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what skin treatments are good alternatives to microneedling
facial micro needling is a popular skin Rejuvenation procedure often performed by
a practitioner using a motor driven device or even at home by a consumer with a dermaroller
the principle behind microneedling is to create a controlled injury to the skin so the body heals by
producing collagen in the treated area the word collagen is a popular term used in the aesthetic
treatments as it's generally understood to be something to help you look younger
collagen is a protein that gives your skin strength and resilience
in the skin the amount of collagen declines by about one percent every year after the age of 25.
the question that needs to be asked is whether microneedling is really the best way to induce
collagen production I'll discuss microneedling as well as alternative collagen induction treatments
I was an early adopter of microneedling and have performed this procedure for lines and
wrinkles as well as acne scars and general skin quality maintenance
let's start by appreciating that microneedling is an aggressive treatment
essentially your skin is being repeatedly pierced by needles like a sewing machine
this can cause some pain even with topical anesthetic although there are some situations
in the aesthetic field where some pain is unavoidable there is a misconception
that more skin injury with microneedling will result in greater collagen production
this is not the case as there is a limit to the collagen production capability unfortunately
a lot of people have seen their skin become thinner after aggressive microneedling treatment
an important concept to understand is that the controlled injury model of collagen induction
treatment requires time for healing as an essential part of the neocollagenesis process
or the process of inducing new collagen production the neocollagenesis process requires three to four
weeks of healing between treatment sessions a common problem with people doing microneedling
at home is that they are unaware that healing is needed for the treatment to be effective
so they use a dermaroller too frequently to allow for proper healing to occur
as is well established by chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing
the depth of treatment is critical for long-term benefits
deeper micro needling treatment can leave the skin irritated and even bloody resulting in
significant downtime and limiting when you can return to your usual activities
in my practice after I gained experience with microneedling I decided to look at whether there
were other ways to get comparable benefits without the trauma to the skin and downtime characteristic
of microneedling essentially there are specific lasers which stimulate collagen production and
each laser can be precisely calibrated for depth and energy delivery for example we use
a Q Switch Nd:YAG laser to stimulate collagen and improve skin tone for people with sun-damaged skin
this is a non-ablative treatment which means your skin remains intact
another laser I use routinely is the fractional CO2 laser which does require some downtime but
can also through Energy Delivery effectively tighten the skin the point is that lasers use
the controlled injury model to induce collagen production but with more precision and control
stimulating collagen in darker skin types carries a risk of pigmentation
problems when using microneedling or laser a unique treatment we perform a lot is that is
suitable for all skin types is called Skin Boosting in this procedure I use a device
to create micro channels into the skin to deliver rejuvenating factors into the skin
unlike microneedling the device is not creating an injury to induce collagen but rather creating
microscopic channels to deliver platelet-rich plasma or PRP which stimulates collagen production
without trauma we routinely combine PRP with hyaluronic acid since hyaluronic acid improves the
hydration and support that is characteristically lost in aging skin boosting doesn't require any
downtime after treatment and can be conveniently repeated to build on previous results
PRP or platelet-rich plasma is a concentration of wound healing
and growth factors present in your blood which are activated for healing injuries
platelet-rich plasma or PRP as well as its gel form PRF or platelet-rich fibrin is often applied
after microneedling to expedite healing PRP and PRF can also be used as a standalone procedure
for collagen stimulation and skin rejuvenation for example I see a lot of patients whose skin
has been very aggressively treated with micro needling or thermal energy devices
I place PRP and PRF below the skin to initiate collagen production new blood
supply and Improvement of the fat cell layers directly below the skin I do this with cannulas
so I avoid repeated injections on the skin surface and minimize the risks for any bruising
the controlled injury model that microneedling is based upon can be effective
but traumatizing the skin doesn't mean better results
in modern life it's difficult to justify extra days of downtime every few months I found
that treatments that are easier on your skin and induces collagen such as the use of lasers PRP PRF
and skin boosting are convenient and can be done regularly without disruption of your busy schedule
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