Microneedling is used to improve your skin’s appearance and is a non-surgical treatment using very fine, small needles. The needles can be used to help smooth wrinkles and fine lines by triggering a natural healing response from your body.
When compared to chemical peels or laser therapy, microneedling is an inexpensive option to brighten and rejuvenate your skin.
Are you a Good Candidate for Microneedling?
Most adults are great candidates for microneedling if they’re:
- In good health
- Have fine lines or wrinkles
A person that is suffering from a fever or an infection isn’t a good candidate for microneedling at this time. When this procedure is performed, it can boost collagen production, which not only works for anti-aging, but can also help with acne, scars and injuries.
Due to the procedure being relatively safe, almost anyone is a good candidate, although pregnant and nursing women should not have the procedure done out of an abundance of caution.
Cold sores may be triggered from microneedling, so anyone that has cold sores often may want to speak to their doctor before having the procedure performed. A round of antiviral medications prior to your appointment can help fend off potential cold sores from developing.
A person suffering from vitiligo or lupus will also want to consider other forms of skin treatment due to microneedling potentially causing unwanted side effects.
Benefits of Microneedling
With chemical peels and laser therapy, it’s not uncommon to question why microneedling is a good option for skin health and anti-aging. There are other options available, but microneedling is nonsurgical and triggers the body’s natural healing process so that there are little-to-no side effects.
People with IV and V skin types (Fitzpatrick’s), this procedure is ideal because there’s no concern for scarring or hyperpigmentation.
A 2018 study found that microneedling is effective when treating multiple conditions, including:
- Acne
- Striae
- Scars
- Rhytides
When compared to deep chemical peels or skin resurfacing, microneedling was shown to be a viable alternative with a quick recovery time, significant clinical studies and very limited side effects.
Additional benefits include:
- Natural form of treatment. Microneedling causes small, tiny injuries that trigger the body’s healing response and collagen production. Since the procedure is made possible by the body’s natural healing response, there are few risks of side effects.
- Quick recovery. Only a small area of the skin’s surface will be involved in the procedure allowing for a rapid recovery time.
- Skin absorption. Topical creams and skin-related products are better absorbed following treatment. Higher absorption rates allow for long-term skin benefits that aren’t available with alternatives for microneedling.
Microneedling has been well-studied, and the science has been around since the 1900s. Recent studies include a 2018 study that was conducted on people between the ages of 35 and 75. The patients were to undergo four treatments.
Three months after the first treatment, researchers reported that participants’ skin demonstrated improvements in fine lines and wrinkles. Skin texture and laxity were also improved. The improvements continued for two additional months.
Whether you’re trying to remove fine lines and wrinkles, look younger or improve scarring, microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that has very few side effects and offers proven results.