Thank you for your question!
You are asking if it’s possible to have microneedling on the neck and near the eyes.
Well I can certainly give you some guidance on this question.
I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon and fellowship trained oculofacial plastic and
reconstructive surgeon practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years.
I’m part of the vampire facelift network of doctors for many years now.
I have actually been called upon by the media to comment on the vampire facial when certain
celebrities underwent this procedure.
So microneedling is a part of what we do in our practice and I think it’s really important
to be educated about the benefits of microneedling which is often misinterpreted.
So to begin with, first of all, in terms of the question of safety: is it safe?
It is safe but with microneedling, you have to understand there are different levels of
depths.
Microneedling can be superficial, it can be limited to the epidermis and it can also go
down to the dermis.
So the real question is what you are trying to achieve?
If you are trying to improve under eyes skin quality, then in our practice we will routinely
use modalities that include platelet-rich plasma (PRP), the use of fractional CO2 laser,
the use of radio frequency like Pelleve.
For the next skin, we will use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve skin texture and quality.
We’ve been able to help with scars in the neck with the use of platelet-rich plasma
(PRP), the use of topicals in the retinal family, light laser treatments.
So microneedling is a good treatment but you have to question like what you are trying
to achieve?
If you are trying to achieve tightening of the skin by creating the tiny holes, I think
there if there is value but there is still an upper limit.
Creating this puncture holes in the skin has to be done in a way where the skin heals in
a way that is advantageous.
I find that as of late, there is often overzealous use of modalities that have inappropriate
use whether it is radio frequency, whether it’s laser, whether it is microneedling.
Patients have come to me more and more with concerns because they feel that they have
lost volumes, they have lost tissue from aggressive use from any of this modalities.
So to answer the question, the answer is yes but microneedling is not a generic procedure
especially when combined with the vampire facial or the use of platelet-rich plasma
(PRP).
You want to essentially penetrate the skin up to a certain level then apply the platelet-rich
plasma (PRP) in a way that gets absorbed and stimulates collagen, blood supply and things
platelet-rich plasma (PRP) does.
Just for clarification, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a derivation from your own blood
which is spun down and a concentration of the healing factors and growth factors are
used and applied to help improve the areas that you want to improve.
So in our practice we use it for under eye dark circles, we use it for acne scars, we
use it for scars, we use it for complexion improvement.
So it’s remarkable.
We even use it for combination with Acellular matrix for hair loss.
So there is an art to all of these treatment and unfortunately a lot of times people are
finding practitioners whether they are non-physicians or people who have limited scope and they
sometimes get a little too over aggressive so you have to be careful.
So with that being said, again in summary, it is safe depending on the depth, depending
on the method also depending on the indication.
A lot of people will search for procedure assuming it is the right procedure for the
concern they have.
So I tell people who come to us maybe with an interest in microneedling, I say let’s
put that aside first for a moment and let’s focus on what we are trying to improve and
you will be surprised to see how many times they actually find a better alternative to
whatever they think they need but at least you are on the right path because maybe you
want to improve fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and scars.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question!