Microneedling
Updated: Apr 17
Before trying any new beauty product, I highly recommend you do your own research in order to draw your own conclusions. That’s good advice for anything in life. So, if you’re reading this blog post you’ve shown some interest in knowing more about microneedling and I hope you find some of the insights you are looking for and that I my shared experience is helpful along your personal beauty journey. I would immediately suggest that after you finish reading, you keep on reading and learning more!
When I first heard about microneedling all I remember focussing on was the word needle, and that like the perfectly normal reaction of having an aversion to pointy sharp things being stuck into my body, I thought I’d pass. But like I just mentioned, its worth finding out more about any subject especially one that has gained in popularity and which promises great results. So despite how terrifying the experience seemed to me at the beginning I quickly realized that it’s a minimally invasive procedure, with little to no downtime and with really beneficial outcomes. But what exactly is going on with microneedling and why was everybody talking about collagen and referring to also as collagen induction therapy? Here’s what I found out…
Collagen is more than a substance that is injected into the lips of Hollywood actresses and reality television stars. So, let’s get into some science here so we understand what is going on with our skin and body. Collagen is one of the key building blocks of our body. It’s a protein that provides structure to our body, including ours bones, tendons, ligaments and of course skin. It’s the glue that holds things together, keeping them tight and strong. For what we’re interested about, it helps keep our skin looking more youthful, firm and smooth. But as we age our body produces less collagen and what it does produce is of lesser quality. When this happens, our skin becomes to sag and we start to see the beginning of fine lines and wrinkles. Microneedling is therefore a process that encourages the production of collagen which in turn has an effect on reversing the aging process.
Microneedling is a procedure that uses a device called a dermaroller which is made up of hundreds of very tiny, very fine needles. As the dermaroller is rolled over our skin, usually our face, but it can be used anywhere on your body, these tiny needles puncture our skin. All of these hundreds of small “wounds” created a controlled trauma to our skin which our body then wants to treat. And the way that our body treats this attack is by producing an abundance of new collagen, which in turn improves the overall look and feel of our skin.
Microneedling can also be used to treat certain skin conditions like acne, brown spots, eczema, rosacea, stretch marks and other pigment issues. BUT please always consult with a board-certified dermatologist to see if any specific skin ailments could benefit from microneedling. This brings me to my next point which is that microneedling was typically only a procedure that was conducted in a professional space by dermatologists, or depending on the health regulations in your jurisdiction by certain trained clinicians.
That being said, my personal experience with microneedling has been strictly the DIY version right from the comfort of my house. I am fortunate enough that I do not suffer from significant skin conditions that would require longer needles. I forgot to mention that before. The length of the needles on the dermaroller vary in length from as short as 0.25mm right up 2.0mm. Obviously the longer the needles the deeper the puncture and the more significant the “injury” to your face.
You may have seen images of women’s faces (or you will after you Google it) after a microneedling session at a dermatologist office. In most of those cases you are looking at a result of dermarollers which were equipped with the longer needles. The longer the needles, the deeper the wounds and the longer the recovery period. The DIY home version I use is on the shorter side. So, the effects you can expect at home are less significant but you should still be aware that after a session your skin can feel like you just had sunburn. You may also experience slight swelling and redness for a couple of hours.
When you start off at home, I would suggest to wait at least a few days before each session. It’s important to remember that this is a process and that it takes time for the collagen to really start having an effect on your skin, but you will see it. There have been well documented results showing that people can achieve significant improvements to your skin in just a few sessions.