By: Jennifer Ellis, FNP-C

Collagen and elastin are skin components essential for maintaining a plump, youthful look. They start to decline for many reasons such as increased age, sun exposure, and middle age hormonal fluctuations. Microneedling is an in-office treatment that increases the collagen in our skin, by initiating the bodies natural healing response.

Microneedling involves delivering tiny punctures to the skin with a pen-like machine that has a tip holding many short, sterile needles. The skin is numbed, cleansed, and using a hyaluronic acid serum or anti-aging exosome preparation to help glide the tip, the area is treated thoroughly. The response to these micro-injuries is a waking up of the fibroblast cells that produce collagen, resulting in an increased production by those cells.

Microneedling can help improve depressed acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, poor texture, pore size, and hyperpigmentation. With multiple treatments the results will continue to improve as the collagen builds over time. Maintenance will likely be necessary to maintain results as the aging process continues again.

Microneedling can be done safely on all skin types, but must be avoided on inflamed skin such as severe rosacea or active acne. Aftercare involves keeping your skin hydrated, avoiding the sun and wearing a daily SPF, which hopefully you are doing anyway! 

See our article: Daily Skincare Essentials: Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Retinol, and Sunscreen.