If you’ve been reading my blog and newsletters since launch last April, you’ve probably come to know that I’m a self-professed beauty junkie and treatment guinea pig. Besides working on my soon-to-be-named-and-later-released skincare line for teenagers (more on that soon!), I write about beauty for a living, and let’s say that you can’t knock it until you try it—right? So rather than knocking a product or treatment that I don’t care for or see any results from, I choose only to cover and include what I genuinely like.

One of those treatments that I love and give the truth about is Vivace. I first discovered the microneedling and radiofrequency treatment back in 2018 (it seems like a lifetime ago) when the device was launching in dermatologist’s offices across the country. Microneedling with PRP (a.k.a. the Vampire Facial that Kim Kardashian West—is she still a West—made famous in literally 15 seconds) was the treatment du jour but standing right behind it was Vivace. Instead of drawing blood and applying it all over the face for a rejuvenating benefit, this microneedling treatment makes use of radiofrequency energy, which is a hell of a lot less messy and equally as effective.

My first treatment was a few months before my wedding. I wanted my skin to look as smooth as silk with nary a detectable pore on my nose. Also, I knew I could benefit from a bit of pigment correction and tightening, both of which Vivace is excellent.

It isn’t surgery, nor will it replace the need for regular Botox, fillers, or your everyday skincare, but it will leave you looking smoother, more evenly toned, and refined. Plus, it stimulates collagen production and lends a tightening effect to the skin, too.

But back to the treatment. I have a reasonably high threshold for pain—my friend and former publisher, Steffanie, always asks how I never cringe when I get poked and prodded with needles during Botox—so I didn’t expect the Vivace treatment to register that high. Plus, the dermatologist who performed the treatment—the uber-talented and tres chic Dr. Jordana Herschthal in Boca Raton, FL—numbed me up well, so there’s no way I was able to feel the needles creating microscopic holes in my skin.

As I laid back and let everyone do their thing, I couldn’t believe how easy the procedure was. I even left the appointment looking slightly flush, almost as if I had just run a marathon, which anyone who knows me knows is like watching pigs fly. It’s just never going to happen.

I tacked a second treatment on about six weeks later, and by my wedding day, my skin was sheer perfection—glowy, smooth, clear, and pretty much poreless (yes, they were still there, but you would have to use a microscope to find them).

It’s been a few years since the initial treatments, and like everyone, COVID did a number on my skin and emotions. I needed a little pick-me-up—nothing majorly intense or painful, but a little zhush that would tighten everything up and make me glow again. So I thought for all of 30 seconds before deciding on another Vivace, and man, am I glad I did.

I’m just about a month out post-treatment, and I already see tauter cheeks, more firmness on my jawline (that’s my new bone of contention), and crystal clear, minuscule pores. This time around, the only thing I noticed was a bit of dark scabbing—or what we in the industry like to call ‘the coffee grinds,’ which is nothing more than minimal skin flaking and a sign that the treatment is working.

If you want to see the treatment in action, and the result, head over to my Instagram. In the meantime, I’m already counting down the days until I can get my next Vivace.