Rebuild Your Skin from Within With Microneedling

Everyone is in search of perfect skin. While different aspects of beauty go in and out of fashion, perfect skin is perennially desirable. People have been willing to do a lot in the name of beautiful skin, from drinking a gallon of water a day to surgical procedures.

Somewhere in between is microneedling, a relatively simple procedure that can resurface your skin and improve its appearance. It can stimulate your skin to make more collagen, leaving your face looking youthful and plump. It can also work to eliminate scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, and minor imperfections. 

Here’s what our providers at eleven19 Medical + Weight Loss would like you to know about microneedling.

What microneedling is and how it works

Microneedling uses a small hand-held device called a derma-roller with tiny needles that roll over your skin. Although this may sound painful, it’s generally manageable for most people. You receive a topical numbing gel before the procedure to minimize any discomfort.

These tiny needles that roll over your skin stimulate your skin to produce more collagen in a healing effect. Collagen is the protein that’s responsible for a youthful, toned appearance to your skin. Everyone tends to lose collagen as they get older, which leads to wrinkles. Stimulating collagen production can fill in some of these wrinkles, especially if they’re caught before they become deep.

We use the Vivace™ radiofrequency (RF) microneedling procedure, which is the most advanced technology available. Vivace combines the energy from radiofrequency with microneedling, which creates tiny tears in your skin. These tiny tears stimulate more collagen production in an effort to repair the skin.

What to expect from the procedure

For most of our patients, a microneedling RF session takes up to two hours, with little recovery time required. You may even be able to return to work the same day, though your face may be a little red. If you schedule your appointment for late in the day, you’ll be good for work the next morning.

We get your patient information and have you sign the required forms before performing the procedure. Then we typically apply a topical numbing gel before the procedure begins. During the procedure, we move the derma-roller around your face, placing special emphasis on trouble spots.

For the best results, you should expect to come in for multiple sessions. While one session is effective, the microneedling RF procedure is most effective when it’s repeated a few times. How many sessions you need varies based on your specific skin condition and how dramatic you want the results to be, but the average number of treatments is about four.

Who is not a good candidate for microneedling

Microneedling is generally safe for most of our patients, but some people are not good candidates for the procedure. You might not be a good candidate if you:

• Have a bleeding disorder
• Are pregnant
• Take certain acne medications

During your consultation with us, we can tell you if you’re a good candidate for the procedure. In most cases, you will be.

Do home microneedling treatments work?

You may have seen “derma-rollers” for sale online or at beauty stores and wondered if they provide the same results as in-office procedures. The short answer is no. 

But the slightly longer answer is that the needles on the home derma-rollers are too blunt to be effective and even run the risk of doing more damage to your face. Remember the old adage: If it seems like it’s too good to be true, it usually is.

It’s true that in-office microneedling is more uncomfortable than the home derma-rollers, but our procedures are proven to be more effective. Don’t take the risk of your skin looking worse by trying to do it yourself at home.

Home masks and over-the-counter facial products can be helpful for giving your facial skin a boost, but if you haven’t seen results, it’s time to consult with the experts. You can get much better results from professional microneedling than you can from anything you do at home. 

If you’re interested in setting up a consultation or booking a spot for microneedling, our providers at eleven19 Medical + Weight Loss are available by phone or you can request an appointment online.