Microneedling is a natural medical beauty procedure that uses a small device to puncture the skin with tiny needles. While it sounds painful, microneedling is actually a minimally invasive and all-natural way to improve your skin’s tone and texture!
Read on to learn more about microneedling, how it works, and how you can use it to reveal your most radiant skin.
Microneedling works by inducing your body’s own collagen production in the skin, which is why it is also called Collagen Induction Therapy. Tiny needles create thousands of microchannels through microscopic injuries on the surface of your skin. This then triggers cells to rush to the area and create new tissue.
That new tissue fills in wrinkles and fine lines, stimulates elastin and collagen production, reduces redness, improves acne scars, heals stretch marks, fades age spots and pigmentation changes (melasma), tightens loose or sagging skin, and more.
Microneedling also significantly increases the skin’s ability to absorb products – by up to 3000%! This makes getting faster, better results from healing serums, moisturizers, and other skincare products easier.
Microneedling can be used for:
• Acne or facial scarring
• Stretchmarks
• Melasma and pigmentation issues
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Pore size
• Rosacea
• General anti-aging
• Overall texture and tone
Microneedling and cosmetic acupuncture are based on a similar idea: tiny damage to the skin’s surface can cause it to grow back stronger, firmer, and healthier. But, these two are slightly different methods.
Microneedling is typically done with a specialized pen and focuses entirely on the skin itself. It offers fast and noticeable results in a short amount of time.
Cosmetic acupuncture can treat similar issues as microneedling (aging, acne, scarring, etc.) with the added benefit of addressing the underlying issues and imbalances causing your skin troubles. It has a comprehensive effect that improves the health of your whole body, which in turn gives you the healthy glow. In addition, cosmetic acupuncture was rooted in the treatment of Bell’s palsy, toning relaxed muscles and relaxing tight ones, making it an excellent modality to address facial asymmetry due to aging.
At The Beauty Within, we believe these two modalities complement each other well, and we use aspects of both for total face, mind, and body wellness!
The term “microneedling” is a blanket term for a range of different needling styles and depths. Here are the three most common forms of microneedling:
Nano needling is the most superficial type of microneedling. It accesses just the top layers of the skin (the stratum corneum) and is very gentle. In fact, nano needling doesn’t even use real needles! Instead, tiny cones gently stimulate the skin surface and remove dead skin.
When to use nano needling
Because nano needling is so gentle, it’s the perfect treatment for someone who is less comfortable with needles or has sensitive skin. This treatment also helps skincare products absorb into the skin about 97% more effectively. Since nano needling just addresses the top layers of skin, it’s helpful for issues like dull, dehydrated skin or pigmentation issues.
Cosmetic needling is the next step up from nano needling. It uses microneedles to penetrate the middle layers of the skin (the epidermis). In this layer of the skin, we find keratinocytes in abundance. And when keratinocytes are damaged, they signal fibroblasts to come and save the day. This is where the magic happens! In response, fibroblasts lay down new collagen, and the skin becomes tighter, firmer, and younger-looking.
Cosmetic needling is extremely safe, minimally invasive, and backed by plenty of research. There’s typically no bleeding after cosmetic needling, just a bright flushed look and a healthy glow.
When to use cosmetic needling
Like nano needling, cosmetic needling is best for issues related to the mid and surface layers of the skin. If your biggest concern is dry or dull skin, cosmetic needling will help you restore a vibrant glow and luster to your skin. Plus, it packs a little more punch than nano needling as far as anti-aging effects go.
Medical needling, or Collagen Induction Therapy, is the most effective natural way to enhance your skin’s tone and texture. It goes even deeper into the skin layers than nano or cosmetic needling. Here, we make intentional micro-injuries to various structures: keratinocytes (to stimulate collagen production), blood vessels (to reduce inflammation and increase circulation and cell turnover), and platelets (to release growth factors and collagen).
When done correctly, medical needling is safe. But, because we enter deeper layers of the skin and interact with blood vessels, high levels of care and precision are necessary. It can also be slightly painful, so we use a numbing cream to minimize any discomfort.
When to use medical needling
Medical needling is highly effective for reducing the signs of aging, erasing scars, minimizing pore size, and improving issues like rosacea and melasma. It is the perfect treatment for those who want serious results with a natural and minimally invasive procedure.
The best type of microneedling for you depends on your unique skin and beauty goals. When you come to The Beauty Within for your first skin consultation, we’ll help you determine what path will get you the best results!
After your session, your skin will look pink and dewy, but you’ll be safe to carry on your day as normal – mostly.
For the best results, we recommend you follow a few simple tips after your session to keep your skin healthy:
• Stay out of the sun for at least 24 hours.
• Avoid wearing makeup for at least 24 hours.
• Take it easy for the rest of the day – save your workout for tomorrow!
• Drink plenty of water.
• Get to bed early if you can. Extra sleep helps the healing process and encourages better cell renewal.
While you’re completing a course of microneedling sessions, consider these tips to make the most of your treatments:
• Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, so your body has plenty of vitamins and minerals for repair.
• Load up on antioxidants (like green tea) to keep inflammation down and improve cellular healing.
• Supplement with vitamins that encourage collagen and elastin formation: liposomal vitamin C, omega 3, vitamins A, E, and calcium.
• Never skip the SPF! Sun damage will reverse the effects of your treatments – not to mention it will damage your fresh new skin.
• Avoid using conventional skincare products with harmful ingredients. Instead, cleanse and moisturize with natural herbal products. We’ll help you find the best products for your skin during your visit!
• Remember to take before and after photos! Take pictures at least once per week during your entire microneedling plan. This helps you see the step-by-step changes and track your progress.
In general, microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure with very little downtime. We recommend using only water on your face for the first 24 hours, no makeup, sunscreen, or soap but after that, you can go back to your normal routine. Redness and swelling are common for about a day after your treatment and you may experience dryness and peeling for the next week or so, but you should be looking like your usual self by the next day (only glowing!).
Nope! We use a strong lidocaine numbing cream to make sure your microneedling treatment is pain-free and comfortable.
There’s really no limit to how often you can encourage your body to produce more collagen! We typically recommend about once per month or every other month. The effects are cumulative, which means the more often you go, the better results you. That said, each person’s skin is different. We’ll help you plan your microneedling treatments to help you get the best and safest results.
Microneedling is great for most skin types. But, if you’re pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, or have another medical condition, it’s best to speak with your doctor first. It is not recommended for those who tend to get keloid scars.
At The Beauty Within, you can make dull, tired, scarred skin a thing of the past.
We use a holistic approach to all our natural beauty techniques – including our microneedling treatments. We also use only the best microneedling tool, the SkinPen, for our sessions. The SkinPen is the first FDA-Approved microneedling device and is trusted worldwide as the leading pen for effective, safe microneedling. Then we follow this up with the award winning LightStim Anti-Aging LED Light Treatment to help decrease inflammation and speed up recovery.
Ready to try microneedling and reveal your most beautiful skin, naturally? Book your first microneedling session here!
