- Doctor-led every injectable performed by a doctor
- 8 years on Harley Street
- 50,000+ patients treated
- 4.9 Google rating
Tixel® is a thermo-mechanical skin resurfacing treatment for crepey eyelids, under-eye lines, fine wrinkles, uneven texture, acne scarring and sun damage. At Dr Elif Clinic, 54 Harley Street, London, Tixel is led by dermatologist Dr Elif Benar, who has used the device since 2018, has led more than 5,000 Tixel treatments and trains other doctors in Tixel. Because Tixel is a skin treatment, it is planned by a skin specialist: every treatment plan and every setting is chosen for your skin, your area and your downtime, rather than a single “standard” programme.
Tixel® at Dr Elif Clinic at a glance
- Lead doctor: Dr Elif Benar, dermatologist and clinic founder
- Tixel experience: using Tixel since 2018 · more than 5,000 Tixel treatments
- Training: Dr Elif trains other doctors in Tixel
- Areas treated: upper and lower eyelids, under-eye crepey skin, full face, neck, décolletage, acne scars
- Session time: 15–25 minutes after numbing cream
- Downtime: redness for a few days; fine micro-crusting for up to a week
- Course: usually 2–4 sessions, a few weeks apart
- Where: 54 Harley Street, London W1G 9PZ
What is Tixel?
Tixel is made by Novoxel (Israel) and uses what the manufacturer calls Thermo-Mechanical Action (TMA). Its tip is a 10 × 10 mm titanium plate carrying 81 tiny pyramid-shaped pins, heated to about 400 °C. The tip touches the skin for only milliseconds (typically 5–18 ms), creating a grid of microscopic channels while the skin between them stays intact. The body’s healing response then renews the surface and stimulates new collagen.
Tixel is not a laser, radiofrequency or ultrasound device: it transfers heat by direct contact. Because it does not rely on light being absorbed by pigment, it gives the doctor very fine control of depth and heat, which is one reason it is widely used around the eyes. In the USA, Tixel is FDA-cleared for ablation and resurfacing of the skin.
- Fine lines and wrinkles on the face
- Crepey, loose skin of the upper and lower eyelids (often described as “non-surgical blepharoplasty”)
- Crepey skin of the neck, décolletage, hands and arms
- Acne scarring and uneven texture
- Enlarged pores
- Sun damage, age spots and uneven skin tone
- Stretch marks
Why Tixel experience matters more than owning the device
With Tixel, the result depends heavily on the settings. The doctor chooses how far the pins protrude (depth), how long they touch the skin (pulse duration), how many passes are made and whether the treatment is ablative, non-ablative or a gentle “open channel” treatment. Eyelid skin, cheek skin and neck skin need very different combinations. More energy is not automatically better: overly aggressive settings raise the risk of prolonged redness, crusting and pigment change without improving the result.
Having led more than 5,000 Tixel treatments since 2018, Dr Elif adjusts these settings zone by zone within the same session. The table below shows the principles she follows.
| Area | Typical concern | How we approach the settings |
|---|---|---|
| Upper eyelids | Crepey, slightly hooded skin | Most conservative settings on the thinnest skin in the body; eyes protected throughout; improvement built gradually over several sessions |
| Lower eyelids and under-eye | Crepey skin, fine lines, dark, thin-looking skin | Gentle, carefully spaced passes; combined planning with volume or skin-quality treatments if hollowing is the real cause |
| Crow’s feet and around the mouth | Etched fine lines | Moderate settings focused on the lines themselves |
| Full face | Texture, dullness, fine lines, sun damage | Settings changed zone by zone within one session, reflecting skin thickness in each area |
| Acne scars | Rolling and boxcar scars, uneven texture | Deeper settings and a longer course, sometimes combined with other scar treatments |
| Neck and décolletage | Crepey skin, sun damage | Conservative settings: these areas heal more slowly than the face |
| Pigmentation-prone or darker skin | Uneven tone, risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation | Lower-heat, non-ablative approach, skin preparation and longer intervals |
Tixel around the eyes: upper and lower eyelids
Eyelid skin is the thinnest skin on the body, and the eyelid sits directly over the eye itself. Because Tixel is a skin treatment, the most relevant expertise is dermatological: understanding skin thickness, how skin heals, pigmentation and scarring. As a dermatologist who has led more than 5,000 Tixel treatments, Dr Elif assesses the eye area as a whole before recommending Tixel: skin quality, degree of laxity, under-eye hollowing, fat pads, pigmentation and brow position.
