Microneedling

Microneedling uses a device with a cluster of fine needles that moves across the skin and creates a pattern of very small channels at a set depth. The depth is adjusted by area, deeper on the cheeks than around the eyes. The point is a controlled injury that the skin then responds to through its own repair process. Irene applies numbing cream first and gives it time to work. The device passes over each section several times in different directions, and the skin goes pink and then red as she works.

The pass takes roughly twenty minutes once numbing is done, and a calming serum goes on afterward. Microneedling is normally done as a series of three or more sessions spaced about four weeks apart, because the skin responds between appointments rather than all at once. It is a texture and surface treatment. It does not add volume and it is not a substitute for an injectable, and Irene will say plainly whether it is the right tool for what is bothering you.

• Surface texture, pores that look larger than you want, or marks from old breakouts
• Wanting a series you can plan around work rather than one long appointment
• Preferring a treatment that uses no light and no heat
• Maintenance between other appointments

The skin is cleansed and numbing cream is applied, then left on for about twenty minutes.

Irene confirms the depth she plans to use in each area and cleans the skin again.

The device is passed over each section several times in different directions.

You will feel vibration and pressure, with more sensation along the forehead and jaw.

A calming serum and sunscreen go on, and you leave with written aftercare.

A day or two of redness.

• Expect a day or two that looks and feels like a sunburn, sometimes with a little tightness.
• Leave the skin bare for the rest of the day, then keep the routine simple and bland for several days.
• Sunscreen daily, and no swimming, sauna, or hot yoga for two days.
• Sessions sit about four weeks apart, and it is easiest to book the next one before you leave.

• You are pregnant or nursing
• There is an active skin infection, an open lesion, or a cold sore in the area
• You have a history of keloid scarring
• You have a bleeding condition or take medication that affects clotting
• You have used certain prescription skin medications in the recent past

Irene decides candidacy at your consultation.