Skin needling is also known as collagen induction therapy (CIT). The process of creating thousands of micro injuries to the skin with tiny needles has been shown to stimulate a healing cascade which helps to build new collagen and improve the quality and texture of the skin. The needling process also allows for increased penetration of active ingredients.
It’s an excellent treatment to help improve rough and uneven texture, enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring, pigmentation, and even active acne.
But all skin needling treatments aren’t equal and there’s a reason why some treatments are more expensive than others.
- The actual needling device used makes a difference. More expensive devices have disposable tips that have straight and sharp needles that penetrate at right angles into the skin. These cause controlled injuries at a specific depth that heal quickly.Inferior devices often have needles that enter at an angle at variable depths, are less sharp, and can scratch the skin, causing damage and even scarring.
- Tips are sterile and disposable and should never be re-used. Beware of incredible deals on skin needling – some salons and practices have been known to keep tips for clients for subsequent treatments. It is not possible to properly sterilize a tip for re-use and blunting of needles can do more harm than good.
- Higher quality tips are more expensive and add to the cost of your treatment.
- Whilst skin needling alone is beneficial, the use of treatment serums during the needling process can boost results significantly. Often the major cost of the treatment is actually in the serums being used. Medical-grade serums contain high concentrations of active ingredients that are sterile and are proven to be safe when used during a needling procedure. Many serums are not sterile and may cause complications if used during the needling process.
- The training and experience of the person doing the treatment is important. Skin needling devices are adjusted to treat at various depths in the skin, depending on the area and the condition being treated. A properly trained therapist understands what depth to set the needles in order to treat specific conditions. An experienced therapist knows when to adjust the recommended settings to prevent complications in certain skin types or in compromised skins.
- Superior skin needling treatments usually give superior results with fewer treatments.
The doctors at Aesthetic on 5th have seen quite a number of patients who have had poor quality skin needling treatments elsewhere that have caused severe trauma and scratching of the skin and have taken a long time to heal. There are also numerous reports of patients developing keloid scarring because of incorrect serums and techniques being used.
Skin needling is a well-known treatment that can give excellent results when done correctly but can also lead to complications and even scarring if done incorrectly. Choose your practice and skin care practitioner with this in mind.
