Micro-Needling: Is it worth the hype
Micro-Needling skin therapy is a multi-function treatment that uses small needles to cause tiny punctures in the skin.
These small contact points encourage the body to create a wound healing response and renew the skin cells. As your skin repairs, serum growth factors stimulate new collagen and elastin development. Micro-needling promotes scar healing and natural collagen production in the skin to improve the appearance of scars, acne scarring, stretch marks, wrinkles, pigmentation and rejuvenate the skin.
This micro-needling treatment is based on the natural rejuvenating power of the skin. Shortly after any injury to the human skin, old and damaged skin tissue dissolves and is replaced by new cells. The gentle, controlled needling method used in the Derma pen or derma roll skin therapy encourages this organic self-repair mechanism on a microcosmic scale.
The thin needles are used to gently penetrate the skin and create micro-injuries that trigger the synthesis of new collagen. This method is extremely effective and is hugely popular with clients who prefer a rejuvenation method involving significantly less epidermal damage than alternative treatments.
Dermaroller or derma-stamping: is a form home use of micro needling, that involves using a mini wheel covered with hundreds of tiny needles to gently prick the face. When in use, these needles create micro-injuries on the skin, which in turn stimulate collagen and elastin production, it is better used in conjunction with a serum to boost ingredient absorption.
Derma-roller sizes:
- 0.2 – 0.3 mm size skin roller needle
The 0.2 to 0.3mm size skin roller needles are the smallest of derma roller microneedles which are used basically for what is referred to as transdermal absorption, or simply, enhanced absorption of skin care products. It does not stimulate the growth of collagen, but it does thicken the epidermis making it easier for the skin to respond positively to various skincare products.
- 0.5mm-1mm size derma roller needle
The 0.5 mm derma roller needles are the perfect size of needle for anyone looking to treat shallow wrinkles, UV damage, light scarring, and hyperpigmentation. It also helps in the boosting of product absorption for quicker and more efficient results. Derma rolling naturally causes loss of skin moisture and dryness, so longer needles must be used carefully. The 0.5mm needle can be utilized weekly or twice a month.
Users experience minimal pain and blood spotting which heals within a short time.
Effects will vary from user to another, and while some might exhibit excessive reddening and skin irritation from weekly use, others will not. Your skin reaction to derma rolling should help you determine the frequency at which you can use the 0.5mm size needle. Beginners should practice caution with the choice of needles, hence; should not use the 0.5mm needle on a weekly basis.
How to use:
After preparation of the area with a thorough wash, rolling is done 15-20 times in horizontal, vertical, and oblique directions on the different areas of the face being very careful not to repeat the same areas on the same session, the treated area can be previously numbed with topical anesthesia for 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Derma-pen:
The procedure comes with a simple device attached to a disposable, sterilized individual micro-needling tips; each tip has multiple stainless steel micro-needles. The tip depth can be adjusted between depending on your specific needs and different treatment areas. This allows the needles to be adjusted during your session for optimal results on facial contours and the delicate features such as your eyes, nose and mouth. Pin tips vary in number of needles depending on area of treatment; they are usually 9 pins, 12 pins, 36pins, 42 pins and nano. You can also adjust the length of the needle to increase the penetration depth.
Radio Frequency (RF) microneedling
Radio-frequency is a non-invasive method of skin tightening that utilizes low energy magnetic waves. The released low energy radiation heats the deep layers of dermis to stimulate the production of collagen.
Radio Frequency (RF) microneedling devices use specially insulated needles that deliver high-intensity radio frequency energy into the targeted tissue once the needles have broken through the skin. This gives a uniform warming effect to the deep tissue, which helps to stimulate new collagen fibers to grow, leading to significant improvement to skin quality and texture. By delivering the RF energy under the skin, RF micro-needling allows for safe targeting of the deep dermis (or even the fat layer in some body areas) without the risk of damaging the skin surface. This allows for effective tightening of the skin and remodeling of scar tissue.