Microneedling, referred to in the medical community as collagen induction therapy, is a primarily anti-aging treatment designed to rejuvenate the skin. However, it can also be used to rejuvenate the skin. It can also be beneficial to people who are not concerned about the signs of aging. Today, our experts at Advanced Clinics in Oklahoma City, OK answer the most frequently asked questions about this treatment, including how soon you can expect to see the results of treatment.
Microneedling Frequently Asked Questions Answered
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
Microneedling starts working immediately, but you should expect it to take a couple of weeks to reveal the final results. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first reason for this is your skin starts to produce collagen immediately but it can take several weeks to finish producing all of its extra collagen. Moreover, it takes time for your skin to respond to all of the extra healthy collagen secreted by the fibroblasts that were stretched when your skin was penetrated by the needles.
The only exception to this is the treatment of enlarged pores. You will see the results of your treatment immediately when your goal is to shrink enlarged pores and you will only need one session to resolve the issue completely.
How Many Treatment Sessions Will I Need?
As stated previously, if you are only concerned about shrinking enlarged pores, you will only need one treatment session. If you wish to combat significant signs of aging, you should plan to need three sessions schedule four to six weeks apart.
If you’re looking to treat mild-to-moderate acne scars or other shallow scars, you should also expect to need three sessions before the scars are eliminated. If you are trying to erase deep scars, such as scars that occurred during an injury or invasive procedure, you will need six sessions spaced four to six weeks apart.
How Long Will the Results of Treatment Last?
The results of your collagen induction therapy can last anywhere from several months to a lifetime depending on the cosmetic concerns you were addressing with your treatment. For example, if you sought collagen induction therapy to erase scars, like acne, trauma, or burn scars, the results of treatment will last a lifetime. The results of pore reduction will last a long time but won’t last forever.
If you’re treating signs of aging, like mild-to-moderate lines and wrinkles, the results of treatment will last for at least six months after your final treatment session. If you use microneedling as a treatment method for more serious signs of aging, like loose skin, the results of your treatments will last only half of a year.
If you are concerned about loose skin, we strongly recommend scheduling a maintenance treatment every five months. This would give your skin time to produce new collagen in response to the treatment so your results wouldn’t fade, requiring a follow-up treatment and waiting several weeks for ideal results again.
What Can I Expect During Treatment?
Before your treatment session, your aesthetician will apply a topical anesthetic to numb the treatment site and ensure your total comfort. While the needles used are so fine they do not cause pain, some people are averse to feeling the needles penetrate their skin. This isn’t a problem if you use a topical anesthetic.
After we numb your treatment site, the dermal roller will be passed over your skin evenly. Your aesthetician may need to pass over your skin several times to get the desired effect. Expect your treatment session to take approximately 90 minutes to complete. The dermal rolling portion of the treatment lasts only approximately half of an hour but it can take between a quarter of an hour and an hour for the topical anesthetic to take effect.
How Should I Prepare for Treatment?
During your initial consultation, we will give you a comprehensive list of everything you need to do in preparation for your treatment. For example, you may not use NSAIDS or certain topical acne medications in the days leading up to your treatment. You must also refrain from using topical retinoids for weeks in advance of your treatment.
Furthermore, we urge you to come in without makeup or lotion. You may apply cosmetics to your face immediately after your session but we will need to remove any cosmetics you come in wearing.
Is This Treatment Appropriate for Me?
We can tell you whether this treatment is appropriate for you after an initial consultation. However, it is worth noting that due to the non-invasive nature of the treatment, it is appropriate for most healthy adults. Unlike other treatments designed to rejuvenate the skin, it is safe for all skin textures, tones, and types.
We will discuss your medical history and current health to ensure there are no potential contraindications but we will also discuss your aesthetic goals with you thoroughly to ensure this is the most appropriate means to achieve your goals. You are probably a good candidate if you want to:
- Shrink large pores
- Tighten loose skin
- Erase fine lines and wrinkles
- Erase age spots
- Erase acne scars
- Even out your skin tone
- Eliminate burn or trauma scars
Nevertheless, this treatment is not appropriate for everyone. You should not consider collagen induction therapy at this time if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant within the coming six months. There is inadequate research on the effects this treatment has on pregnant women. You should also hold off on treatment if there is an open wound at the treatment site, you have a history of developing keloid scars, you have received radiation therapy recently, or if you suffer from skin disease at the treatment site, like chronic plaque psoriasis or eczema.
