Skin Needling

The large population of baby boomers is obsessed with outer appearances and is demanding less invasive procedures to achieve their goals. Not a week passes without some cosmetic medical breakthrough happening. Skin Needling is one of these technologies which results in an almost side-effect-free concept for facial and non-facial skin rejuvenation. Skin needling has also been referred to as Needling, Rolling, Derma-rolling, Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT)™, and Needle-dermabrasion.

The results of Skin Needling are similar to those obtained with other ablative technologies. The advantage that Skin Needling has over these technologies is that the epidermis is not destroyed during the procedure which happens with ablative techniques such as Carbon Dioxide and Erbium Lasers, Dermabrasion and deep Chemical Peels.

Skin Needling is a medical procedure performed by medical personnel, using a cosmetic Medical Roller. A Medical Roller is a hand held instrument studded with needles ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm in length. This roller is gently rolled multiple times, back-and-forth in a star-like fashion over the whole area to be treated. The 30 minute procedure produces thousands of tiny wounds which can penetrate as deeply as the dermis and start up the inflammation phase. The minute wounds caused by the needling, trigger the release of growth-factors that form new tissue layers and natural collagen with hardly any downtime at all.

These minute injuries cause micro-bleeding, not visible on the skin and each tiny wound goes through the classic phases of wound healing which induce growth factors and collagen induction. These growth factors are responsible for the production of the new collagen which is deposited in the dermis, resulting in skin rejuvenation.

Human skin is a living organ which performs dynamic activities such as growth, repair and maintenance. Our skin requires cytokines and growth factors as key modulators of skin cell metabolism and their levels decrease with the aging process which results in slow cell renewal and defective skin defense systems. If endogenous cytokines and growth factors are stimulated in the aged skin by Skin Needling, they improve skin elasticity and plasticity via accelerated rejuvenating processes.

The good news is that the latest treatments such as Skin Needling are more effective than ever and treatments should be started sooner when the skin has a much greater ability to rejuvenate. If wrinkles are left and they become ingrained and scar like they are much more difficult to treat. Loss of collagen in the face causes the dreaded sagging problem which can easily be slowed down and prevented (to and extent) with early treatment

Skin Needling is able to treat: fine lines and wrinkles around eyes, mouth, cheeks, neck and décolleté. Other areas of the body can also be treated such as the abdomen, back of the hands and arms. All forms of acne scars, most surgical scars including facelift scars, abdominal scars, breast plastic operation, post liposuction scars, orthopedic scars, stretch marks and burn contracture scars can safely be treated. In addition stretch marks on the breasts and body and loose body skin are also safely treated.

The most commonly treated area with Skin Needling is the face, for skin rejuvenation. At Skin Renewal the we use a variety of needle lengths so as to be able to treat different depths and therefore affect different concerns on the skin. Rollers with longer needles are used on more difficult problems such as acne scarring, deep ingrained wrinkles around the mouth, burn contractures and surgical scars, whereas shorter needles are used for general rejuvenation.

The only type of scars on which Skin Needling would not have a positive result, is keloidal scar tissue. Skin Needling cannot be performed on any active inflammatory condition including active, inflamed acne.

These minute injuries cause micro-bleeding, on the skin (with the shorter needle lengths the bleeding is hardly visible, if at all). The needle only penetrates through the epidermis and does not remove it, thus the skin’s natural protective barrier remains intact. The pierced epidermis rapidly heals in a matter of hours. After the procedure, the treated skin has the appearance of moderate sunburn which improves over the next 24 to 48 hours. Make-up can be worn the following day. Post-procedure treatment foundation (such as Lycogel) can be worn immediately after the procedure, so you can go back to daily routine.

The results are not instantaneous as it takes at least 90 days for collagen to be manufactured and matured in the skin. Treatment effects are cumulative and a softening of fine lines and wrinkles will usually be seen within 6-8 weeks of each treatment. Over a period of 6-12 months, this new collagen slowly shortens and an added benefit is progressive tightening of the skin over the next few months.

Skin Needling has minimal downtime, has negligible complications and is affordable by most people making it the perfect alternative for slowing down the ageing process. Traditional lasers such as CO2 and Erbium need some form of anesthesia, pre-treatment and destroy the important skin protecting epidermis resulting in prolonged downtime. The advantage of Skin Needling is that the epidermis, the natural skin barrier remains intact resulting in no downtime, significantly reduced risk of infections, no post operative pain, and no pigment problems as the melanocytes remain intact. Depending on the grade of photo damage and condition of the skin, usually two to four treatments 4 to 8 weeks apart are required to produce great results.

Skin Needling offers similar results for acne scars and deeper wrinkles as the fractionated laser treatment Fraxel. The main benefit of Skin Needling over Fraxel is that fewer treatments are needed at a lesser cost to the patient.

Skin Needling can be combined at a later stage with other non-invasive procedures such as Laser Genesis, PDT, Injectables, Dermal Fillers, superficial chemical peels, Pearl™, IPL, and Transdermal Mesotherapy. These other procedures usually address different problems of ageing such as dull complexion, pigmentation, sagging of jowls, forehead and flabby necks. Combined procedures usually give superior results.

One hour before the treatment a local numbing agent is applied to the area making the procedure with the cosmetic Roller almost painless. Because the epidermis is not removed, and the skin’s barrier has not been removed, the skin is still very capable of performing all its protective functions, including rapid healing, making this treatment much safer than many other more invasive options.

Skin Needling can be safely performed on all skin types.