Skin concerns affect many individuals in the world, mostly females. These include wrinkles, sunspots, acne, hyper-pigmentation etc. Each skin problem become the reason of irritation and affects overall appearance of women. Hence, it is necessary to treat them on time. When it left untreated, it leads to skin damage, which causes rashes, bumps discoloration etc. There are several procedures that are effective enough to treat and resolve these skin related issues, skin needling treatment is one of them.

Skin Needling treatment stimulates collagen production in the skin, which treats skin aging in individuals. This cosmetic procedure uses miniature, sterilized needles to create micro-punctures in the skin. Its other name is microneedling or collagen induction therapy. Microneedling stimulates skin healing process, which improves skin elasticity and reduces the appearance of acne scars, wrinkles and other skin problems. This procedure can be applied to any body area. It requires multiple treatments sessions for achieving desired results.

Types of Skin Needling

This procedure consists of several types. These include the following:

Fractional microneedling radiofrequency: It is a facial treatment which stimulates collagen production and improves skin tone and texture. A tiny needle or microneedle is attached to the dermis layer of the skin. The layer gets heated when the radiofrequency energy is delivered from the needles. This technique is safe and suitable for treating several skin problems such as surgical scars, wrinkles etc.
Light-emitting microneedling device: Microneedling, when combined with LED phototherapy, treats acne and aging signs in patients. It uses different lights for this procedure. The blue light is used for acne treatment and red light for skin rejuvenation.
DermaFrac: It involves creation of tiny punctures on the skin. This revolutionary device targets the epidermis and papillary layer only. It is useful in treating skin problems such as large pores, sun damage etc., in patients.
Derma roller: It regenerates and repairs skin with different tiny needles. This device targets only the scar tissue for healing. It is popular for home use.

Advantages of Microneedling

The advantages of skin needling treatment are as follows:

The cost of this cosmetic procedure is lower than laser therapy.
It improves the skin appearance by reducing stretch marks, wrinkles etc.
This procedure requires minimal downtime for skin rejuvenating or plumping. It is fit for the requirements of each person.
It enhances hair growth in individuals suffering from alopecia.

Best Candidate for Microneedling

Microneedling treatment is best for those candidates, who must have following skin conditions:

Stretch marks
Thin and wrinkled skin
Enlarged pores
Wrinkles
Skin discoloration

This procedure also treats several medical conditions such as hyperhidrosis, alopecia areata etc.

Microneedling should not treat the following problems:

Eczema or psoriasis
Frequent skin rashes or cold sores
Blood disorders
Cancer
Moles or freckles in skin
Acne

An individual must consult with a healthcare provider if he or she may suffer from these health conditions.

Risks and Complications

According to the medical community, microneedling is safe and effective for patients but it involves several risks. These are as follows:

Redness
Swelling
Skin Infection
Bruising
Scarring

Before Procedure

You can consult with a healthcare provider for this cosmetic procedure. After that, he or she will do the following things:

Examine your skin
Review your medical history
Discuss your goals

The provider also captures the image of the body areas. After that, a surgery may be performed from a plastic surgeon, dermatologist or aesthetician. Make sure that they are experienced for this procedure.

You can apply vitamin A or C on the skin one month before treatment. This starts the process of collagen production.

During Procedure

Before starting surgery, a healthcare provider cleans your skin and applies numbing cream or ointment for 30 to 45 minutes.

After applying cream, a healthcare provider uses a hand-held roller or an electric tool for micro-injuries in the skin. The roller contains tiny needles, which can be rolled slowly and gently on the skin.

The skin gets punctured when the needles pulses up and down. A healthcare provider changes the length of the needle of an electric device. The longer needles might be needed for deep scars or pockmarks from acne. They go deeper on the skin. The range of needle lengths must be between 0.5 to 2 millimeters.

Once the microneedling starts, a scratching occurs on your face. The needles near bony areas lead to pain or discomfort in patients. A little bleeding occurs due to deep microneedling.

The microneedling procedure treats different areas, which might take 15 minutes to a few hours.

After Procedure

A patient can go home after the surgery because it is an outpatient procedure. The swelling or redness might occur in your skin for five days. You can apply an ice pack to reduce irritation or discomfort in skin. It is essential to stay out of the sun until the skin cures.