What is medical microneedling?

Who doesn’t love rejuvenated and glowing skin? Are you conscious of your skin? Do you feel like you have excessive scar tissue from surgery or acne? These are questions we are asking frequently at Kingswood Parks Clinics.

Microneedling, also known as the vampire facial, or most accurately known as Collagen Induction Therapy, is an innovative rejuvenating treatment that can be offered with synergistic modalities like dermaplaning and PRP. Micro needling is one of the most amazing treatments to help with rejuvenation of skin tissue both scared and normal, minimising and repairing fibrosis and helping to thicken and tighten the skin with accelerated results of collagen and elastin (which is also great for fine lines and wrinkles).

So, what is micro needling?

Microneedling is a treatment that helps with over all skin health and rejuvenation. Causing micro trauma to the skin using several tiny needles used at different depths, we produce micro channels in the skin. These needles promote the wound healing cascade and an inflammatory response within the skin promoting a more synchronised healing to help form and reform cleaner and perfectly woven collagen fibres.

Microneedling helps with stimulating major cells like, melanocytes, cytokines, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts helping with an acceleration of collagen and elastin, normalizing melanogenesis and creating thicker and tighter skin. Due to the increased acceleration of collagen and elastin this treatment is amazing for plumping the skin.; helping to soften and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles.

Micro-Needling – Kingswood Parks Dental & Skin Clinic (kingswoodparksclinics.co.uk)

How often can I have this treatment?

This treatment can be done every 4-6 weeks and can be done continuously. Due to ageing and the natural healing response, this time may vary for each patient and the same for downtime. Due to this treatment being natural it can be done on a monthly basis.

The reason this treatment can’t be done more often is due to the decreased amount of healing and cellular turn over. This is because we have slower skin turn over as we age and due to superficial trauma like UV rays and pollution, the skin cycle is from 28 days. The more often the treatment is performed, for example every month the more the skin cycle with accelerate. This will allow for the body to get rid of dead skin cells quicker revealing a healthier glow and look to the skin.

Can I still use home care alongside the treatment?

Absolutely!! Skin care can be used as normal alongside having needling treatments. However, there are a few exceptions of products and ingredients you can’t use for at least 14 days post treatment. Anything that is classed as a manual and/or chemical exfoliation can’t be done post treatment for at least 14 days due skin cells being fractured and slightly de modelled during the needling process.

Vitamin A (most commonly known as Retinol or Retin-A) should also be used about 5-6 days post treatment to allow the skin some time to heal. Retinol is amazing to help after microneedling due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, however we would recommend to use 5-6 days apart to allow the skin to settle and not get over irritated.

Our skin practitioners at Kingswood Parks Clinics can recommend home skin care products, post treatment to suit your skin type and the results you are seeking to achieve.

What is the downtime?

Down time is usually about 2-3 days for the redness to reduce. When we perform microneedling we witness a process called erythema on the skin which is the body’s natural way of defence by vasodilating blood cells to the surface of the skin. You normally see a reduction in this process within 24 hours, however in some cases this can take a few days to fully settle. Dryness and flakiness can occur for the first 5-7 days post treatment but rarely lasts longer than this!

Contact – Kingswood Parks Dental & Skin Clinic (kingswoodparksclinics.co.uk)