The Magic Of Microneedling: The Skin Transforming Treatment Everyone’s Talking About

If you’ve been on the hunt for a treatment that can smooth fine lines, fade acne scars, shrink pores, and give your skin a radiant glow without going under the knife… microneedling might just be your new best friend.

This minimally invasive procedure has taken the skincare world by storm, and for good reason. It’s known for it's quick recovery time and excellent results.

Microneedling (also known as collagen induction therapy) works by creating tiny, controlled micro-injuries in the skin using ultra-fine needles. While that might sound scary, the process isn’t as unpleasant as it sounds and is incredibly effective. These micro-injuries kick your body’s natural healing process into high gear, stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, the two key proteins that keep your skin firm, smooth, and youthful.

In this post, I’ll share my personal experience with microneedling including before and after pictures and my perceived results after each session.

TRYING MICRONEEDLING FOR THE FIRST TIME

For years I've gone to Heather Bruening at Blackledge Face Center for hydrafacials. I've always enjoyed the results, but once I hit my mid thirties I felt like I needed something a little bit “stronger”. A friend of mine started to get really into skincare and was trying everything from microneedling to lasers. When she asked everyone at her dermatology clinic what they would do if they could only pick one service their answers were clear - microneedling.

I decided to chat with my esthetician, Heather, about it at my next session and she thought it would be a great choice for me. **Side note - I have very sensitive skin. The kind that turns red if you just touch it. She thought I would be able to keep great results with minimal down time even with my sensitive skin.

My number one complaint has always been the texture of my skin and given my natural reaction to things I was scared to try stronger chemical peels. Since Microneedling is designed to tighten skin, smooth texture, and help with large pores I decided to give it a try.

THE FIRST SESSION

The first session was probably the most nerve wracking. I didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous it would hurt, but I trust Heather. She has 20 years of experience and has always been knowledgable about what my skin needs. She assured it wouldn’t be painful. She numbed my face with a numbing gel and constantly reapplied and rubbed it in throughout the service. She was very thorough with the application which made it a comfortable experience.

Then the service started and you could hear a buzz. It’s been described as a scratching feeling or small pricks, but I couldn’t feel anything unless she was close to my cheekbones or on the top of my nose when it would be a little uncomfortable, but nothing overly intense or painful.

After the service I looked like I had spent hours on the beach with no sunscreen. I mean HOURS. My face didn’t hurt, but it definitely looked like it did. It was shocking when I looked in the mirror, but she warned me it would look that way. I knew ahead of time it would be really red the first day, then pink the next day and fade away each day after that. I found that to be true. I was told to schedule it where I could go home afterwards because you can’t put any makeup on day one just moisturizer. On day two makeup completely covered it and on day three you couldn’t tell I had anything done. On day three and four I had minimal peeling but it was so little I don’t think anyone noticed but me.

RESULTS AFTER THE FIRST SESSION

It’s common knowledge with microneedling that they want you to commit to three sessions because that’s how many most people need before seeing results, but I felt like I could tell a difference after just one session. My skin especially my cheekbone area seemed smoother especially when I applied makeup. It seemed to glide on and look better than it had in a long time. I couldn’t tell you exactly what was different, but I felt like it had improved my skin.

SESSION TWO

After session two I could definitely pinpoint my undereye area as being smoother and perhaps tighter. I felt like my skin appeared brighter and smoother. There was such a difference that I quit wearing base after session two. I’ve been wearing base as long as I can remember especially as I’ve gotten older, but all of a sudden I just felt like I didn’t need it anymore. A little concealer and powder and I was good to go.

SESSION THREE

Session three was similiar as far as smoother and brighter skin, but the biggest difference for me was all of a sudden I noticed my under eye circles didn’t look as “sunk in”. It’s like one day I looked in the mirror and they were pretty much gone. I tend to live life on the go, so lack of sleep definitely plays a part, but in general I felt like my under eye area always made me look tired. The microneedling did enough tightening that it reduced their appearance.

Also, I quit doing Botox. Yes, REALLY. I realized I was way over due for a touch up, but when I looked in the mirror I didn't feel like I needed it. I’m not against Botox. I'm all about being proactive to feel confident about yourself and if I ever feel like I need it again I will definitely make an appointment. Right now, Im feeling great about how my skin looks and I feel like I have had botox even though I haven't.

SESSION FOUR

I’m here for session four today and Im so excited to see the results. I’m adding pictures to share with you what to expect. This is before the micro-needling session.

Before pictures in bright light + regular light with no makeup

Afters in bright light + regular lighting

Day One After Session: bright light + regular lighting

Day Two After My Microneedling Session

On day two after my microneedling session, the redness had calmed down even more and in some places I had light peeling. I made sure I was moisturizing day and night. Makeup easily covered the light redness.

On day three my skin was back to normal other than maybe some light peeling. I used a light exfoliator to get any of the peeling skin off, then make sure to moisturize. A little concealer and powder an I was good to go.

Overall, I feel like micro-needling has been successful in making my skin smoother and more vibrant. My makeup glides on and I'm confident without makeup on. The biggest difference so far to me has been in my under eye area and the smoothness of my skin. I'm holding my breath, but the fact that I still dont feel like I need any touch up botox feels a little surreal. I hope this blog post was as transparent as possible and helped you understand a little more about what to expect when trying micro-needling for the first time!