It depends on how much skin is being treated. XERF energy is counted in shots, and the count follows the size of the treatment area. In the reel below, our provider answers the question clients ask most: the number of shots correlates with the area being treated, so a full face and neck takes more than a partial treatment. Here is what that means, why the count moves, and how the count for your own session is set at Skinsation LA in Los Angeles.
How many XERF shots do you get per treatment?
Our provider answers the question directly in the reel: "The number of shots correlates with the area of the face." A full face and neck is the full-coverage plan, so it takes more shots than any partial treatment. For anything smaller, the count comes down with the area: "If you're doing a partial treatment, it would be fewer shots based on the areas treated."
Two things follow from that. The count is a coverage number, not a target you hit or miss: a full face and neck covers more skin than any single zone within it, so it takes more shots to cover. And the number for your own session is set by your provider at the consult, based on the areas you are treating, not read off a list.
Why the treatment area sets the count
XERF is a non-invasive radiofrequency treatment. The handpiece glides across the treatment area in sections, delivering controlled RF energy deep into the skin, and it stays in motion so the heat sits in a therapeutic but comfortable range. Coverage is the whole job: every section of the area you are treating gets its share of energy, which is why the shot count rises and falls with the amount of skin involved.
That is also why a partial treatment exists as an option. XERF is used on the face, the neck, and select body areas, and the areas that fit your goals are discussed at your consult. Someone treating one zone, such as the neck on its own, is covering less skin than someone treating the full face and neck, so the session is planned with fewer shots.
The shot count for any individual session is set at an in-person assessment of the areas being treated. Nothing here replaces that assessment. — Dr. Lusanik Galustian, MD
Shots and sessions are two different numbers
Shots describe one visit. Sessions describe the series. A typical XERF plan is two to four sessions to build collagen, then yearly maintenance to keep the result; a single session gives a noticeable immediate lift, and the series is what builds lasting firmness. So the shot count describes each full face and neck visit, and how many of those visits your series runs is decided with you at the consult.
Each visit runs about an hour and a half. Makeup comes off, a thin layer of conductive gel goes on so the energy transmits evenly, and the treatment phase itself takes roughly 60 to 70 minutes as the handpiece works through the area in sections. The mild flush that follows typically fades within 30 to 60 minutes, and most clients go straight back to their day.
The shot count is a coverage number. It describes how much skin one session treats; the result is built by the series.
How we set the count for your session
The plan starts at a consult. XERF at Skinsation LA is performed by Holly Adamous, MSN, RN, FNP, with medical oversight from Dr. Galustian. Your provider looks at the areas you want to treat, walks through what a full face and neck or a partial treatment would cover, and sets the count and the series from there. RF energy works on the deeper layers of the skin without affecting melanin, so the conversation is the same across skin tones, including for people who cannot tolerate certain lasers.
- Which areas are in the plan. Full face and neck, or a partial treatment. The shot count follows this answer.
- How many sessions the series runs. A typical plan is two to four sessions, then yearly maintenance.
- What the visit looks like. About an hour and a half, with roughly 60 to 70 minutes of treatment time.
- Where pricing lands for your plan. Per-session pricing and package options are listed on our XERF page and confirmed at the consult.
Our office is on San Vicente Boulevard in Carthay Circle, and we see XERF clients from across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood.
Where XERF sits next to Forma and Morpheus8
If the shot count made you wonder whether a smaller treatment is enough, it helps to see the whole tightening tier. Forma is also non-invasive RF from an earlier device generation, with no recovery. Morpheus8 combines RF with microneedling for deeper remodeling and comes with two to three days of recovery. XERF and Forma sit in the no-recovery tier; Morpheus8 is the transformation tier. Which one fits, and how much of it, is the same conversation as the shot count.
- XERF energy is counted in shots, and the count follows the treatment area.
- In the reel, our provider explains that the count follows the areas treated: a full face and neck takes more shots than a partial treatment.
- Shots describe one visit. The series, typically two to four sessions and then yearly maintenance, builds the result.
- A visit runs about an hour and a half with 60 to 70 minutes of treatment; most clients go straight back to their day.
- The count for your session is set at a consult, by area, with Holly Adamous, MSN, RN, FNP, and medical oversight from Dr. Galustian.
This article is general education, not medical advice, and individual results vary. The number of XERF shots and sessions that fits you is a decision made at an in-person assessment of the areas being treated. — Dr. Lusanik Galustian, MD
View this reel on Instagram
