Microneedling in Portland
Rejuvinate Your Skin with Microneedling
If you’re looking for a way to improve your skin’s texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of acne scars, and improve the appearance of skin tone, microneedling may be right for you. This increasingly popular cosmetic procedure involves the use of tiny needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin, which stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. The result? Smoother, firmer, more youthful-looking skin.
What is Microneedling and How Does It Work?
Microneedling is a safe and effective cosmetic procedure that uses a device with tiny needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin. These micro-channels stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, two proteins that are essential for maintaining healthy, youthful-looking skin. Collagen is responsible for giving skin its structure and elasticity, while elastin allows skin to stretch and bounce back into place. As we age, the production of collagen and elastin slows down, leading to a loss of firmness and elasticity in the skin. In fact, starting as early as age 20 the body produces 1% less collagen every year, which means a 40 year old has 20% less collagen than a 20 year old, and a 55 year old has 35% less collagen than a 20 year old. This cumulative loss of collagen, along with repetitive muscle movements like smiling, laughing, and frowning, create the appearance of aging skin. Microneedling can help to reverse this process by stimulating the body’s own healing process and encouraging the production of these two proteins.
Benefits of Microneedling
There are many benefits to microneedling, which is one of the reasons why it has become such a popular cosmetic procedure. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect:
- Improved Skin Texture: By stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, microneedling can help to smooth out rough, uneven skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Reduced Scarring: Microneedling can also be used to reduce the appearance of scars, including acne scars and surgical scars. The stimulation of collagen and elastin can help to fill in the scar tissue and make it less noticeable.
- Increased Product Absorption: Immediately after a microneedling session is the perfect time for a collagen face mask! By creating micro-channels in the skin, skin care products can penetrate deeper into the skin, where they can be more effective. This is why every microneedling session at Ageless Aesthetics is following by a 15 minute collagen facial mask.
- Minimal Downtime: Compared to other cosmetic procedures, microneedling has minimal downtime. Most patients experience some redness and swelling immediately after the procedure, but this typically subsides within a 1-2 days. Some patients may also experience some mild bruising, but this is rare.
The Different Types of Microneedling
There are 3 main types of microneedling, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks, and pricepoints! Here are the most common types of microneedling:
- Hyaluronic Acid microneedling: This is the basic level of microneedling, and the kind we perform here at Ageless Aesthetics. With this procedure, a hyaluronic acid serum is used on skin and microneedled in during the treatment.
- PRP microneedling: Microneedling with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) involves taking a small amount of the patient’s blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets, and then injecting the platelets into the skin. The microneedling device is then used to create micro-channels in the skin, allowing the platelets to penetrate deeper into the skin. This type of microneedling is more expensive than other types, but it can be very effective for reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This is also called the Vampire Facial.
- Radiofrequency microneedling: this is the highest tier of microneedling, and also the most expensive. During radiofrequency microneedling, once the needle punctures the skin, a very small electrical current is emited between the needles creating heat under the skin.
*Ageless Aesthetics only performs hyaluronic acid microneedling. We do not provide PRP or radiofrequency treatments.
Microneedling is a very safe, simple, and effective procedure. Almost everyone is a good candidate for treatment. Unlike laser treatments that may not be suitable for dark skin tones, microneedling is safe to use on all skin colors.
Microneedling is also a great combination to use with Botox and Dysport treatments! Botox temporarily reduces the muscle movements that cause wrinkles. Then, while the skin is immobile, Microneedling regenerates new collagen to fill in those lines to maintain youthful skin integrity.
While microneedling is wonderful at rejuvenating collagen and elastin at the surface of the skin, dermal fillers are the best choice for areas of significant volume loss and deep lines (like in the cheeks, deep lines around the mouth, and the lips).
Microneedling FAQ
Before a microneedling treatment, a topical numbing cream is applied to the skin to make the process as painless as possible. Some people may still experience some sensation even with the numbing cream, but they describe this feeling as mildly abrasive, like being rubbed with light sandpaper or an exfoliant.
Microneedling is helpful for treating fine lines, acne scars, stretch marks, sun damage, patches of darker or lighter skin, and to improve overall skin texture and integrity. Microneedling is beneficial for almost everyone, and there is no risk of hypopigmentation for people with darker skin tones.
It takes at least 3 treatments before you will begin to see significant results. Collagen is a mesh-like network underneath the skin, with layers and layers of collagen proteins stacked on top of each other. Building this network takes time. Once the collagen network is built up to its potential the results will last several months. However, with time the results will begin to diminish.
That is why after your initial 3 treatments it is recommended to continue having follow up treatments at least once a year. Supplementing with collagen peptides can help your body build a stronger collagen network. You can read more about how collagen peptides interact with the body in this article.
After your microneedling session your face will appear pink or red, as if you have a sunburn. During this time the tiny microchannels created by the needles are open and susceptible to infection, so it is VERY IMPORTANT TO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE, and very important to stay out of direct sunlight for the first 24 hours. You may experience a warm and dry sensation, and you may experience some skin flaking, like a peeling sunburn. We highly recommend that you do not schedule your microneedling appointment before a night out or a special event. The next morning you may still experience some redness but it should subside over the next 1-2 days.