub-necrotic thermal effect, reaching 2.7mm depth at 46 to 51 degrees Celsius. This heat stimulates neo-collagenesis and neo-elastosis, the formation of new collagen and new elastin, in the tissue between the ablation craters. Re-epithelialisation is complete within 48 hours; the deeper collagen remodelling continues for several months. Because the depth and energy are tunable, the treatment can be calibrated to your specific concern and Fitzpatrick skin type. The same tunable energy allows treatment on the body as well as the face, including the abdomen, where Lydia uses it to remodel stretch marks and the skin laxity that can follow pregnancy.
Full Fractora RF Microneedling details →Clinical perspective
Which is right for you?
Come to us about scarring and we will point you at Fractora
Fractora carries the stronger evidence and starts at £400 per session. NeoGen starts at £350 for a small area, but a full face course of three is £1,650, so it undercuts Fractora only on the smallest areas, and only by £50.
We are not writing this to win an argument for the device we happen to have brought in. Radiofrequency microneedling reaches deeper, has been in clinical use far longer, and has independent data showing measured improvement six months after a single session. Set that against NeoGen's literature and the gap is obvious: eight patients in one study, nine in another, eleven in a third, most of it published between 2007 and 2009 on the predecessor device. Those are real findings and we cite them on the treatment page. They are not the same weight of evidence, and rounding them up would be the easy thing to do here. If your concern is texture or scarring, and needles are not the obstacle, Fractora is the recommendation.
Where NeoGen earns its place
Nothing enters the skin during a NeoGen treatment, so your clinician can work up to the lash line, which a needling device cannot safely do.
Crow's feet and crepey eyelid skin are among the most common things patients raise with us and among the hardest to resurface. Needles cannot safely go that close to the eye. Light-based devices need a colour to aim at. Plasma needs neither, and the device's best evidence sits in exactly that spot: a randomised trial treated one side of eighteen faces over three sessions, and evaluators blinded to which side was which scored the treated one better for lines and for pigmentation. Energist helped fund that study, which you should weigh when you read it. The second reason is plainer. Some people will not have needles in their face, and that is a reasonable position rather than one to argue them out of.
Book either of these into a quiet week
Fractora leaves visible micro-lesions and redness for two to five days. NeoGen's low-energy study recorded re-epithelialisation at four days, redness at six on average, and nine days to settle after the first session.
Nitrogen plasma is marketed as the low-downtime option and the studies do not quite support the way that gets said. At gentler settings your skin reddens, dries and flakes, with the dried layer holding over the new skin while it forms. At higher settings it bronzes first and then peels. Neither device belongs in the week before a wedding. The useful difference is how the recovery is distributed: a NeoGen course spreads it across three or more visits three to six weeks apart, while Fractora concentrates more change, and more recovery, into fewer appointments.
Finding the right fit
Who each treatment suits
NeoGen Nitrogen Plasma
- Adults whose main concern is crow's feet, eyelid skin or the vertical lines above the lip, where a needling device cannot safely reach
- Adults who want resurfacing without any needle entering the skin, for whatever reason
- Those who can plan treatment around the clinic days of our Energist trainer, and around several visible days of recovery
Fractora RF Microneedling
- Adults with moderate to significant acne scarring, established texture change or laxity, where depth of effect matters most
- Those who want the treatment with the stronger independent evidence behind it
- Those who would rather concentrate change into fewer appointments and can book at any time
Common questions
Frequently asked
Which is better, NeoGen or Fractora?
Is NeoGen cheaper than Fractora?
Can I have both?
Which has less downtime?
Why does the evidence gap matter?
Is NeoGen suitable for darker skin tones?
Is NeoGen the same as the plasma pen you offer?
Related reading
Go deeper
Explore each treatment
Read the full treatment details
65 London Road, Newark
Still not sure which is right for you?
Your clinician will assess your skin, talk through both options and give you an honest recommendation, including if neither is the right choice. No obligation to proceed.
Medically reviewed by Dr Shahe Boghossian, Medical Consultant, GMC 5204600. Last reviewed 16 Aug 2026. Page updated 22 Aug 2026.
