WHAT IS SKIN NEEDLING?
During skin needling, the needling device (which has a cylinder with multiple microneedles on it) is rolled back and forth on the skin, causing multiple punctures in the skin.
Skin needling is also known as “Collagen Induction Therapy”. It is helpful in particular for scarring, pigmentation and skin rejuvenation.
At Dr Naomi we have been performing medical skin needling for over 10 years.
WHAT SKIN CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPROVED BY SKIN NEEDLING?
* Acne Scarring
* Surgical Scars
* Skin Texture
* Wrinkles
* Fine lines
* Skin TIghtness
* Pigmentation
HOW DOES SKIN NEEDLING WORK?
The needles cause thousands of puncture holes in the skin when the wheel is rolled over the skin in multiple passes. This is followed by wound healing and subsequent collagen production. With this new collagen production, results will start to be seen at 3 months and will increase for up to 12 months. The patient will notice improvement in acne scars, wrinkles and skin texture and tightness.
THE SKIN NEEDLING PROCEDURE?
Anaesthetic
A topical anaesthetic will be provided eg Emla or LMX or compounded anaesthetic. This will be applied to the skin for 1 hour prior to the procedure
Local anaesthetic will be injected into some areas of the face to numb the areas which will be treated
Happy gas is available
Or Penthrox is available
Needling
Once the area is numb and the patient comfortable, the needling part of the procedure will begin.
The dermaroller is rolled over the skin multiple times causing thousands of micropuncture wound. This part of the procedure will take 1 hour. The patient will be comfortable due to the anaesthetics used.
Topical creams (medical grade) eg tretinoin or other retinoids (Vitamin As) may be applied
The patient will be moved to a recovery room, where the face will be cleaned with saline and the bleeding will be controlled.
After the procedure
The skin may take approx 7-8 days to heal. There may be some weeping on the first night after the procedure.
The skin will be red for about 7 days.
The face will be swollen
SIDE EFFECTS /RISKS OF SKIN NEEDLING
Redness will occur for about 7 days after the procedure.
Swelling may occur after the procedure for a few days
Weeping/Oozing may occur from the skin in the first 24 hours
Acne: A breakout may occur after the procedure
Milia: Small white superficial epidermal cysts may occur after treatment, these are easily treated
Cold Sore Infection: If a patient has a history of cold sores, these may be triggered with the procedure
Bacterial Infection: Very Uncommon
Scarring: Very uncommon
HOW MANY TREATMENTS ARE REQUIRED?
Number of treatments depends on expectations and on response, the range would be between 1-5. Most people have 3 treatments. We prefer a minimum of 1 month between sessions
ARE ALL NEEDLING TREATMENTS HE SAME?
No, there are a range of needling treatments available form home needling to needling requiring anaesthetic injections and significant down time. The length of the needle is an important factor in determining how invasive (and effective) the procedure is. The more invasive and longer the downtime, the better the results and the fewer treatments required. We offer a range of options.
HOME NEEDLING
The skin needling we offer as an in-clinic treatment performed by the doctor uses at least a 2mm needle on the skin roller. We also sell home needling devices, which have a needle length of approximately 10% of that length. These home skin rollers are painless, cause no redness and have no downtime associated. They cause multiple holes in the skin,which aisd penetration of home care topical creams and serums (eg vitamin A,B, C hydroquinone etc) which will increase their effectiveness.
Although they are not as effective as in-clinic medical needling, they are still effective and should be used twice weekly at home in association with your recommended home care. Dr Naomi offers Skin needling facial which introduces the patient to the procedure of home needling and is training for that use (facial also includes the needling device to take home)
SKIN NEEDLING VS FRACTIONAL LASER?
Fractional laser involves only a fraction of the skin field being treated, ie columns of skin are removed by the laser. The depth of these columns can be up to 2mm. This causes collagen stimulation. Fractional laser can be used to treat acne scarring, scarring, pigmentation and wrinkles and skin texture and for skin rejuvenation. With fractional laser there is a risk of PIH (Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation). PIH is less likely with skin needling than with fractional laser.
Skin Needling uses a roller with multiple needles on it to cause an injury, wheich enables the roller to be able to treat the same conditions as fractional laser. Depth of treatment may be up to 3mm. Pigmentation is less likely to occur after needling treatment, which makes it safer in darker skin tones when treating acne scarring
COST OF SKIN NEEDLING
In Clinic Skin Needling with beauty therapist (60 minutes $500, course of 4, $1800) depth of roller <2mm
Requires minimal downtime