Tixel is excellent for crepey skin and mild to moderate laxity of the eyelids. It is not a replacement for surgery when there is a large amount of excess skin, prominent fat bags or a drooping eyelid (ptosis). In those cases we will tell you honestly and, where appropriate, recommend a surgical opinion. When under-eye hollowing is the main problem, a volume or skin-quality treatment such as our Wrinkle-Free Under Eye Treatment™ or tear trough treatment may be more appropriate than Tixel alone.
Who carries out your Tixel treatment?
Every Tixel patient at Dr Elif Clinic is assessed by a doctor first. Dr Elif Benar decides whether Tixel is right for you, which areas to treat and which settings to use. Treatments are then carried out by Dr Elif or by a laser-trained therapist working to her protocol and under her supervision, so every course follows a dermatologist’s plan.
The clinic has two dermatologists on site, Dr Elif Benar and Dr Hasan Benar, so a doctor is always available if your skin needs review during or after the course.
Tixel or another resurfacing treatment?
A good Tixel doctor should also be able to tell you when Tixel is not the best choice. Because Dr Elif Clinic offers a wide range of energy-based treatments under one roof, we can recommend the treatment that fits your skin rather than the one machine we own.
| If your main concern is… | We may recommend | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crepey eyelids, fine lines, texture with limited downtime | Tixel | Precise, shallow resurfacing with fast recovery |
| Deep wrinkles, significant sun damage, when a week or more of downtime is acceptable | CO₂ laser | Stronger resurfacing in one session, with longer recovery |
| Acne scars and texture | Acne scar treatment, fractional laser or Tixel | Scar type decides the tool; many patients need a combination |
| Skin laxity of the lower face and jawline | Morpheus8, AI-RF microneedling or XERF | Deeper heating for tightening rather than surface renewal |
| Sagging and jowls | Endolift / Endoskin® or HIFU | Tightening from beneath the skin |
| Redness, freckles and uneven tone | laser treatments for redness and freckles or pigmentation treatment | Targets colour rather than texture |
Tixel or fractional CO₂ laser?
Tixel produces far less charring (carbonisation) than CO₂ laser, so the skin has less damaged tissue to clear. Its pyramid-shaped pins also leave narrow, V-shaped micro-channels, while a laser beam leaves wider U-shaped ones; the V-shaped channels close faster. In practice this means shorter, more predictable recovery, which is especially useful around the eyes. CO₂ laser remains the stronger option for deep wrinkles in a single session, and Dr Elif will explain which suits you.
Tixel for darker skin types
Tixel does not target pigment, which makes it a useful option for many skin types, but post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) can still occur, especially in Fitzpatrick skin types IV–VI or with aggressive settings. For pigmentation-prone skin, Dr Elif uses gentler, lower-heat settings, prepares the skin beforehand where needed, allows longer gaps between sessions and places strict emphasis on sun protection afterwards. If another treatment carries less pigment risk for your skin, we will say so.
Side effects, risks and how we reduce them
Most patients have only short-lived redness, warmth and fine micro-crusting. Less common problems include prolonged redness, swelling around the eyes, pigment changes, infection, cold-sore flare-ups and, rarely, burns or scarring. We reduce these risks by:
- a doctor’s assessment of your skin type, medical history and medications before any treatment
- choosing the lowest settings that will achieve your goal, not the maximum
- asking about cold sores in advance, as preventive antiviral treatment may be advised
- avoiding treatment on tanned, infected or recently irritated skin
- written aftercare, a post-treatment review appointment and a direct line to the clinic by WhatsApp or phone if you are worried
What to expect: session, downtime and number of treatments
Numbing cream is applied to cleansed skin for comfort. After disinfection, the treatment itself takes 15–25 minutes. Most patients feel heat and some discomfort, similar to sunburn, which settles quickly.
Expect redness for a few days and fine micro-crusting for up to a week, which can usually be covered with make-up once the skin has settled. Avoid active tanning for 3 weeks before and after treatment and use a high-SPF sunscreen every day afterwards. Most people need 2–4 sessions spaced a few weeks apart; Dr Elif will recommend the number for your skin and area.
When will I see results?
The skin usually looks fresher and smoother once the micro-crusts clear, about one to two weeks after treatment. Because Tixel works by stimulating new collagen, improvement in lines, crepey skin and texture continues to build over the following two to three months and across the course of treatments. For that reason, the photos worth comparing are those taken weeks or months after treatment, not immediately afterwards, when redness and swelling can make skin look temporarily smoother.
Tixel before and after
Individual results vary. Photos are shown after healing, not immediately after treatment.
