Seattle Microneedling FAQ

From Yale Medicine: “Microneedling is an exciting treatment that has very little downtime but visible results,” says Yale Medicine plastic surgeon Tito Vasquez, MD. “By creating tiny channels through the skin, allowing us to infuse serums and active ingredients more efficiently, this treatment will stimulate collagen production and improve skin texture and tone.”

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Microneedling, also called percutaneous collagen induction therapy, is performed using a handheld, drum- or pen-shaped device, electrically powered, with tiny needles that make precise, microscopic punctures in the skin. These “micro-injuries” do not leave scars; they work by helping to stimulate the skin to repair itself naturally through a process called dermal remodeling. This process starts with inflammation, which stimulates the skin to produce new collagen (the elastic fibers that make skin tight, smooth, and youthful). Collagen levels in the skin decline as we age, and new collagen can be produced when the skin is in repair mode.

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Four to Six monthly treatments are recommended to achieve desired results. Through a series of sessions, microneedling can increase elastic skin fibers.

 

Microneedling also helps the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin), which naturally thins with age, become thicker and tauter.

Medical Microneedling at GoodMedizen in Seattle is done with excessive attention to detail. We use the first Dual-FDA approved Medical Device for microneedling, the Exceed by Candela. This German engineered wonder gives us great control and give you a better result. 

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When you come in, we will do a brief consultation to ensure this is the right procedure to get you the best results. We will then walk you through the procedure and aftercare, and answer any questions. 

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Then, we will apply a compounded anesthetic cream to assure comfort for the treatment. While you are resting and allowing the cream to take full effect, we will apply medical LED Bio-Light therapy which helps to reduce inflammation, increase circulation, and aids in better healing. 

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After the Bio-Light Therapy, we will cleanse the skin and prepare it for the microneedling procedure. 

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Using custom serums with a high molecular weight hyaluronic acid base, we will proceed with the microneedling (nanoneedling on lips and around eyes is also available for an additional charge). 

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After the microneedling procedure, we will place a nutrient rich mask to help calm the skin down, speed up recovery, and take advantage of your skins increased ability to absorb nutrients (upwards of 3000% increase!). 

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You will leave with an aftercare info sheet, and your custom serum to be used for the next few days. If desired, we will also give customized home care product suggestions. 

Microneedling has minimal downtime. After the procedure your skin will look and feel like it has a sunburn. The serum we send you home with will help with this. 

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Most patients will notice that by the next morning, the sunburn feeling is gone, but there may still be redness that can last a few days. 

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We suggest no exercise, or anything that will make you sweat, for 24 hours because sweat is irritating to the skin - but otherwise there is no real downtime, it is just up to your comfort level. 

Microneedling typically requires 4-6 visits at monthly intervals to achieve desired results. After 6 monthly sessions, we take a 2 month break to allow your skin time to continue to remodel, then we do a re-evaluation. 

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For most people, they are happy with their results and we customize a maintenance plan which will vary based on genetics, age, lifestyle, and environment. Maintenance could be yearly, or quarterly accordingly. 

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Some people and conditions require a second course of 6 microneedling sessions at monthly intervals. 

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Results can be improved, enhanced, and sped up by cocktailing with other treatments in between your monthly sessions. These can include weekly nanoneedling, bio-light therapy, mesotherapy, and/or cosmetic acupuncture. 

Yes! Microneedling is an all-star treatment for various types of scars!

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Treatment for Acne Scars

According to the NIH "Multiple minimally invasive sessions of skin microneedling are an effective treatment for post-acne atrophic scars as it stimulates the repair processes with the advantage of being a relatively risk-free, in-office procedure with minimal patient recovery time."

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Treatment for Surgical Scars or Trauma Scars

Surgical scars typically heal well and fade with time, but sometimes they remain bothersome. For some people, they remain darker in color and can be either raised or sunken in.

 

At GoodMedizen, we offer advanced scar treatments to help repair the tissue to visibly reduce the appearance of the scar, and also help restore function to the tissues. Depending on the size, depth, and type of scar, we will create a treatment plan that may include microneedling and/or Neural Therapy Injections. 

No! This is outdated information!

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Studies and experience have shown that you do not need to go deep to get good results, in fact, you get BETTER results with far less chance of side effects or tissue damage with shallower depths. 

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How deep we go with the needles varies based on several factors which is one of the reasons why getting microneedling done by an experienced professional is so important. 

There isn't any regulation on at home devices, and unfortunately many of them are dangerous! 

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Rollers create trenches as opposed to perforations which can damage skin. We don't recommend rollers at all, even if used by a professional. 

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Many of the microneedling pens that can be purchased without a medical license don't actually oscillate, but rather vibrate, so you are literally scraping your skin. 

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Even the pens that do properly oscillate are shorter (cosmetic microneedling vs medical microneedling) and are not controlled precisely, so you have little control over depth which can also lead to damage. 

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It is also essential to use sterile solutions and serums for the procedure, which can be difficult to find without a medical or master aesthetics license. There are, unfortunately, a lot of counterfeit products on the market, and you never really know what you are getting unless from a certified distributor which you need a license for. 

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Even if you manage to get a good device and proper products, you need to be careful to know what depths to use on which areas and which types of conditions being treated - and be able to notice skin reactions to adjust depth for. 

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Microneedling is creating a controlled trauma on the skin and you want a professional controlling that trauma. 

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We, unfortunately, have seen a lot of professionals use poor quality, over the counter devices and products, so we caution you to do your homework when choosing where to get microneedling done. Ask them about the device and products that they use. 

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You want an FDA approved Medical Device like the Candela Exceed or SkinPen. 

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Microneedling at GoodMedizen in Seattle is done with only the highest quality of devices and products. We take pride in our work and only offer the best. As technology improves, we adapt and evolve to ensure we are always offering the best and safest treatments available.