Hello beautiful! In order to understand how Micro Needling helps to rejuvenate your skin, we need to understand what the skin is and how it functions. Let me start by giving you a quick skin anatomy lesson.
How Does our Skin Work?
The skin is the body´s largest organ. Our skin is alive and it has the capacity to repair itself. It´s in a close relationship with all the other organs in the body; anything that happens inside of our body, either mentally or physically, will produce a reaction in our skin. For example, some skin conditions such as acne, eczema or dermatitis are caused by internal issues. Our skin reflects our emotional and physical state. The skin it´s formed by three layers, epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue.
Skin layers
The Epidermis
The Epidermis it´s the outermost layer. It has a depth of .5 millimetres and acts as a raincoat or barrier that prevents any solid, liquid or gas from entering the “true skin” or dermis. The epidermis is where the cell turnover process, desquamation, occurs. This process consists on shedding skin. The cells in our skin travel through the epidermis until they reach the upper most layer of the skin.
Once the cell is on the top, the cell is dry, rough and flaky which makes it a “dead skin cell.” New cells will push older cells to the surface. The cell turnover rate varies with age. Younger cells, such as children’s cells, grow quickly, and because of that children´s skin looks soft and radiant. Older cells such as adult´s cells, take more time to turn over, and because of that, older skin shows imperfections.
The Dermis
The dermis it´s called the “true skin” because it´s were we find all the nutrients that help keep the epidermis looking beautiful, firm and young. Inside the dermis we can find collagen and elastin fibers that help keep our skin toned, hydrated and firm. The dermis has a depth of 1 to 2 millimetres. It also neuters the epidermis and maintains its firmness and beauty.
The Subcutaneous tissue
This is the deeper layer of the skin. It´s made up of fats, and it helps to keep the heat on our body, as well as protecting the internal organs.
The aging process
As we age, our skin cells become lazy and work in a slower manner. They also start to lose the capacity to use nutrients to produce collagen and elastin, which affects our skin firmness showing signs of aging, such as fine lines, sagging skin, and uneven tone, among other others.
How beauty treatments work
Most beauty treatments work by creating controlled skin damage, either on the epidermis or on the dermis. When the skin senses the damage, it will repair itself by producing new cells that will form new skin. Some beauty treatments will cause controlled, superficial skin damage on the epidermis, and some beauty treatments will cause controlled, internal skin damage in the dermis.
Superficial treatments
Superficial treatments are performed on the epidermis, and they are particularly good for maintenance of the skin. In general terms, maintenance treatments help to keep the skin healthy, promoting cell turnover. Some treatments include exfoliation of the skin in a faster manner than the normal speed such as microdermabrasion or a deep cleansing facial. These treatments are good treatments for normal skin types, and they are also considered preventive treatments.
Preventive treatments do not show immediate dramatic results, however they help the skin to look healthier for longer periods of time. Preventive treatments are meant to create healthy habits that promote healthier skin.
For example a 40-year-old woman with normal skin who gets deep pore cleansing facials regularly will have a much more hydrated skin which helps prevent signs of aging, such as fine lines and dry patches. The treatment does not address aging sings, but it helps to prevent them.
Deep treatments
Deep treatments are performed on the dermis, and are particularly good for addressing aging concerns, such as softening deeper lines, firming sagging skin, resurfacing the skin, clearing out sun spots, and others. Deep treatments help to improve signs of aging, and because of this they are considered corrective treatments. For example, a Microneedling or a Skin tightening are considered deep treatments. Both treatments will create controlled damage on the dermis. This damage will send signals to the skin to repair, and produce collagen and elastin. Collagen an elastin are very important elements to having a younger looking skin.
For example a 40-year-old woman with acne scaring and deeper lines, who gets a series of Microneedling treatments, will notice dramatic changes on her skin almost immediately after the treatment and also once the series of treatments are done. The results can last up to six months.
The Microneedling device
to perform a Microneedling treatment, we use a device that has a tip with 13 stainless steel needles with a depth of .5 to 2 millimetres. The needles penetrate the skin and can be adjusted, depending on the treated area. For example, around the eyes we use a .5 mm needle depth because the skin around the eyes is very thin; however, on the checks we can use a depth of 1 or 1.5 mm because the skin on the cheeks is thicker. In simple terms “The more meat, the more we can penetrate the needles, the less meat, the less we will penetrate the needles”.
The treatment works in a very similar way to the tattooing process. The tattoo gun injects ink into the dermis by creating microscopic holes. Similarly, the Microneedling treatment creates microscopic holes, but we do not inject anything. Instead, we apply a Hyaluronic Acid serum, which hydrates the skin 200 times more than any other product. Microneedling will produce a controlled skin damage that will repair itself by producing new collagen and elastin. Through this process, the skin rejuvenates, revealing a brighter, smoother, tighter complexion, softening deep lines and improving scaring.
