Microneedling and You
Microneedling is a minimally-invasive non-surgical procedure done in your plastic surgeon’s office aimed at helping you achieve smoother, more radiant skin.
What does microneedling help with?
Microneedling is primarily used to treat common skin issues on your face:
- Acne scars
- Age spots (sometimes these are called sun spots)
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Large, visible pores
- Uneven skin coloring/tone (also known as hyperpigmentation)
While mirconeedling is most often used on the face, it can also be used on other parts of the body to help with the appearance of stretch marks and scars.
How does microneedling work?
Your plastic surgeon or specially-trained plastic surgery nurse will use a pen-like tool to make small pricks into your skin. The pin pricks are made by very small needles, so small, you very likely won’t notice the pricks after your procedure.
These small pricks to your skin cause a very minor, but strategic, injury to your skin. You body recognizes the microneedling prick as an injury and begins to make new collagen-rich tissue to heal. Thanks to the new collagen-rich tissue, the microneedled area is more even in tone and smoother in texture.
How do I prepare for a microneedling treatment?
The day of your microneedling treatment, you should not use any lotions, makeup or other topical products (like serums or other skincare products) on the area you are having treated.
Upon arrival for your microneedling treatment, your plastic surgeon or plastic surgery nurse will apply a skin-numbing cream on the treatment area.
How long does a microneedling treatment take?
How long a microneedling treatment session take depends on the size of the treatment area and what is being treated. Expect your plastic surgeon or plastic surgery nurse to take anywhere from five minutes to an hour using a microneedling device to treat you.
What happens after microneedling?
The recovery time after microneedling is very minimal. You might notice your skin is irritated and red the few days after microneedling. This is your body’s expected response to the strategic injuries from the pen-like tool pricking your skin. Make sure to be extra diligent with sunscreen during this healing time as your skin will be extra sensitive to the sun.
How long before I see results from microneedling?
Everyone is different, but your body will work fairly quickly to produce new collagen-rich tissue to heal your skin. For less severe issues, you should see results in a couple weeks. For more severe issues, like burns, results may take months to full emerge.
How often do I need to get microneedling?
To maintain your results, you’ll need additional microneedling sessions and, potentially, other treatment to help you achieve your goals. Talk with your plastic surgeon about what the best course of action for you. You will need to wait a minimum of six weeks between microneedling treatments as that is how long it takes your body to create natural collagen tissue.
Sources: Healthline.com, cedars-sinai.org, Moffitt.org
