Can Microneedling Make You Look Younger?

When it comes to age-defying procedures and products, there is a lot of misinformation out there. While plastic surgery may make your skin firmer, it is expensive, invasive, and can be risky. As a result, many people turn to more natural methods to look young, including microneedling.

So, what is microneedling? Is it painful? How long does microneedling treatment last? Finally, can microneedling make you look younger? We will evaluate the science to answer each of these questions; but first, let’s look at what microneedling actually means:

What is Microneedling?

Microneedling is a minimally-invasive treatment to help boost collagen production in the skin. The procedure consists of a Licensed Esthetician (must be working under a medical director), Nurse Practitioner, or Physician using a handheld device to microneedle the skin.  At INH, we use the only FDA-approved microneedling device: SkinPen. Though it can be used on just about any part of the body, microneedling is most commonly used on the face. By creating tiny holes in the skin, microneedling boosts the production of collagen, thereby creating firmer, younger-looking skin. 

Is Microneedling Painful?

While patients may experience some discomfort during the procedure, microneedling is not as painful as many other skincare procedures. Before the treatment begins your clinician will apply numbing cream which will then sit for about 20-30 minutes. The goal is that you feel little to nothing at all. Although when you need to treat an area at a higher depth you tend to feel it a little more. In my opinion, the discomfort is still not as bad as a laser treatment.

How Long Does the Treatment Last?

A typical Microneedling appointment takes about one hour. That is including the prep, numbing, and procedure, though the exact length will depend on the area of the face (or body) that is being treated. After the treatment is finished, you’ll likely experience slight edema (swelling) and erythema (reddening of the skin). Your skin may feel hot to the touch and maybe a little more plumped because of the slight swelling.  Basically, you’ll feel like you got a pretty good sunburn. For most, the redness and swelling are gone within 24 hours, although others could stay a little pink for a few days. After that, your skin begins to regenerate (producing more collagen) and heal. Once the healing process has finished, the effects of one microneedling treatment typically last for several months. In most cases, clinicians recommend getting treatment at least 2-4 times per year to maintain the youthful effects.

Can Microneedling Make You Look Younger?

In short, yes, microneedling can make you look younger. As we age, our skin tends to become less tight and firm. When you get older, your body starts to break down collagen faster than it can produce it. Collagen is a protein that binds tissue in humans and most animals. The production of this protein slows down around the age of 25 and continues to decrease from there. This leads to wrinkles, creases, and other visual indications of aging. 

 While some people take over-the-counter collagen supplements or even collagen injections to temporarily combat this shortage, these methods do nothing to naturally boost collagen production.

This is where microneedling comes into play. Rather than simply ingesting or injecting extra collagen, microneedling takes advantage of your body’s natural collagen-producing mechanisms. This way, you can get a collagen boost the natural way, resulting in firmer, healthier, and younger-looking skin!

If you’d like to learn more about microneedling, contact the experts at the Institute of Natural Health today!