Microneedling/Collagen Induction Therapy
for anti-aging, hair loss, acne, and scars
What is microneedling and how does it work?
Microneedling is a type of acupuncture that creates tiny openings in the skin to stimulate a healing response by the body to make new, younger skin cells and to help the body slough off old skin cells. As the tiny injuries heal, collagen and elastin (building blocks of skin cells) are laid down during the healing process. This results in new, more vibrant-looking skin.
What are the effects and benefits of microneedling?
As we age, the skin (especially the skin on the face) becomes thinner and more dry. We can also get some discoloration in the skin - what people refer to as "age spots" or "liver spots". Microneedling helps bring back the moisture and youthfulness to the skin, smooth out wrinkles, and fade the darker areas to even out the complexion. Microneedling can be used to treat and improve conditions like acne scarring, fine lines and wrinkles, loose skin, skin texture, enlarged pores, stretch marks, and pigment issues. Serums applied during a microneedling treatment are absorbed 3000% more than without microneedling.
What is a typical microneedling session like?
The entire treatment takes approximately an hour. It's a very relaxing hour. First, we start with 15 minutes of red light therapy, maybe blue or yellow as well. This helps to prepare the skin for the microneedling treatment. Next, we cleanse the skin, use the microneedling device over the area you want treated (face, scalp, scar), then apply skin-nourishing topical serums, and finally a cooling aloe face mask.
Since we are only treating the superficial layer of skin, there is no pain. Occasionally a person may feel a little bit of discomfort, but we can adjust the treatment to make it more comfortable. Really, it feels more like a stimulating massage than anything painful.
There are some restrictions as to what you can do immediately afterward, but we would discuss this during the Discovery Consultation that we have with all new clients before booking any treatments.
How many treatments do I need?
As with all things treated with acupuncture, each person is diagnosed and treated as an individual, according to Chinese medicine principles. Most people notice positive results within 2 weeks after the first treatment. Our minimal program is 3 monthly treatments. The 6 month treatment program is the most beneficial and results can last for years.
How often are the treatments?
It's necessary to allow some healing time between treatments, so microneedling treatments are spaced 4 weeks apart. Two weeks apart for scalp treatments. In the interim weeks, we suggest nanoneedling, gua sha, or facial rejuvenation acupuncture treatments to help speed the rejuvenation process. Because of this, we have different program options, depending on your specific needs.
What's the difference between facial rejuvenation acupuncture
and microneedling?
In a nutshell, microneedling treats the superficial layers of the skin. Facial rejuvenation acupuncture is more like a traditional acupuncture treatment, which involves acupuncture to body acupoints to assist in bringing qi/energy to the face and balancing out the body's energy to help with the healing process, as well as acupuncture directly on the face. These needles go to the deeper layers and the muscle layer of the face to help re-contour the face. After decades of living - stress, etc. - some muscles start to droop, some are overly tight. Facial rejuvenation acupuncture does just that - it rejuvenates the face to be more youthful-looking and vibrant.
You mentioned nanoneedling. What is that?
Nanoneedling is done using the same device as microneedling, but the interchangeable head is different. While the microneedling head has 12 needles in the rapidly moving head, the nanoneedling head has 81 silicone tips. Instead of puncturing the skin with needles, the nano head pushes into the space between the skin cells to separate them. This allows the serums to be able to penetrate the skin more deeply. Nanoneedling only affects the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) and is done in areas that are too sensitive for microneedling and to the same areas that were microneedled, but on the interim weeks between microneedling treatments. Nanoneedling allows up to 97% serum absorption, allowing for pigmentation reduction, increased cell turnover, skin exfoliation and rejuvenation, and a resulting immediate glow. Nanoneedling can be done weekly, without the necessary downtime for healing required with microneedling.
How is microneedling with an acupuncturist different than with an M.D.
or an esthetician?
I'm glad you asked! Even though we perform microneedling with a modern electronic device, microneedling has actually been a part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. The manual device we used in the past is called a Plum Blossom Hammer or Seven Star Hammer. (We still use these for certain applications in Chinese medicine practice.)
Chinese medicine has actually been treating anti-aging and maintaining youthfulness for quite a long time - it was a very important part of Chinese medicine for the ancient rulers of China.
What you find different in our office is that the "total treatment" includes many different aspects, like acupuncture, herbal formulas, proper nutrition, balancing emotions, proper exercise, etc., which is something that Chinese medicine understands and excels at, because whatever a person is experiencing shows up on their face. We diagnose according to these principles and treat the whole person, so we will be talking with you about all of these other aspects to health and giving suggestions as to what you can add to or eliminate from your life. Acupuncturists treat in a holistic, nature-based way. Medical offices and estheticians do not use these principles and merely treat the skin from a superficial point-of-view. Also, some Western treatment methods and products can be quite harsh to the skin. Microneedling from an acupuncturist is always based in healing the underlying issue (the root) as well as how it manifests on the face (the branch. Following our protocol can lead to youthful-looking skin as well as overall health improvement that can last for years, with only occasional "tune-ups" after the initial treatment period. It's really a wonderful thing to do for yourself.
