Read this post to learn what it's like to get a Microneedling Facial.
You could say, I'll try a lot of things. I'm pretty willing when it comes to investing in minimally invasive type of procedures that are proven safe and clinically shown to slow down the visible signs of aging on my face. I think of treatments of this sort as basically similar to going to the dentist - over time, we need to go regularly to do a little maintenance and keep everything in the best shape possible! Recently, I tried the Microneedling Facial which we offer at Glosshouz. (Click Microneedling for more information on this service and pricing). This post describes my experience.
Even though I knew generally what the steps would be to accomplish the Microneedling Facial service, I didn't really know what to expect as far as the comfort, process, duration, downtime, benefits, etc. So, I thought it might be helpful to our readers to write this post about what to expect during and after the Microneedling Facial.
Description of Microneedling
Microneedling is a form of Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT). It is a similar mechanism to that of other non-surgical skin-tightening procedures that work by creating a controlled non-thermal injury. This, in turn, induces your body to form new tissue layers of elastic- and collagen- fibers as well as new capillaries for an improved blood supply in the treated area.
During the Microneedling procedure, a medical-grade skin "pen" device is used to create thousands of tiny punctures over the surface area of the face. The skin pen has micro needles in a sterile disposable cartridge which move very fast up and down (so fast that you cannot see them moving!). The pen also has a setting which controls the depth of the puncture. When the skin pen is moved over the surface of the face it wounds the skin in a precise and controlled manner. Your body will naturally work to heal the skin over time. During the repair your skin plumps and thickens in response, ultimately reducing the appearance of scars, fine lines and wrinkles and other skin texture changes.
Benefits of Microneedling
Microneedling has been shown to induce/increase collagen production and restructure a scarred or damaged skin surface. It is effective to improve the appearance of acne scars, other scars, fine lines and wrinkles, minimize pore sizes, dark spots and more.
Microneedling Treatment Steps
The procedure is very straight-forward.
1) To start, your specialist will cleanse your facial skin.
2) Then, a topical anesthetic is applied in a thin layer over the surface of your face. Now, you wait 20 mins for the face to become numbed.
3) Once ready, the specialist will proceed to use the skin pen device and trace it in certain patterns across your face. Typically, there would be a cross-hatch pattern with a couple of passes required over the same areas. Your specialist will use different depths of microneedling for different areas of the face. A topical cosmeceutical product such as hyaluronic acid (for plumping, soothing and adding slip for the device) will be applied simultaneously.
Microneedling Appointment Time
The appointment time is 60 mins, although the actual microneedling step itself will typically take less than 10 mins to perform.
How does Microneedling feel?
Keep in mind, you will have numbing cream applied for this procedure. However, it is true that the microneedling process feels more or less uncomfortable based on where it is being performed on the face. For example, areas of the face with bone close to the surface of my skin such as the forehead, bridge of the nose, cheek bones, etc. were more uncomfortable that other areas. If you are feeling too uncomfortable during the procedure, you can tell your specialist and she will change the depth or speed of the device to make it less aggressive, less uncomfortable. Areas of my face that are more fleshy, for example - my mid-face cheek areas, above the lip, sides of my mouth and sides of the face etc. were pretty easy to tolerate, and not painful at all in my opinion.
After Microneedling
I am a fair-colored person of Fitzpatrick Skin type II (really fair, blonde, hardly ever tan). Right after the Microneedling procedure, my facial skin was very red, appearing as if I had a bad sunburn. However, I did not have any lasting pain or discomfort at all. I've seen other people after the Microneedling Facial and they appear the same way, although on darker skin types, their skin is not as noticeably red. My skin after microneedling felt very tight and it was a bright pink color all through the day. However, by the next morning it was much much less red, and I could wear my Jane Iredale powder foundation which did cover up all remaining redness. In a couple of days after the procedure, my facial skin did shed in tiny flakes but it was nothing my moisturized couldn't handle.
Results of Microneedling
I really like the results of my microneedling procedure. My skin does seem to be tighter and my pore sizes smaller which was my main reason for trying it. That's the biggest benefit I can see after one session. However, I'd like to do it a few times to see progressive benefits.
Microneedling Treatments Recommendation
If you'd like to treat the following concerns, please notice the frequency of Microneedling and number of sessions recommended.
Overall skin texture, pores tightening - less aggressive depth, 5-6 sessions, 1-2 weeks apart
Acne scarring, other scars, imperfections - medium skin depth, 4-5 sessions, 2-3 weeks apart
Severe acne scarring or wrinkles - deepest treatment, 4-5 sessions, 3-4 weeks apart
We hope you enjoyed this blog post!
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