16 Mar All About Microneedling
Not everyone loves the idea of a procedure with “needle” in the title, but if you’ve shied away because the idea of microneedling has you wary, it’s time to learn more about this safe and totally comfortable procedure. It’s an extremely popular treatment at Parson Skin Center and works by helping your own body rejuvenate itself. Microneedling as we know it today has been around since 1995, but it didn’t really pick up avid followers until the era of social media. (If you’re looking for more followers, #microneedling is a great way to boost your online popularity and look your best in the process!)
First thing’s first: yes, there are needles involved with microneedling. A lot of them. But it’s probably not what you think. The needles in microneedling are so short and tiny that they don’t even look like needles when you see the handheld device. Oh, and by the way? If you’d like to see the technology we use at our MediSpa, we’re happy to show you! For a lot of clients who are first-timers to microneedling, seeing how unassuming the microneedling tools look can definitely help settle any lingering nerves.
These truly micro needles are on a dermaroller, and they range in size from 0.5 to 2.5 millimeters. They’re so short that they only prick the most surface-level of the skin. Many patients describe the feeling of a dermaroller gliding across their skin as similar to a light exfoliation. However, microneedling does inflict very small and controlled injuries. That’s how the magic starts to happen.
Why Does Microneedling Make Me Look Fresher?
Our bodies are powerful machines. Any sort of injury, including a controlled one with microneedling, puts your body into healing mode. After a microneedling session, you might notice that the treatment area looks pink or a little flushed. That’s because your body has sent blood to the area to “help,” and blood is full of good stuff like platelets and growth factors. Another way the body responds to skin injuries is by immediately kickstarting collagen production.
We always produce collagen, but we create less as we get older. Some of us are just genetically predisposed to less collagen production, too. Collagen has many important qualities, but one of them is that it helps our skin stay youthful, dewy, and taut. We can “trick” our bodies into producing more collagen in targeted areas with microneedling and other types of controlled injuries (such as laser skin resurfacing).
What Happens After Microneedling?
Your body immediately gets to work healing the skin with increased blood flow and collagen production. It’s good to know that microneedling doesn’t offer immediate effects. It takes the body a little time. You’ll start to see improvements in the days and weeks following microneedling such as better skin texture and tone as lingering signs of acne fade and lines and wrinkles diminish. Many clients consider microneedling a routine procedure that draws on the body’s natural fountain of youth. It’s common for patients to schedule regular microneedling sessions every few months to optimize and sustain their results.
Microneedling is so gentle that there’s no downtime. You can immediately get back to your daily life, and the pinkness you might experience after microneedling quickly fades. In fact, the treatment is so gentle that it’s often an add-on for other more invasive procedures. Microneedling is fast, effective, and completely organic. After all, it’s simply encouraging your body to heal itself—and make you look brighter and younger in the process.
The Big Question: Can’t This Be Done at Home?
Maybe you’ve seen at-home dermalrollers at the store or online. However, only MediSpas and dermatology offices have access to medical-grade microneedling products. Dermalrollers that are (legally) available for customer purchase simply aren’t of the same quality. Worse, they can be dangerous. The needles might be tiny, but they’re still needles used to create thousands of little punctures in the skin. You don’t want to trust anyone but a professional with this kind of tool or treatment.
Would you like to know more about microneedling or other treatments to achieve a healthier, more youthful look? Call Parson Skin Center at (480) 282-8386 and schedule your microneedling appointment today.