Today microneedling is all the rage, but let it known that the technology is hardly new. Moreover, it is also not suitable for all skins! We tested some treatments and though microneedling is not suited for our skin type were impressed with the Pollogen Divine technique in combination with the Active Serum from the American AQ Skin Solutions which we tested at Mar le Beau in Hasselt as well as with the microneedling treatment we had the chance to test in the Carpe Clinic in Antwerp.
Text and review by Anja Van Der Borght
The very first documented microneedling procedure takes us back to 1905, the year the German dermatologist Ernst Kromayer used electric dental drills of various sizes to treat scars, birthmarks and hyperpigmentation. Fortunately, technology has evolved enormously in recent years. In 1997 the Canadian surgeon Dr. Camirand used a tattoo device to treat surgical scars after plastic surgery. In 2006, Dr. Desmond Fernandes created the first dermaroller to treat wrinkles and scars with hypodermic needles. In recent months, one microneedling device after the other has appeared on the market. From rollers to microneedling pens to larger devices with different heads, there is a lot of choice… so what you need to choose as a customer?
Specialists Natacha Vanslambrouck, Senior Retail Educator Dermatuer, Ingrid Van Hees, skin therapist at Carpe Clinic, Ingrid van Riet, dermatologist at Carpe Clinic and last but not least Mar Le Beau manager Denise Ramaekers answer all our questions and give us their tips & tricks.
But what is microneedling exactly?
NV: “Microneedling is also called CIT (collagen induction therapy) or MTS (microneedling therapy system) and is an effective technique which consists in creating micro channels in the skin through very small micro needles which ensure that natural wound healing is stimulated. Through this method we will trigger the non-inflammatory growth agents which will regenerate the skin without creating scar tissue. The non-inflammatory growth agents or keratinocytes are mainly situated in the upper skin layer. The better these keratinocytes start to function, the better the fibroblasts and melanycots will act, … and the more collagen they will in turn produce. Hence the name collagen induction therapy.”
Where is microneedling good for?
IvR: “Microneedling is especially suitable for skins that lack vitality. The thinning skin showing dehydration grooves and tiny lines. Skins that age faster due to hormonal reasons and that have a moisture deficiency in the skin. Microneedling is extremely suitable for generating a deep hydration and for introducing hyaloronic acid to stimulate collagen production.”
NV: “Microneedling generates a fresh, smooth skin structure and refines the pores. The treatment is also very suitable for tackling post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in acne-prone clients.”
IVH: “We also use micro-needling to treat all kinds of hair loss. Both genetic and hormonal hair loss, hair loss due to stress or cancer treatments. Even though there are no more hairs in a certain zone, as long as the hair follicle is not dead, we can use miconeedling to bring vitamins and minerals just under the skin surface to awaken the sleeping hair follicle. However, this microneedling can only be performed by a medically trained nurse.”
DR: “The products that are channeled into the skin via microneedling range from vitamins to hyaluronic acid to, for example, growth factors of human stem cells. The American company AQ Skin Solutions grows human growth agents of stem cells and puts them in small bottles for easy application to the skin afterwards. Growth agents ensure that the skin recovers well, that the cells regenerate quickly, then calm down and the result is that you just look younger. ”
Are there microneedling contraindications?
IvR: “In the case of heavy rosacea and fierce erythema you should not take this treatment. You can bypass zones with a lot of rosacea. ”
Can you combine microneedling with botox and fillers?
NV: “That is possible if you leave enough time between the treatments. If you have had botox injected, you must wait at least two weeks, in the case of fillers, at least four weeks. Because microneedling can have an impact on the skin functions, microneedling can counteract the effect of recently applied botox or fillers. So you have to wait until everything is completely set.”
Are there any risks associated with the technology?
NV: “The only risk for the beautician is not determining the skin depth properly with as consequence that she will needle to deep in the skin on a given area. In that case, she will puncture blood and thus create point bleeds. It cannot be the purpose that the beautician will use microneedling to create tiny blood punctures across the entire face. Therefore this treatment level is best left to a medically trained person.“
How then do we make the distinction between microneedling at the beautician and the aesthetic or surgical doctor?