About Dr Elif Benar
Dr Elif Benar is a dermatologist and the founder of Dr Elif Clinic at 54 Harley Street, London. She has 15 years of experience in aesthetic dermatology and has used Tixel since 2018, leading more than 5,000 Tixel treatments on the eyelids, face, neck and body. She also trains other doctors in Tixel. Dr Elif is a member of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), the American Academy of Dermatology, the Turkish Dermatology Association and the Turkish Medical Association.
She works alongside dermatologist Dr Hasan Benar, co-author with Dr Elif of a peer-reviewed study on a combination skin-tightening treatment published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2024). Meet the team.
How to choose a Tixel doctor in London
Many clinics own a Tixel device; far fewer use it every week across different areas and skin types. These are the questions we suggest asking any clinic, including ours:
| Question | Why it matters | At Dr Elif Clinic |
|---|---|---|
| How many Tixel treatments has the doctor led, and for how long? | Settings drive the result; experience across many cases matters most | Since 2018, more than 5,000 treatments |
| Does the doctor teach Tixel to other doctors? | Teaching usually reflects deep device knowledge | Dr Elif trains other doctors in Tixel |
| Who will actually treat me, especially around the eyes? | Being assessed by a doctor and treated by the same person is not always the case | Every patient is assessed by Dr Elif; treatment by Dr Elif or a laser-trained therapist under her supervision |
| Is the treatment led by a dermatologist? | Tixel is a skin-resurfacing treatment: skin thickness, healing, pigmentation and scarring are a dermatologist’s field | Led by dermatologist Dr Elif Benar, with a second dermatologist on site |
| Can the clinic offer alternatives if Tixel is not right? | A single-device clinic may recommend the device it owns | CO₂, fractional laser, Morpheus8, RF microneedling, XERF, HIFU and Endolift in-house |
| How is my skin type assessed? | Darker skin needs a different approach to avoid pigmentation | Fitzpatrick assessment and adapted settings |
| What happens if something goes wrong? | Complications are rare but must be recognised early | Review appointment, direct WhatsApp/phone line, two dermatologists on site |
| Can I see results weeks or months after treatment? | Immediate photos flatter because of redness and swelling | Results shown after healing, with consistent lighting and angles |
Tixel prices
Tixel prices depend on the areas treated and the number of sessions in your course. For current prices, see our full price list or book a consultation at 54 Harley Street.
Tixel FAQs
Every Tixel patient is assessed by a doctor. Dr Elif Benar, a dermatologist, sets the treatment plan and settings, and treatments are carried out by Dr Elif or by a laser-trained therapist working to her protocol and under her supervision.
Dr Elif has used Tixel since 2018 and has led more than 5,000 Tixel treatments at 54 Harley Street, London. She also trains other doctors in Tixel.
Tixel is widely used on the upper and lower eyelids because its depth and heat can be controlled very precisely. Eyelid skin is extremely thin, so it should be treated by an experienced doctor using conservative settings, with the eyes protected throughout.
Tixel improves crepey skin and mild to moderate laxity of the eyelids. It cannot remove a large amount of excess skin, fat bags or a drooping eyelid; in those cases a surgical opinion is more appropriate, and we will tell you so.
Most patients need 2–4 sessions spaced a few weeks apart. Acne scars and deeper lines may need more. Dr Elif recommends the number after assessing your skin.
Expect redness for a few days and fine micro-crusting for up to a week, which can usually be covered with make-up once settled. Avoid tanning for 3 weeks before and after treatment and use high-SPF sunscreen daily.
Numbing cream is applied first. Most patients feel heat and some discomfort, similar to sunburn, during the 15–25 minute treatment; this settles quickly.
Tixel does not target pigment, so it can be used on many skin types, but post-inflammatory pigmentation is still possible in darker skin. We use gentler settings, skin preparation and longer intervals, or suggest a safer alternative if needed.
Tixel causes less charring and heals faster, which suits the eyes and patients with limited downtime. CO2 laser is stronger for deep wrinkles in a single session but has a longer recovery. Dr Elif Clinic offers both, so we recommend the better fit for you.
Tixel mainly renews the skin surface and improves texture, fine lines and crepey skin. Morpheus8 and other RF microneedling treatments heat deeper to tighten lax skin. Some patients benefit from both at different times.
Skin usually looks fresher within one to two weeks, once micro-crusts clear. Collagen-related improvement continues to build over two to three months and across the course.
Tixel is not suitable during pregnancy, on infected or tanned skin, during an active cold sore, or soon after isotretinoin treatment. Tell us about keloid scarring, pigmentation problems and all medications at your consultation.
Tixel prices depend on the areas treated and the number of sessions in your course. Current prices are on our price list, and your doctor confirms the cost of your plan at consultation.
