Microneedling Benefits

Think of microneedling like an incredibly powerful and sophisticated facial treatment. Although facials are hugely beneficial for so many cosmetic patients, facials don’t even compare to the results that you can achieve with microneedling. Facials can provide you with a nice glow that may last for days to weeks. In comparison, microneedling stimulates new collagen, improves elasticity and thickens your skin to give you visibly radiant skin that will go way beyond what a facial will do for you.

So what are the benefits of doing microneedling of the skin? The following are frequently improved with microneedling treatment:

• Lip wrinkles and fine lines
• Acne scarring
• Traumatic scarring
• Stretch marks
• Large pores
• Skin texture and tone
• Melasma and abnormal pigmentation
• Sun-damaged skin

The bottom line is that microneedling will help your skin look refreshed, rejuvenated and years younger.

Microneedling Areas

Although most microneedling skin treatments involve the face region, it can really be used all over the body to help improve the appearance of the skin.

Acne and Microneedling?

Microneedling has emerged as one of the most popular and effective treatments for acne and acne scarring. In fact, the Kardashians have been quite helpful in getting the word out about microneedling and acne. Microneedling’s effectiveness is particularly great for acne scarred skin. So many patients who have undergone microneedling for acne scars will tell you how their skin looks smoother and firmer after a series of treatments.

For patients with acne scarring who have darker skin tones, laser treatment is often times not recommended due to the risk of abnormal pigmentation that may develop. Fortunately for these patients, microneedling is a wonderful alternative choice to treat the acne scars. Microneedling has been shown by solid medical studies to effectively improve the appearance of acne scarred skin while having very little risk in terms of pigmentation.

Microneedling for Melasma

One of the more common conditions treated with microneedling is melasma, or abnormally dark skin pigmentation. Melasma is a very common skin condition seen in our medical spa that is characterized by blotchy, brown pigmentation that can be seen in a relatively symmetrical pattern across certain areas of the face. The condition is certainly seen more frequently in women than men. Patients are usually in their 20s to 40s when melasma becomes most obvious and bothersome. Usually, a topical bleaching agent, such as prescription hydroquinone, is considered one of the first line therapies for melasma. But so many of our San Diego melasma patients simply do not respond favorably – or favorably enough – to hydroquinone. This leaves a sizable percentage of melasma patients becoming more and more frustrated with the blotchy, brown appearance of their skin.

Fortunately, microneedling is a straight-forward office-based spa treatment that we offer to help patients with recalcitrant melasma. The treatment works even better when microneedling is combined with activating ingredients, such as PRP and PRF. Most patients undergoing this combined treatment will see a nice lightening of the skin with a more uniform pigmentation as the melasma is made less noticeable.

Microneedling Versus Microdermabrasion

So how does microneedling compare to microdermabrasion? There is no comparison actually. Microdermabrasion is a very superficial skin treatment that essentially targets the most superficial layer of dead skin. It does make your skin look better – mostly by exfoliating the dead skin away. But microdermabrasion does not stimulate new collagen and elastic production like microneedling will do for you.

What to Expect During and After Microneedling

Most microneedling skin treatments can be done with application of a numbing cream prior to the session. This is usually sufficient to make patients quite comfortable during the treatment. The forehead and lip areas are the most sensitive when it comes to microneedling. Even then, most patients describe the treatment as being more uncomfortable than painful.

Recovery from a microneedling treatment ranges from 1-3 days. During the early recovery process, your skin can appear a bit red and flaky. The intensity of this can vary depending on how deep the treatment was performed. Over the next 1-2 days, the skin will typically appear slightly red or pink as it is healing. Some patients equate this appearance to a mild to moderate sunburn. There also may be some swelling that is visible. By day 3, the skin will usually be a light pink color – or normal. Swelling at this point is minimal. Within several weeks of the microneedling, your old skin is gone – replaced by a more youthful, glowing skin layer.

Dr. Hilinski and his staff will commonly recommend a skin care regimen that should be used following your microneedling treatment.

For optimal results, it is recommended that you undergo a series of microneedling skin treatments – spaced apart by 4-6 weeks.

SkinPen

Dr. Hilinski carefully selected the Bellus SkinPen as his preferred device for microneedling treatments. The SkinPen is clinically proven to help improve the appearance of patients’ skin. It is also the only FDA cleared device when it comes to microneedling skin enhancement. The SkinPen also is considered one of the safest microneedling devices out there based on its sophisticated design and engineering, which limits the risk of potential infection that other devices are more prone to with use.

Don’t settle for other microneedling devices being offered by other offices if they don’t have the proven track record and FDA label of the SkinPen.