Can I Perform This Treatment at Home?
Do not try to perform collagen induction therapy at home. There are several reasons why you should leave this treatment to the skincare professionals but it can be summed up pretty succinctly. Professional collagen induction therapy is safe, comfortable, and effective. Let’s take a closer look at the potential pitfalls of trying to save yourself a bit of money by buying a dermal roller and trying to treat your skin problems by yourself.
At-Home Treatment Attempts Come With Safety Risks
The primary reason you shouldn’t try to self-administer collagen induction therapy is the inherent safety risks associated with performing dermal rolling on yourself. The SkinPen is the only dermal rolling device FDA-approved for safety. At-home dermal rollers have not been tested for safety thoroughly by independent clinical researchers who published findings for review by the Food and Drug Administration. Assuming an at-home dermal roller is inherently safe, you still run the risk that the needles attached to the device aren’t sterile.
Attempting to sterilize the needles will mitigate the risk of an infection caused by a dirty needle. However, the needles aren’t the only potential source of infection. There is a chance that you get an infection because your skin is not cleaned appropriately before treatment. Furthermore, it is unlikely that you will completely sterilize the room you decide to perform the treatment in, like your bathroom. Finally, the at-home dermal roller needles are multi-use so need to be cleaned thoroughly after treatment, stored safely, and cleaned again before the next treatment.
At-Home Treatment Attempts May Be Painful
Another compelling reason to avoid at-home dermal rolling is you will probably find the experience painful. If you have a professional administer your treatment, you will be provided with a topical anesthetic so you will feel no pain or discomfort during your treatment session. Contrastingly, you can’t get an effective over-the-counter topical anesthetic and ice won’t numb the treatment area effectively. Even if you could use ice to numb the entire treatment area, the area wouldn’t stay numb throughout the duration of your treatment and eventually, you would experience discomfort, if not pain.
If you have a high tolerance for pain and aren’t worried about penetrating your skin several times with thick needles, there is still a very good chance you will be uncomfortable during an attempted at-home dermal roller session. Some areas people commonly target for treatment, such as the lower back and thighs, can be awkward for people to reach. You may pull a muscle or otherwise hurt yourself trying to contort yourself so you can reach your trouble areas and pass over them with the dermal roller for 30 minutes or more.
At-Home Treatment Attempts Are Ineffective and, Ultimately, a Waste of Money
Many people purchase at-home dermal rollers because they think buying them once and giving themselves regular treatments will save them money. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in reality. The dermal rollers sold to consumers for home use incorporate shorter needles so they don’t penetrate all the way to the deeper layers of your skin. Therefore, they do not provide results comparable to the results provided by the FDA-approved SkinPen.
What Can I Expect After Treatment?
You are free to return to work immediately after treatment thanks to the non-invasive nature of the treatment. There is no significant downtime and no pain or discomfort following your session. Your skin will remain numb for approximately 30 minutes after your treatment is over. However, there are some things you should do to care for your skin once your treatment is over.
How Should I Care for My Skin After Treatment?
There are several post-treatment care steps you must adhere to for the best results. The most important thing you must do after your treatment is to protect your skin from the sun. Recall, after collagen induction therapy, the top layers of your skin are replaced with the lower layers of your skin. These fresh, healthy skin cells are very sensitive to UV rays and prone to burning.
To protect your skin from the sun adequately, liberally apply a broad-spectrum SPF 55 sunscreen every four hours. If you are at low risk for developing melanoma, you can expect adequate protection from a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen. To further protect your skin, minimize your time outdoors between 10 AM and 4 PM for the first 72 hours following treatment.
Identify the Best Way to Rejuvenate Your Skin Today
Microneedling starts to work immediately but it will take approximately two weeks to see the end results of your treatment session. If you’re interested in learning more about this cosmetic treatment, we welcome further questions. Contact us today at Advanced Clinics in Oklahoma City, OK to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to the opportunity to guide you to your ideal appearance.