What is microneedling and what does it do for your skin?
Microneedling is a minimally-invasive technique, used to stimulate your skin to rejuvenate itself by using its natural wound healing process to produce healthy new cells and collagen to support the skin. It is also known as Collagen Induction Therapy, or C.I.T.
It helps improve the texture of your skin, it reduces fine lines and wrinkles and helps with scarring and uneven pigmentation.
Microneedling, especially with the SkinPen device that I use, creates precise, controlled depth micro-injuries that initiate the body’s natural wound healing response.
Damaged tissue starts to breakdown, and healthy new cells start to repair and re-model the skin.
Microneedling achieves good results with less downtime.
It works by targeting three types of skin cells.
The keratinocytes which improve your skin smoothness and barrier function, the melanocytes, which give a more even skin tone and the fibroblasts, the real power houses of skin, which stimulate the production of elastin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid – this is what gives skin its firmness and hydration.
So, by targeting these three skin cells, we achieve smoother, plumper, more even toned skin, with fewer lines and wrinkles.
It can be used on the face, neck and décolletage, and I recommend treating the skin of the neck as well, because this is where we might see ageing changes even before we see them on the face, as the skin is so much thinner.
How long does it take to see results from microneedling?
The results from Microneedling show from 3 to 6 months after the last treatment.
New collagen reaches it peak by about 3 months after treatment, and the complete results are visible from around 6 months after the last session of treatment.
Microneedling is especially effective for fine lines and sun damaged skin.
A course of treatments can be combined in a treatment plan with other treatments such as LED, chemical peels, neurotoxins and mesotherapy.
How often is microneedling required?
A course of microneedling usually consists of a treatment every 4 weeks for at least 3 to 6 sessions.
What are the risks involved in microneedling?
As with any procedure, safety is of paramount importance, as there are potential side effects and risks of treatment.
To minimise these, I do a full medical consultation with you, and we develop a treatment plan targeted to your concerns.
I apply my expertise and medical standards to all treatments to minimise risks of side effects.
The treatment pays attention to asepsis, techniques to minimise the risks of infection.
The SkinPen needling cartridges are single use, so are only ever used on one patient.
The skin is cleansed with an antibacterial solution before the treatment and I give after-care advice on how to look after your skin for the first few days after the treatment.
Some people find microneedling uncomfortable, and I can apply topical anaesthetic to numb the skin and make it more comfortable. Good technique ensures that there is no excessive skin injury or tearing.
One of the later onset side effects of microneedling include hyperpigmentation as a result of inflammation, even though microneedling is less associated with this than some other treatments.
To reduce this risk, everyone has to use sun protection or SPF and appropriate aftercare products.
Once I’ve completed a full assessment, if I feel that pigment suppression treatment is safer for you, I will recommend skincare products for you to use for a few weeks before, during and after your course of treatment This is more likely for patients with darker skin tones.
Prices vary depending on the condition being treated, and microneedling treatments may be alternated with chemical peels, skin bio-remodelling, skin boosters and mesotherapy as part of a package of care.
All of the treatments above are generally given as a course of treatments that work with the skin as it produces new cells in the deeper layers, and help with static lines over a period of time.