Why #MicroNeedling is a beautiful treatment option for treating lines and wrinkles.
The lady pictured here came to see me at Face Oxford looking for natural yet visible solutions to improve skin tone, texture, lines and wrinkles. She was realistic and didn’t want to look 21 again, but she did want to look fresh and like the best version of herself possible. After a thorough consultation, my recommendation to her was a course of micro-needling using the Skin Pen device-please read on to find out why!
This treatment is absolutely fantastic for scarring, including acne scarring, discoloured skin or areas on the skin (hyperpigmentation), skin texture and tone, as well as for improving fine lines and wrinkles. It has numerous clinical studies to support this, and as a nurse, I am serious about making sure that I give my clients the best results, that are safe and effective.
The way it works is that using a device that looks a little bit like an electric toothbrush, with 12 very fine needles that vibrate and move at really high speeds, we cause thousands upon thousands of tiny little microchannels. This procedure is not painful, most of my clients end up falling asleep or at least dozing! Even the ones that don’t, only really describe it as “annoying” at worst. We ensure this is the case, by applying a numbing cream to the skin about 30 minutes before treatment. When I had a treatment myself during my own intense training, my numbing cream had worn off as we’d taken too long getting to me…..yes, it was slightly uncomfortable but still bearable. Add in numbing cream and it’s really not a problem.
So how does it actually work? The micro-channels that are created by the device get the body’s own wonderful healing response to kick-start: this means that it stimulates the body’s fibroblasts to start producing more collagen.
Collagen is the substance found in youthful skin. My 18-month-old and 5 years old have it in bucket fulls-it’s the stuff that makes you want to give those little cheeks a squeeze!) and it’s the stuff that just isn’t there when you reach your 70’s and 80’s. Collagen gives skin a supple, youthful and plump appearance and has been known as the “scaffolding of the skin”. Sadly over time, we lose this (damn ageing!) due to the fact that our bodies stop producing it as much, but still break it down at the same rate. Grr!! Someone, please point me in the direction of the fountain of youth, cos this sounds terrible, am I right?!
However, all is not lost! Do not despair, as here comes the good part:
IT IS POSSIBLE TO KICK START YOUR BODY INTO PRODUCING MORE COLLAGEN!! HOW? I’m glad you asked! It’s been scientifically proven in that three treatments of micro-needling, separated by about a month apart can increase collagen production by about 400%. Isn’t that insane?!!
For acne scarring, especially if it is really severe, it may take up to 6 treatments to achieve the desired results, but actually even after one treatment, I have noticed an improvement in myself and my clients. If anyone would like the references, please let me know and I’d be delighted to share them.
The normal cycle of a skin cell is about 28 days. This can increase in older age to about 60 days. There are a lot of things that can help to regenerate, kick-start and rejuvenate this skin cycle and are brilliant to combine with this treatment. For example, chemical peels, which are not as scary as they sound and certainly have come on in recent years to be much more kind and progressive to the skin than perhaps they used to be. In addition, home care products and a fabulous #skincareregieme can absolutely take these results to the next level. Please keep an eye out for a future blog all about this, but for now back to micro-needling!
If this is something you would like to enquire about, or you would like to book in for a skin health check and assessment, please get in touch. Your consultation is completely free and there is absolutely no obligation to book in unless you are certain that you would like to. I know what can be done and want to give you the options to be the best you.
Please check out my treatment list for more information on this and everything else on the menu in the clinic.