Collagen induction therapy, known colloquially as microneedling, is usually sought to rejuvenate the skin for the purpose of reversing the signs of aging. However, there are other benefits of rejuvenating the skin. In fact, many people in their 20s and 30s benefit greatly from this treatment. If you’re curious about how long it takes to see the results of this treatment at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn more.
Microneedling begins to work immediately. However, it takes a couple of weeks to see the final results of a treatment session. Several factors affect how quickly you will see the end results of your treatment. The primary reason the end results aren’t immediately apparent is it takes several weeks for your skin to finish producing all of the extra collagen it was immediately encouraged to produce.
Additionally, your skin does not respond to all of the extra strong collagen produced when the dermal roller’s needles stretch the fibroblasts responsible for secreting collagen. The only caveat to this is you will see a reduction in the size of your pores as soon as your session is over. Furthermore, you will only need one treatment session to shrink enlarged pores.
Again, you will only need one collagen induction therapy session to achieve your cosmetic goal of shrinking enlarged pores. In contrast, you should be prepared to attend three sessions spaced four to six weeks apart if you are concerned about combating extreme signs of aging.
If your cosmetic concerns are related to deep scars, such as surgical scars or trauma scars, you should plan to schedule six treatments spaced four to six weeks apart. If you schedule six sessions six weeks apart, you should expect to see your final results after 38 weeks (two weeks after your final session). Shallow scars, like mild-to-moderate acne scars and burn scars, should only require three sessions before the desired results can be realized.
How long the desired results of your treatment will last depends on what you were treating. If collagen induction therapy was sought to erase scars, the results of your treatment will be permanent. On the other hand, if you sought to reverse the signs of aging, the desired results may last six months or longer after your final therapy depending on how well you care for your skin health after treatment.
Typically, you should expect to come in for more frequent maintenance sessions if you are treating more severe aging-related concerns, like loose skin. We recommend coming in every five months for a follow-up session because the final results of your treatment may only last around half of a year and it will take a couple of weeks after your maintenance session for your body to respond to the extra collagen.
Your microneedling therapy session will begin with the sterilization and numbing of your skin. This numbing is achieved with a topical anesthetic so you won’t feel anything during your treatment. If you’re not worried about feeling a slight pressure as the fine needles puncture the superficial layers of your skin, let us know during your initial consultation.
You will save time by opting out of a topical anesthetic because you will not need to wait roughly a quarter of an hour for the numbing to take effect. If you opt for a topical anesthetic, we will wait for it to numb the treatment area completely. Then, we will pass the dermal roller over the targeted area evenly. Depending on the severity of your cosmetic concerns, we may need to pass the device over your skin many times.
You should expect your treatment session to around 90 minutes to complete. The dermal rolling part of the process only lasts around half of an hour depending on the size of the areas being targeted, how many areas are being targeted and the severity of your concerns.
Although it usually only takes 15 minutes for topical numbing creams to take effect, it can take up to an hour. Therefore, we recommend planning for your first session to take 90 minutes to complete.
We’ll let you know exactly what you need to do to prepare for your microneedling session when you come in for your initial consultation. Depending on your health and lifestyle, you may not need to make too many changes to your daily routine. One important preparation step is avoiding the use of NSAIDs and other blood-thinning drugs and topical products containing retinol, a derivative of vitamin A.
Additionally, we urge you to consider coming in with a bare face if your face will be targeted for treatment. You are free to apply cosmetics to the treatment area after the session is over but your treatment will take longer if you come in for your appointment with cosmetics on and we have to remove them.
When you come in for your evaluation, we will advise you on whether this treatment method will be appropriate for you. Note, most healthy adults are considered suitable candidates for collagen induction therapy because the treatment isn’t invasive. Additionally, the safety of this treatment sets it apart from light-based skin rejuvenation treatments.
Light-based treatments are inappropriate for people with dark or sensitive skin and not very effective. Your medical history and active health status will determine if you are healthy enough to receive this therapy. Once we determine it will be safe for you, we need to ensure it is the most effective method to allow you to reach your goals. Here are signs you may be a good candidate for collagen induction therapy:
Although collagen induction therapy is considered safe for almost anyone, there are cases where it should be avoided. For example, you shouldn’t consider microneedling if you are pregnant, suspect you are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant within six months of starting your course of treatments.
Clinical trials have not been conducted investigating how this treatment affects pregnant women. You should also wait to have this treatment if you are sick, have recently received radiation therapy or the skin in the targeted area is irritated.
Don’t try this treatment at home. There are many grounds to leave this treatment to qualified professionals. However, it can be explained fairly concisely. When you leave your collagen induction therapy in the hands of an expert, it is comfortable, effective, and safe. Here is a closer look at some of the pitfalls of attempting to perform collagen induction therapy at home:
The main argument for not trying to use an at-home dermal roller is using an at-home dermal roller comes with safety risks that don’t exist when getting professional treatment. The only dermal roller approved by the FDA for safety is the SkinPen. The safety of at-home dermal rollers has not been tested to the standards required for FDA-approval.
Even if there is nothing inherently dangerous with the at-home dermal roller itself, there is still the risk of infection because sterilizing the needles completely is difficult. Additionally, the needles do not pose the only threat of infection; even if the needles are sterilized completely, it is possible that your skin is not perfectly clean before the treatment and you get an infection from the bacteria on the surface of your skin.
Another reason to not consider at-home dermal rolling treatments is you will probably hurt yourself. You can attempt to use ice or an over-the-counter numbing cream to numb the treatment area. However, neither solution is as effective as the prescription numbing cream you can receive when you have a professional perform your dermal rolling treatment.
Even if ice numbed the treatment area temporarily, it wouldn’t numb it long enough to keep you comfortable throughout the entire process. Additionally, even if you have a high tolerance for pain, you certainly wouldn’t be comfortable as the thick needles affixed to at-home dermal rollers punctured your skin repeatedly for half of an hour at a time.
You may think you will save money if you buy a reusable at-home dermal roller. However, the truth is at-home collagen induction therapy attempts are not effective. The needles aren’t just thicker and more painful than the SkinPen’s needles. The needles are also shorter and static. There is no way to change the length of the needles for better results.
It may cost you less money to perform a dermal roller treatment at home. However, since you can’t get the results you’re seeking, you’re just throwing your hard-earned money out of the window. Another reason to get a professional dermal roller treatment is the treatment is much more effective at the hands of a qualified professional with years of experience. The device must be held at a 45-degree angle throughout the entire treatment.
As soon as your microneedling session is complete, you may go about your day. Your skin will continue to be numb for roughly half of an hour after your session is complete so you won’t feel any discomfort or pain. There is also no significant downtime. Nonetheless, you should take exceptional care of your skin after your session for the best results.
There are several things you should do to take care of your skin after your collagen induction therapy session. Among the most important skin care steps is to wear adequate sunscreen. Complete post-treatment care instructions will be provided during your initial microneedling consultation.
Microneedling gets to work right away, but you will need to wait roughly 14 days to see the final results of your treatment. To learn more about this restorative treatment, contact us today at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA to book an appointment. We can’t wait to guide you on your journey to achieving the appearance you desire and deserve.
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