IvR: “With aesthetic microneedling, you only need to puncture the epidermis with the intention of allowing certain active substances to penetrate more easily or deeper into the skin and thus have an effect on the dermis. From the moment that you also start piercing into the dermis, you have a chance of bleeding and you are actually entering the medical sphere. Exactly how many mm a beautician is allowed to puncture depends on the skin zone and the country you are working in but in Belgium it varies from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. In some places – for example around the eyes and lips – you are already hitting the dermis layer at 0.5 mm. In other places you are comfortably away at 0.5 mm. We speak of surgical microneedling with a needle depth between 1.5 mm and 3 mm. This form of mirconeedling is performed by a plastic surgeon, sometimes under general anesthesia to treat , especially on the body sun damage, deep scars or wrinkles, stretch marks, skin sagging, cellulites, etc.,. ”
How often can you needle?
IVH: “Depending on the age of the client, you can recommend treatments cures from one to three sessions. If the customer is 56+, you even schedule four short-term sessions in short succession, followed by two to three maintenance treatments on an annual basis. Not more, because you cannot treat actively on the skin too much either.”
How much time do you have to leave between two microneedling treatments?
NV: “In principle, four to six weeks. But if you want to treat a certain condition quite actively and you notice that the skin responds well, then you could, for example, schedule three treatments with an interval of three weeks. But this only if you judge that the skin in question can handle such an intensive treatment.”
IVH: “The advantage is that with mirconeedling you will not destroy the skin cells, which you will do with a fractional laser, for example. That is, treatment with a fractional laser requires a recovery period of four weeks, while the young skin is already recovering in two to three days with microneedling and with slightly more mature skin in four to five days. In other words, you are not restricted in your freedom of movement for weeks after the treatment.”
What should you pay attention to as a customer?
NV: “Because we do not act on the skin tissue, but merely make holes in the skin for treatments such as microneedling, it is very important that the beautician uses disposable material. It is important that you remove the cartridge with needles from the packaging in the presence of the customer, so the customer sees that you are working with a fully sterile needle.”
Is it for the same hygienic reasons that it is best for the customer not to touch the face after treatment?
NV: “That’s right. It is best not to touch the skin in the first four hours after the treatment because the skin is then in an inflammation phase.”
IVH: “Do not perform intensive sports, do strenuous exercise or go to the sauna after a micro-session. Sweat not only irritates the skin but also annihilates part of the treatment. We also advise against swimming for the first few days because the skin is irritated.”
What are the main differences between the microneedling devices, the microneedling pins and the derma rollers for home use?
There are different types of microneedling devices. Some devices even combine different techniques.
DR: “You cannot compare the Pollogen Divine technology with normal microneedling because it combines microneedling with radio frequency and TriFraction. These three techniques make it possible to completely renew the skin in 28 days. The head with 38 needles of 0.75 mm is heated to 42 degrees before we start touching the skin. The treatment is not unpleasant, we experience personally, the skin pores remain open for 40 minutes because of the heat – that is longer than with normal microneedling (which usually does not involve any warming up) – in order to be able to embed the product. ” After half an hour the redness of our skin is completely gone and in the weeks after the treatment our skin looks radiant. We are particularly impressed by the serum American AQ Skin Solutions. After a few weeks of use, our skin looks smooth, even and radiant.
NV: “With the dermaroller, the needles – with the exception of the needles that are right on the skin – never go perpendicularly into the skin and therefore you cannot give too much pressure so that you could unknowingly go too deeply into the skin. With a needle pen the pressure is determined by your device. Regardless of whether you put a lot of pressure on the skin or not, your needle depth is automatically fixed, so you can perfectly determine how deep you will go into the skin and work more safely. ”
The results?
NV: “You will only really see it a few days or even two weeks after the treatment. With mature skins it can even be up to four to eight weeks. “
IvR: “You often have a relapse just after the treatment. This is very normal as these are the tissues that respond to the products and puncture the skin. You will see already a good result after seven to ten days, but afterwards microneedling will continue to work for up to six weeks after the treatment before you see the real and definitive result. That is why we recommend 6 weeks between treatments so that the tissues have time to recover. If you start a certain treatment series to tackle post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, for example, or stretch marks on a medical level or very deep wrinkles, you may even see the optimum results only after six months. ”
In short, this is a treatment with long-term beneficial effects but not for all skin types!
