MICRONEEDLING
PREPARING FOR YOUR MICRONEEDLING TREATMENT:
Avoid any known skin irritants such as retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids for 3-5 days prior to treatment.
Inform your provider if you have any concerning skin conditions such as, but not limited to, psoriasis, cystic or inflammatory acne, or cold sores.
If you have an active cold sore, we will need to reschedule your treatment.
Avoid direct sun exposure and always use sun protection for at least 3 days before treatment.
If you are planning on the Platelet Rich Fibrin add on treatment, please come hydrated to make for an easier blood draw and to increase the amount of PRF obtained.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON DAY OF TREATMENT
Your skin will be cleansed, prepped and a topical lidocaine/tetracaine ointment will be applied. Numbing will stay on the skin for 20 minutes.
Numbing will be removed, areas treated will be cleaned with hibiclens to kill any bacteria on the skin.
Microneedling will begin using either hyaluronic acid, or one of the add on treatments, growth factor serum or PRF. These will be applied to the skin and microneedled into the skin. The level of the needles into the skin will be adjusted throughout your treatment due to differing thicknesses of skin throughout your face. Some areas like around the eyes, the skin is quite thin, while the cheek skin is much thicker.
After the treatment is over a rich ceramide cream will be applied.
Expect to be extremely red on the day of treatment with the potential of mild bruising in areas where skin is very thin. Skin can also be pinkish or have a slight mottled appearance for a day or two after.
Results take time to appear. Microneedling creates the environment for your skin to be stimulated and begin to create more collagen, and elastin fibers. Best results are seen after a series of 3, and then maintenance treatments to continually stimulate the skin. Our skin is continuing to age, continued periodic treatments help to fight the natural thinning of the skin and aging process.
CARING FOR YOUR SKIN POST TREATMENT
After your treatment, your skin will be red and flushed in appearance, similar to a moderate sunburn. You may also experience skin tightness and mild sensitivity to touch. This will diminish greatly after a few hours, and completely after about 3 days.
Avoid any “active” skincare products until you are completely healed and your skin has returned to normal. This might be a couple of days to a week depending on how skin heals. These products include retinol, Retin A, salicyclic acid, glycolic acid, and benzoyl peroxide. The best thing you can use on your skin is SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream or any cream high in ceramides without any irritants.
Avoid the sun until healed. Do not apply sunscreen on treatment day unless it is mineral. Chemical sunscreens are very irritating to freshly microneedled skin. Sunscreen can be used once your skin has healed, 24-48 hours.
Avoid sweating. The salt in your sweat will cause the skin to burn and become very irritated.
Some patients may experience flaking 3-5 days post treatment. If this occurs, do not pull or pick flaking skin. Continue using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer until flaking resolves.
Results will take 6 weeks to be fully revealed. A series of 3 microneedlings every 6 weeks with maintenance treatments every 3-4 months will provide the best continued results.
