Micro-needling… A great way to build more collagen!

Want to plump your skin naturally? Want to get more out of your facial products?  Want to build more collagen?  Microneedling is for you!

What is it?  Microneedling, also known as a collagen induction therapy, is the process of using tiny needles to penetrate specific areas of the skin which stimulates the skin's natural ability to produce collagen and elastin, so the skin looks and feels younger and healthier. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (which is my background) has been using acupuncture needling for thousands of years to treat skin laxity, fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture and other signs of aging.   Treatments today still utilize this procedure with acupuncture needles and handheld microneedling rollers for cosmetic acupuncture and scar treatments, since it has been shown to be so effective at stimulating and correcting collagen production through the years. 

There are different types of microneedling.  There is cosmetic needling (.2mm length needles) and medical needling (.5mm up to 3mm length needles).  They are quite different in function and treatment.

Cosmetic needling is great for someone who wants to enhance the benefits of their products and ensure that more of the nutrients in their serums get into their skin, so a .2mm roller is perfect for this. The super short needle length (.2mm) will not penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin, but will stimulate keratinocytes to release growth hormones and promote upregulation of epidermal growth factors.   This length needle will NOT induce collagen production, but it can be beneficial for adding more nutrients into the skin that otherwise would be too big for absorption.  Typically, about 10% of a product will be delivered into the skin when using a product topically, but when applied after a cosmetic needling treatment, that can increase up to 80% of the product getting into the skin. This can make a big difference.  I need to stress that the quality of the product is essential, to ensure that the right nutrients and building blocks are getting in, so make sure your products are super clean.   This is a gentle and painless treatment option that people can do at home and on a daily basis with little to no risks.

Medical needling, usually what people refer to as microneedling, is also known as a collagen induction therapy, since it will build collagen.  This type of needling uses longer needles, usually from .5mm up to 3mm in length.  When the needles are applied to the skin, they will go through the epidermis layer of the skin and to the top parts of the dermis layer, and in doing so, create microscopic traumas in the skin.  In addition to the benefits of the .2 roller, this type of rolling will also trigger the wound healing cascade to stimulate fibroblasts, increased epidermal cell turnover, collagen, and elastin to be made in the treated area.  When microneedling over the entire face, neck, décolletage and hands, there can be a lovely uniform layer of new collagen built up over time, thus reducing wrinkles and fine lines while firming the skin.  This type of treatment should only be done by a trained professional and is NOT for at home treatment.  With this type of needling, it should only be done once a month, at the most, as collagen needs a full 28 days to rebuild.  

Microneedling is a great all-natural option for every skin type.  It can help to optimize cell function by helping plump and smooth the skin while decreasing hyperpigmentation spots and acne scars.   It also preserves the integrity of the epidermis, which I think is very important!  Microneedling is NOT an ablative therapy, so you get to keep all of your skin layers! 

I am not a fan of ablative therapies, but they are quite common in today’s cosmetic world and can offer results for people.  If you are not familiar with the term, ablative therapy means that the top layer of skin, the epidermis, is removed with a laser and the dermis (a deeper layer of skin) is heated. The removal and heating stimulate the healing cascade, due to the same trauma concept I mentioned above.  However, the heating can cause pigmentation issues for some people and the down time is painful and long.   Personally, I don’t like the idea of sacrificing the epidermis since it is so important.  Your skin’s microbiome lives there and helps to protect you from unwanted pathogens on the skin while being a natural barrier against other external environmental influences like ultraviolet radiation and free radicals caused by pollution. We need our epidermis.  Personally, I want to keep the epidermis intact, so I LOVE the fact that microneedling is NOT ablative.

For the face, I only recommend using rollers that are .5mm or 1mm, nothing longer.  The longer needles (1.5mm to 3mm) are only used on the body, for scars.  They can work great to break up deeper scars, but they should ONLY be used by a professional. This can be a painful option and you will need a local anesthetic.

There are a few different options for microneedling treatments - there is an electric pen (called a derma pen) or a manual roller (called a derma roller).  I prefer to use a gentle handheld roller, which allows me more control on the skin, and I find it to be way less painful, plus it is a more traditional way to treat.  A derma roller is a roller with 550 small .5mm or 1mm needles on a round head that you can literally roll over the skin, in a very specific way. The technique is very important!  

I am seeing more and more people attempting to do microneedling on themselves at home, since some derma rollers can be ordered online, but unfortunately, they are using the wrong size rollers, over doing the treatments and coming in with the after-results of bad rolling like traumatized and raw skin along with unwanted facial markings that can scar.  There is a skill to proper microneedling, so please, stick with a trained professional for your medical microneedling so you can get proper results, without unneeded markings, pain or injury.

It is ESSENTIAL that you follow some basic rules after a microneedling treatment and ONLY use super clean products since the skin is completely open and whatever you put on your skin will go in, so you want to be very careful.  Also, you will need to stay out of the sun for about 48 to 72 hours.

At Striving for Health, we offer Microneedling with a 1mm single use roller, we NEVER reuse a roller.  New rollers are opened at your session and discarded after the session. We supply organic products for you to use on the skin for the first 24 hours post treatment with an extensive instruction list of what can and can’t be done for the 24 hours after your session, like  no makeup, no sunscreen, how to use the products, what to expect, added supplements to take, etc.   We offer numbing cream if needed.

We also combine our microneedling treatments with an LED light treatment, which increases the healing process and the overall results.  LED light therapy on its own will stimulate collagen production so we love using it in most of our holistic skin therapies.  When you finish with a microneedling treatment, your skin is red and irritated.  The LED light therapy calms the irritated and inflamed skin, while offering a different set of healing benefits for the skin.  LED light therapy is a wonderful addition that helps the redness to diminish quickly.  When you leave the office, it looks like you have a very mild sunburn and by the next day, the skin is usually back to its normal color.  

The recommended course of treatment is 6 to 8 sessions, done 1 month apart.  This is an hour-long session, including the LED light therapy.  Results can typically be seen by the second or third treatment.

Micro-needling can help to:

•          Reduce fine lines and wrinkles

•          Reduce acne scars

•           Reduce hyper-pigmentation  

•          Reduce scars

•          Improve skin texture

•          Repair and plump the skin

•          Minimize stretch marks

•          Even out skin tone and helps to repair sun damaged skin

•          Increase the delivery of ingredients/nutrients used on skin

Let us know if you have any questions, we are here to answer them for you!  We love talking about microneedling and anything skin related. We offer FREE consults as well to see if Microneedling is right for you. We are located in Herndon Virginia (Northern Virginia). 

I hope you find this information helpful!

DeBritt