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In our facial cosmetic practice, we now offer “microneedling,” which is a facial resurfacing treatment procedure to improve the look of your skin. Microneedling can help:
- Minimize the appearance of scarring from acne.
- Make fine lines smaller.
- With aging.
- Improve overall skin texture and brightness.
It is equally important to note that microneedling should not be performed on anyone who has active skin cancer in the treatment areas, open wounds, sores, irritated skin of the treatments areas, an allergy to stainless steel or topical anesthetics, a hemorrhagic (bleeding) disorder or hemostatic (bleeding) dysfunction, are pregnant or nursing, or who are currently taking drugs with the ingredients isotretinoin (such a Accutane).
Needles…Hmmmm…What’s That About?
I know! For some people, anytime the word “needle” is used, it sounds scary or painful, but microneedling absolutely is not! We apply a topical-numbing cream to your face for about 15 minutes or so, wipe it off, and then begin. The procedure isn't painful at all after that; if anything, sometimes patients find that it tickles, but it is certainly not painful.What Happens During a Microneedling Treatment?
The procedure is performed using a "pen" with small needles in it, hence the name, that helps to resurface the top layer of the skin. We are able to control and adjust the depth of the needles based on the treatment area and skin concern. Microneedling creates microtrauma to the skin surface, and in doing so, helps with cell turnover which ultimately helps to achieve desired results.The benefit of doing microneedling in a medical setting is we can utilize PRP, or platelet-rich plasma. We draw blood here and have a centrifuge where we separate the blood into the three different parts. We use the platelets, which we call “liquid gold,” on top of the skin surface to glide the microneedling pen. Through these small punctures, the skin is able to absorb this PRP, which really helps to promote brighter skin, thicker collagen, anti-aging, and a faster healing process.
We resurface the entire face – and you can do the neck as well – as we find it gives a more uniform final result and appearance.
In addition to the initial consultation where we can review the procedure and answer your questions, you will return for three treatments about four to six weeks apart. If you do only one treatment, it doesn't really give you the full effect. It takes up to six weeks to give the skin surface enough time to go through the natural-healing process, depending on a person's age. Although we typically start with three treatments, some patients who have severe scarring, acne scarring, or have a certain problem area, may want more than 3 treatments.
What is the Healing Process Like?
It takes about 72 hours for the skin to heal and for you to look like yourself again after a procedure. The downtime isn't as bad as patients think. On the first day of treatment, the skin will be traumatized, and it's normal to have a little bit of dried blood. We provide you with a topical lotion called HG LIFT. You can apply as much as you want for those first 24 hours to help with any dryness or tightness, soothe your skin, and promote the healing process. For the first 24 hours you should not apply anything topical to your face except the HG LIFT we give you, so we often suggest that people plan to stay home on day 1.By day 2, however, it looks like you have a sunburn as the face can look a little red. And then by day 3, you look almost if not entirely back to your normal self, and you can resume your normal skincare and makeup routine. But know that it can take up to week for things to heal completely.
What Makes Microneedling at Atrius Health Different?
At Atrius Health, you will see me or Dr. Linda Lee for any of the treatments you receive. We are both trained medical providers, which means that we are able to incorporate use of PRP into your treatment, to enhance your results and improve the healing process. Our in-depth training also ensures that we can go deeper, safely, if needed to address more severe scarring or problems areas with good results.We also invest in tools that have been shown to be as safe and effective as possible. For example, we use a microneedling pen, brand name SkinPen, which is FDA approved. The FDA has evaluated and cleared it, meaning it is very safe for patients. There are many different microneedling pens out there. Based on the amount of research and studies to confirm SkinPen’s safety and effectiveness, we use this type of pen exclusively.
What is the Cost of Microneedling?
Because this procedure is for cosmetic purposes only, insurance doesn't factor in, and people do need to pay for it out of pocket. Typically, our initial consultation fee is $150, and we can discuss applying it towards your first treatment. Each of the 3 treatments for the procedure itself are $550, in line with other providers in the area who also offer microneedling with PRP.Contact Our Office to Schedule a Consultation
Cosmetic Services and Facial Plastic Surgery
