ARE MICRONEEDLING TREATMENTS WORTH IT?
How Micro-Needling Makes Your Skin Youthful and Radiant?
Every woman wants to have young, glowing and beautiful skin irrespective of her age. As you grow older you have to deal with dull skin, age spots, acne scars, lines, and wrinkles. These skin issues often make you feel depressed and lower your confidence. In this modern era, technological advancement has gifted you several skincare treatments through which you can get back your young and shiny skin once again. Micro-needling is one of the best treatments for skin rejuvenation. This procedure has gained popularity in recent years not only due to its effectiveness and long-lasting effects; but also due to the introduction of the latest FDA Cleared micro-needling device called SkinPen by Bellus Medical.
What is Micro-needling?
Microneedling is a procedure in which fine needles are used for creating several invisible, tiny puncture wounds on your top skin layer. This process is also called collagen induction therapy. This slightly invasive skin treatment is very effective and nearly painless.
What is Micro-needling Used For?
Microneedling is generally used to target
· age spots or sun spots
· acne scars
· fine lines and wrinkles
· large pores
· uneven skin tone
· reduced elasticity of the skin
Microneedling is also used for treating stretch marks in different parts of the body like abdominal area and thighs. This process also treats scarring on certain body parts. However, micro-needling is mainly used to treat facial issues.
How Micro-needling Works?
The primary concept behind the process is creating micro-injuries that in turn stimulate your body’s ability to heal the wound itself naturally. There are three important phases in the process of wound-repair:
· Inflammation. When skin is pierced, the immune system is triggered for disinfection of the wounds, removal of debris, and enhancement of blood flow. In this way, new tissue is created.
· Proliferation. The new granulation skin cells rebuild the wounds and a fresh network of blood cells is formed.
· Remodeling. Newly created blood vessels and dermal tissues replace the wounds.
This turnover of skin cells produce increased elastin and collagen production; consequently preventing and reversing the signs of skin aging. Microneedling is generally done on the face to generate firmer, toned and smooth skin. The procedure does the same job as lasers do. The only difference is that here you injure your skin mechanically whereas laser uses light or heat to achieve the goal.
Micro-needling-The Procedure
Before undergoing this treatment, your skin needs certain preparations. Mostly, the skin under consideration is prepared with a particular formulation that contains vitamins C and A, a month before. In this way, collagen production is pumped in your skin.
Your doctor will perform micro-needling by giving you topical anesthesia. The procedure involves the following steps:
· The plastic surgeon/ dermatologist/aesthetician will first apply an antiseptic and clean your skin by using a saline solution.
· He then stretches your skin with hands and with derma-roller/skin pen for about five times in every direction like a horizon, diagonal and vertical.
· Pinpoint bleeding occurs from the tiny punctures that can be controlled easily.
· An ice pack or a saline formula is applied to the affected area when the procedure is over.
· Likewise a serum to enhance collagen is also applied to that area.
This procedure is repeated in the coming months as you have to do several sessions for excellent results.
Micro-needling Aftercare Tips
The micro-needling post-care routine is extremely important to follow. Following are a few tips on taking care of your skin after undergoing this treatment:
· Avoiding Sun Exposure: It is crucial to avoid sun exposure and if you are going out then covering your face is the best option. Never apply any sunblock on your face as the pores of your skin remain open after this procedure. The injurious chemicals containing these sun-blocks quickly penetrate in your skin and can damage it. Use only such products suggested by your micro-needling surgeon.
· Keeping It Clean: You should clean your skin with a mild cleanser during seventy-two hours after this procedure. Using any harsh product on your skin may also hurt your skin.
· Avoiding Active Ingredients: Skincare solutions that have active ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids, retinol, etc should not be applied since your skin becomes highly sensitive after the procedure.
· No Makeup: Allow your skin to settle down and recover after the treatment. Do not apply makeup on your skin as chemicals in such products can cause irritability.
· Collagen Stimulation Needed: Your doctor will prescribe peptides for collagen stimulation after micro-needling. Using them regularly enables your skin to produce more collagen and recover quickly.
· Drinking Plenty Of Water: When you stay hydrated, your skin recovers faster.
Key Benefits of Micro-needling:
Microneedling is quite a painless process that offers numerous amazing benefits. Following area few ways that highlight how this procedure works wonders on the skin:
1. Improves Your Skin’s Texture and Quality Immediately
Microneedling is a one-hour long procedure and for best outcomes, the skin is left with some pinpoint bleeding. The skin remains red and this pin-point bleeding continues for about one day, but thereafter you are going to notice a remarkable improvement immediately in the quality and texture of your skin. This happens when the pin-prick needles promote the production of new collagen and blood vessels in your skin. The two components, elastin, and collagen are mainly responsible for the youthful, plump skin every woman dreams of. When you cross the age of 30, collagen degradation begins naturally and you start noticing slight sagging in your skin. Since the healing process starts soon after the procedure ends, you experience a flawless, soft textured skin.
2. Reduces Deep Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Microneedling has gained popularity among aging treatments. It helps you in looking younger and reduces deep wrinkles and fine lines. What happens is thousands of needles create small pin holes that break into the upper-level dermis and release growth factors for the “repairing” and “healing” from the damage caused. These growth factors are collagen and elastin. Apart from this, millions of blood vessels are formed that supply oxygen, blood, and nutrients directly into your dermis. Consequently, all these changes reduce deep wrinkles, fine lines and also tighten your existing skin, hence making you look fresher and younger than before.
3. Treats Acne/Cystic Acne
Micro-needling is an amazing acne scar treatment. It not only helps in treating acne but also stops acne. The procedure reduces sebum production, hence making your skin less oily. Blackheads tend to form less often and so acne issues are also resolved. You can get micro-needling done on your skin even if you are facing active breakouts. You have this benefit in micro-needling, unlike other procedures that cannot be carried out if you have active acne; for instance dermaplaning.
