We all want to look as young as we feel. Unfortunately, lifestyle choices made when you were younger, like smoking, drinking alcohol and sunbathing can make you look older than you actually are. At Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, CA, we are excited to offer an FDA-approved solution for your premature aging woes. Today, we are talking about microneedling with the SkinPen device and what it does for your skin.
What Does Microneedling Do for Your Skin?
Age Spot Removal
Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, induces your skin’s collagen production system. Collagen is a type of protein that plays multiple roles in the appearance and health of your skin, including its texture, color, and apparent hydration. Collagen induction therapy induces the production of collagen by creating “micro-injuries” in the middle layers of your skin. Your skin’s natural response to these injuries is to produce collagen and heal itself.
Collagen induction therapy (CIT) is incredibly effective for the treatment of age spot removal because it encourages cellular turnover. In other words, the dark, damaged skin cells that comprise age spots are replaced with young cells. However, it’s important to note that you may need more than one session to achieve your desired results initially and you may need follow-up sessions as your skin continues to age.
Wrinkle Reduction
Another sign of aging that can be treated with collagen induction therapy is wrinkled skin. Again, because the dozens of needles penetrating your skin create micro-injuries, your skin jumps into action to heal itself by producing extra collagen. If your moderate-to-severe wrinkles, lines or folds are caused by collagen loss rather than muscle hyperactivity, you can benefit greatly from a couple of sessions.
Along with elastin, collagen provides a solid foundation for your skin. Most wrinkles occur when that foundation weakens, often at the same time as sagging skin. By encouraging your skin to produce more collagen, you are helping it rebuild the weak foundation that once kept it tight and smooth. Depending on the extent of the damage when you seek treatment, you may only need one session for this issue to be resolved.
Pore Reduction
Pore reduction is one of the most common reasons why people seek microneedling los angeles treatment. The size of your pores is determined, primarily, by your genetics. Overactive sebaceous glands tend to run in families and lead to oversized pores and regular acne outbreaks. However, they can also be caused by collagen loss.
The great thing about using collagen induction therapy to shrink your pores is that it doesn’t just reduce the size of your pores. At the same time as it is shrinking your pores, it is unclogging them. This means that topical medications, including those used to treat acne or eczema, are more effective because they can seep deeper into your skin. If you feel that your pores are noticeably large, try collagen induction therapy.
Scar Removal
This treatment can also be used to eliminate acne scars from your face, back or chest. Remember, collagen heals damaged skin cells and promotes cellular turnover. The damaged cells causing your scarred appearance are repaired and dead skin cells are replaced with healthy tissue. Depending on the severity of the scarring you have, it may take up to six sessions to achieve your desired results but, with time, your skin will be smooth, healthy, and radiant.
Hyperpigmentation Treatment
Collagen induction therapy is also commonly used to treat hyperpigmentation, including sun spots and freckles. Just like it treats age spots by replacing hyperpigmented cells with healthy skin cells, you can use it to treat other dark spots. Furthermore, it can be used to correct skin that looks dull or ruddy. If you are dissatisfied with the tone of your skin and you are a good candidate for treatment, your cosmetic concerns can be corrected with CIT.
What Should I Expect During Treatment?
Does Treatment Hurt?
Even though this treatment involves needles, you will not feel any pain during your session. The needles found on this device are so fine that they don’t cause any pain as they penetrate your skin. However, to ensure your complete comfort during your session, we will apply a topical numbing cream so you won’t feel anything at all.
How Long Does Treatment Take?
How long your sessions will take depends on the size of the area you’re treating and the condition you are trying to treat. If you’re only trying to remove unwanted lines and wrinkles from your face, you can expect your treatment to take approximately 30 minutes. In contrast, if you are trying to remove deep stretch marks from your abdomen, your session may take closer to an hour as the SkinPen is passed over your skin many times.
Which Areas Can Be Targeted for Treatment?
You can target just about any part of your face or body for treatment with this device. It is most commonly used to enhance the appearance of the face, but it can also be used to improve the aesthetic of other parts of your body, like your abdomen, chest, or thighs. During your initial evaluation, we will discuss your aesthetic goals to determine if this device can improve your trouble areas safely and effectively.
How Should I Prepare for Treatment?
There are several steps you should take to prepare your skin for your collagen induction therapy session. One of the most important steps you must take leading up to your session is ensuring your hydration. Drink around three quarts of water, tea, or coffee daily as a baseline. If your urine is still dark, drink more. Ideally, your urine should be a pale straw color.
Protect Your Skin From Further Damage
It is also extremely important to protect your skin from further damage in the days leading up to your scheduled session. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen whenever you go out during the day, even when it is overcast or rainy to protect your skin from sun damage. If you have a sunburn on the day of your treatment, we will need to reschedule your appointment. Furthermore, do not receive any treatments that increase photosensitivity, like IPL treatments.
What Should I Expect After Treatment?
After your treatment session, you are free to return to work or whatever else you had scheduled for the day. Since the treatment is non-invasive, there is no downtime required. Furthermore, due to the non-invasive nature of the treatment, there isn’t too much you need to do after your session. With that being said, it is very important that you follow all post-treatment care steps carefully.
How to Care for Your Skin After Treatment
You should also eat nutritious foods and drink plenty of water in the weeks following your treatment session. Hydration is one of the most important things you can do for the health and beauty of your skin. Try to drink at least eight ounces of water every hour you are awake and eat foods with high water content, like fruits, vegetables, and broth-based soups.
How Soon You Should Expect to See the Results of Treatment
Your skin starts responding to treatment immediately, but don’t expect to see the final results of your session immediately. It can take up to six weeks to see the final results of your treatment session but most people can enjoy the final results of treatment within four weeks of their final session. We will advise you regarding how many sessions you will need to achieve your desired results during your initial evaluation.
How Long the Results of Treatment Last
How long the results of treatment last depends on what you were treating in the first place. If the purpose of treatment was to remove acne scars, once you’ve received enough treatments to eliminate the acne scars completely, they are gone for good. Similarly, you can expect your stretch marks to be gone for good unless you gain or lose a significant amount of weight rapidly.
If you’re using collagen induction therapy to treat a condition caused by collagen loss, such as age spots or wrinkles, the results of treatment will not be permanent because you can’t stop the aging process completely. After your skin gets an initial production boost from the micro-injuries created during treatment, collagen production will ramp down once more. Most people find their anti-aging results last six months to a year depending on age and health.
Book Your Appointment Today
The SkinPen is an incredible device that penetrates your skin dozens of times during a microneedling session. While you won’t feel any pain during a treatment session, the results of the treatment will leave no doubt that the device caused significant collagen and elastin growth. If you have acne scars, they will be minimized after the first session and eliminated with subsequent sessions. Enlarged pores, acne, wrinkles, and other problems can also be corrected.
At the end of the day, collagen induction therapy provides the benefits you need from it because it encourages your skin to heal itself of whatever problems it has. To see for yourself what this awesome device does to your skin, contact us at Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, CA to schedule an appointment with Dr. Mark Rayman.