Microneedling has gained a lot of attention over the years as a versatile treatment for clients of any skin type. The process of microneedling began years ago and was originally only done under anesthesia. As with almost everything else, times have changed and fortunately for us so has technology. Now many med spas out there offer this amazing service. However, since there are many practices offering microneedling, it is important to be aware of what you are getting and if microneedling can work for you. At INH we use SkinPen, which is the only FDA-approved microneedling device on the market. Keep reading to learn why microneedling is my hands-down favorite treatment that provides incredible results.
How Does It work
The disposable tip for the Skin Pen device has 12 tiny needles. These needles (set to a depth determined by the esthetician) pierce the skin in a straight up and down motion. This process is creating controlled damage within your skin. When there is any injury to your skin, your body will respond and send worker cells to heal and repair. When that happens, those cells will strengthen the collagen fibers you already have and also stimulate new collagen production. But not just any collagen production, the good “fluffy” kind of collagen that helps give our skin it’s bounce and suppleness. There are other treatments that can cause the same reaction and response from our skin so you may be wondering why you should choose microneedling. Good question! The main reason is that since the needles are so small the skin closes right back together. (Imagine sticking your finger in a bowl of jelly then pulling it out. You can tell it was disturbed but there isn’t a gaping hole in the Jell-O, right?) This reduces the inflammation stage tremendously which eliminates many of the risks that are related to other resurfacing and collagen inducing procedures such as lasers.
What else can it do?
Microneedling originated as a scar treatment. Scar tissue needs to be broken up or it will continue to pull the skin down causing uneven texture. With microneedling, the needles help break up the scar tissue allowing for the collagen to fill in the space the scar tissue took up. The tiny microchannels that the needles have now created can also help even out the pigment distribution within the skin and breaks up the damaged cells that have clustered together and surfaced as hyperpigmentation. To simplify it even more…this treatment helps to create a healthy environment for your skin’s cells to work most efficiently and create the skin you are looking for.
What Should I Expect After the Treatment?
After your SkinPen treatment, you could experience a few different things. Most likely your skin will be exceptionally red, at least for the first hour or so. You will probably feel like you have a pretty good sunburn which can be combatted with a cool compress if needed. On the third day your skin will likely start to resurface and slough off any dead skin cells that may be preventing the healthy cells from surfacing. If this happens to you, it will likely last just a couple days and is easy to deal with. Keep in mind everyone responds differently to different stimuli. While one person may become red and feel like their face is hotter, their friend could get the exact treatment and may only become slightly pink and not feel much heat in their skin at all. Same with the shedding. While one person may “shed” for a couple days, the next person may not get that response at all. All it means is that your skin’s reaction is different from someone else. However, the science is there that says regardless of how your skin responds outwardly, you are still improving the support structure of your skin for the better so every treatment is beneficial.
If you would like to learn more about how microneedling can work for you, consult one of our skincare experts today!
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