4. Repairs Visible Acne-Scars
Another excellent benefit of micro-needling is that it helps in reducing acne scars that are quite difficult to get rid of. If your body or face has any type of scarring, your body undergoes a natural process called fibrosis. During healing, fibrosis results in everything sticking together, however, beneath your skin, this glue is very strong and pulls your skin down. This results in scarring on your skin surface.
The micro-needling treatment helps in breaking up all the fibrosis underneath your skin. This enables your skin to develop the ability to let go of the tenting and releasing the skin surface. Therefore, you find a smoother and shinier skin than before.
5. Reverses Hyperpigmentation and Sun Damage
Microneedling also aids in reversing hyperpigmentation, discoloration and sun damage. Hyperpigmentation is referred to as the slight changes occurring in your skin due to inflammation, blackheads, pimples, whiteheads, etc. Mostly any type of skin issue can change the color of the underlying skin that does not match with the surrounding skin. Thus, your skin looks uneven and blotchy.
What micro-needling does is; it results in increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases that curbs hyperpigmentation. You should combine vitamin c serum with micro-needling to aid the healing process as vitamin c plays a key role in balancing melanin levels also.
Microneedling is given preference over hyperpigmentation laser treatments, especially for dark-colored skin. This is because when lasers are used, some women may have the worst pigmentation as a reaction, and microneedling does not have this issue.
6. Improves Skin Absorption
Mostly it happens that your skin does not absorb skincare products which you apply on your body or face because of clogged pores. This affects the effectiveness of the product. Microneedlinghelps any topical medicine in penetrating your skin quite effectively, hence offering you to get fully benefitted of its ingredients. It creates micro-holes, which causes your skin to absorb quickly whatever you apply on it.
7. Helps Aging Skin
As you grow older, your skin loses its elasticity and sags due to low production of collagen and elastin. Microneedling tightens loose skin by enhancing the production of collagen and elastin, hence making your skin firmer, plump, softer, younger and healthier.
8. Shrinks Pores
Microneedlingshrinks your skin pores rather than increasing their size. You may think that piercing hundreds of micro holes in your skin can enlarge your pores but that is a wrong concept. As micro-needling stimulates the collagen around and in your pores, it makes them plump and shrunken.
9. Reduces Blackheads
Women with issues like hormonal acne or PCOS suffer from blackheads. Microneedling comes to rescue in this situation. Thousands of needles pierced in this procedure liberate and reduce blackheads considerably, especially from your nose. Although the reduction in blackheads does not last forever; but you are relieved for at least three to four weeks. This problem can be further minimized through proper aftercare and persistent usage of vitamin c serum.
10. Exfoliates Skin
Microneedling is such skincare treatment that mechanically disrupts the epidermis, hence resulting in exfoliation. What exfoliation does is it removes the upper surface of your epidermis. In this way, the dead skin cells living on this epidermis are removed. Your skin looks smooth and fresh instantly.
11. Microneedling-For Whole Body
Another crucial benefit of micro-needling is that this skincare treatment is not exclusively for the face but your entire body. Any area of your skin can be repaired with the procedure; especially areas that have stretch marks or other acne scars, like your chest, legs, butt, and back. Around five to six sittings make a visible difference in such problem areas.
12. Stimulates Dormant Hair Follicles
Microneedling is also done over your scalp to treat baldness caused by alopecia. It stimulates your dormant hair follicles and improves blood circulation in the scalp, causing new hair growth. Derma-rollers are prescribed to use at home to the patients who use minoxidil solution for better hair growth.
Types of Devices Used For Microneedling
Microneedling is done by a trained dermatologist, aesthetician, or plastic surgeon with the help of two principal devices; namely dermarollers and the Bellus Medical Skinpen.
· Dermarollers: They appear to be a small paint roller having numerous tiny needles which are rolled over your skin surface gently in different directions to accomplish the effect. You can use derma roller at home; however it is unsafe and risky if you have little knowledge about its proper usage and aftercare, and you may cause injury to your skin.
· Skinpen is an automated device that looks like a pen. Skin pen uses disposable needles and their length can be adjusted for resurfacing as per the requirement. It has a rechargeable battery with it and can be operated in both high and low-speed modes.
Why Skin Pen is Preferred Over Dermarollers?
A thorough study reveals that the skin response for collagen production that repairs scars and fine lines, is more effective with a professional Skinpen as compared to dermaroller. The biggest difference between the two devices is that with Skinpen, your skin surface is punctured vertically by the needles, whereas dermaroller needles do not penetrate your skin vertically. This means a dermaroller needle enters and exits the surface of the skin at a certain angle. This angle can make tears in your skin, hence creating a bigger micro-channel than required, which then leads to scarring. You can customize skin pen according to your specific requirements with needles, which you can adjust to varying depths. This device can also easily glides over your skin and gives you consistent results.
Apart from this, Skinpen is reusable and can be used on different patients since the needles of the device are disposable. Needles are safe to use, less painful and highly convenient for treating narrow areas like nose, around lips and eyes without causing damage to the adjoining skin. Skinpen makes the micro-needling procedure more economical since you need not buy a new device every time. With Skinpen you also overcome the problems of application of varying pressure and the achievement of desired penetration depth.
Other Facts about micro-needling
· It is effective in treating all skin types; dark to fair.
· Microneedling with skin pen takes about thirty minutes, and the results are usually visible after three treatments.
· Microneedling treatment costs less compared to other alternatives.
It is a safe procedure for people whose overall health is good. However, people using any acne medications or women during pregnancy should avoid this treatment.
So what are you waiting for?