What is Microneedling and why does it Work?
Microneedling is a way to cause improvement in skin quality by harnessing the skin’s natural healing potential. Microneedling causes controlled micro-injuries that stimulate your body’s natural wound healing process, while minimizing cellular damage. The result is effective remodeling of skin tissue, while keeping the overall structure of the skin intact.
There are three phases to the wound-repair process:
Phase I: Inflammation. Piercing the skin triggers your immune system to disinfect the wounds, remove debris, increase blood flow and begin to create new tissue.
Phase II: Proliferation. The wound is rebuilt with new granulation cells, which are part of the extracellular matrix. Additionally, a new network of blood vessels develops.
Phase III: Remodeling. The wound is replaced with new dermal tissues and blood vessels.
Why do we Combine Microneedling?
Microneedling procedures can be combined with a variety of other treatments and serums to provide maximum effectiveness of the benefits of the collagen inducing micro-injuries caused during the procedure. Microneedling with PRP is a popular variation of the treatment as well as the addition of a stem cell based serum. One other adjunct is combing radiofequency heating which targets slightly deeper tissue for improvement through heating.
The process for microneedling with PRP begins with the collection of blood to make the PRP. First, blood will be drawn from a vein in the arm, typically 5-15mL. The blood sample is then placed in a centrifuge which isolates the platelets, forming the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) concentration. This step in the process typically takes 15 minutes. While the centrifuge is distilling the PRP, the patient’s skin will be cleansed in preparation for the treatment. A light numbing agent will be applied to the treatment area to help prevent discomfort during the procedure. The practitioner will gently glide the microneedling device over the area to be treated, creating tiny holes in the skin penetrating approximately .5 to 2mm in depth. The microneedling device is a hand held machine that will have between 12-80 sterile, stainless needles that penetrate the skin. The depth and number of needles on a device will depend on the brand used by the practitioner. Once the area has been thoroughly treated, the practitioner will then apply the now developed PRP concentration. Skin will begin to feel taut shortly after the session. Following treatment it is advised to not wash off any residual residue so as to allow the PRP to continue to penetrate the skin. Skin will progressively improve in the weeks to come in tone and texture.
The goal of a microneedling and PRP procedure is to target imperfections of the skin with micro-injuries which cause the release of growth factors and triggers the wound healing process, thereby producing collagen and creating younger looking skin.