Skin changes become inevitable as you get older. Fine lines result as your skin loses hydration, elasticity, and middle layer volume. Outer skin layers begin to collapse into voids in the collagen layer and the search for a solution begins.
Dermatologist and Mohs surgeon Jennifer A. Baron, MD recommends microneedling as perhaps the most exciting way to reduce fine lines and restore youthful properties to your skin, without chemicals, cosmetic lasers, or weeks of recovery time. The genius is in the simplicity.
Your body retains the ability to make new collagen tissue but it takes an injury to trigger this natural healing cycle. There are many aesthetic techniques that can accomplish a smooth and even simulated injury to ensure that collagen forms a supportive matrix as you heal.
You’ve likely heard of chemical peels, dermabrasions, and laser treatments. These all create controlled skin damage to begin the collagen replenishment cycle that brings nourishment and new volume to your skin.
The problem with aggressive peels, deep dermabrasions, and ablative lasers is that they all strip away the epidermis, the surface layer of your skin, to target collagen growth in the middle dermis layer. You’re out of action until your outer skin heals. Results can be dramatic, but it means downtime.
Sometimes called collagen induction therapy, microneedling uses a derma roller covered with fine needles that create tiny micro injuries in your skin. It’s a mechanical treatment rather than chemical, abrasive, or light-based.
Just as with other techniques, microneedling begins a turnover of cellular tissue in the dermis, inviting new collagen and elastin tissue into the treatment zone. The added volume and fresh tissue reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet with the most natural results because it’s your body’s own healing doing the work.
Better still, microneedling leaves the epidermis intact. Depending on the details of your treatment, you may need as little as 24 hours of downtime, making it an ideal Friday afternoon appointment. Even heavy microneedling sessions tend to take only a few days to clear of any redness or skin irritation.
Microneedling has a natural treatment partner in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Created from a small sample of your own blood, PRP adds a burst of growth factor hormones, your body’s messengers in the healing process. World-class athletes turn to PRP to speed recovery after games and tournaments, and the same healing boost they receive can add to your microneedling session.
The speed of natural healing is sometimes limited by the delivery schedule of your circulatory system. PRP provides more growth factors at the site where they’re needed, augmenting your natural supply. PRP is safe since it’s drawn from your own body, and completely drug-free. Dr. Baron can also recommend other topicals to combine with microneedling based on the particular needs of your skin.
Find out more about how microneedling and PRP therapy can smooth the fine lines that inevitably come with age during an aesthetic assessment with Dr. Baron. Call the office directly to make an appointment today.
