Are you looking to improve acne scars and reverse years of sun damage on your aging face? Do smaller pores sound good? Less noticeable fine lines and wrinkles? If so, you may be a perfect candidate for Microneedling In Swansea, IL!
We are proud to offer our Microneedling treatments to patients just like you to help your skin look its best! Our team at Musick Dermatology & Advanced Clinical Spa, located in Swansea, IL, and serving the St. Louis area, is proud to offer you years of medical and aesthetic experience.
What Is Microneedling?
Microneedling stimulates your skin’s natural ability to produce new collagen and elastin for healthier, younger-looking skin. It helps improve the texture of the skin and improve surface imperfections. Microneedling speeds up your skin’s repair process by creating microscopic channels that allow products to better penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin. New collagen and elastin production can reverse years of sun damage, improve your acne scars and enhance the overall appearance of your skin as it ages.
Which Areas of the Body Does Microneedling Treat?
Target areas may include:
- Face
- Neck
- Décolleté
- Arms
- Handsrejuvapen logo
- Legs
- Abdomen
- Back
Am I a candidate for Microneedling in Swansea, IL?
These treatments at Musick Dermatology are easy to tolerate and have little to no downtime, so pretty much anyone would benefit from the skin improvement achieved with microneedling. Unlike laser procedures, microneedling doesn’t cause hyperpigmentation. It can be used anywhere on the body, but the face, neck, and décolletage are the typical targeted areas.
How Long Does the Microneedling Treatment Take?
We typically book approximately one hour for a treatment of Microneedling in Swansea, IL session, which will include your complimentary consult as well as the treatment.
One of our expert providers will evaluate your skin and overall goals to work with you to come up with a customized treatment plan to help you target your specific needs. In addition, you and your skincare professional will work together to determine how many sessions you will need to achieve the desired result.
What Kind of Results Does Microneedling Deliver?
Microneedling boosts the body’s production of collagen because it triggers a wound-healing response. Why is this important? Collagen is the protein in the dermis layer of the skin (under the outer epidermis) that is responsible for providing the structural latticework for the skin. Collagen keeps our skin firm and thick.
The problem is that as we age our body produces less and less collagen — one additional percentage point less every year after our 20th birthday. This decline allows the skin to thin, to develop lines and wrinkles, and for areas such as the cheeks to flatten and sink.
When microneedling creates hundreds of microscopic wounds, the body responds with the wound-healing mechanism of instantly remodeling the collagen at the area (which improves texture problems on the surface). More importantly, it triggers production of new collagen to heal the perceived wounds. In reality, the microscopic wounds heal in just a couple of hours. Still, the collagen production increase can last for up to 4 months.
This improves the skin from within. You’ll see significant improvements to lines, wrinkles, skin texture, and skin laxity. Microneedling improves acne scarring, as the skin rebuilds and thickens. Microneedling can also lessen the appearance of stretch marks in the same way.
What Our Patients Have to Say About Microneedling in Swansea, IL
"They have a great staff very welcoming from the moment I walked in! They helped me a lot and I’m very thankful for such an awesome service."
How Often Should I Have Microneedling Done?
At Musick Dermatology, our patients love microneedling because its microscopic injuries trigger the natural wound-healing response in the skin that improves the skin from within. There isn’t a set timeframe for the frequency of these sessions.
Initially, when having their first microneedling sessions, patients opt for more frequent sessions to boost their collagen production and improve skin damage. Most patients opt for 3-6 treatments spaced about 4-6 weeks apart. For patients with deep wrinkles, advanced photo-aging, stretch marks, or acne scars, 6-8 sessions will likely be recommended spaced at 6-week intervals. From there, maintenance sessions would be less frequent.
What Is Recovery Like After a Microneedling Session?
Immediately following your session, your skin will appear red and flushed, similar to when you have a mild sunburn. The degree of redness correlates to how many passes are made over the area and the depth of the needle penetration. This redness usually passes by the next day. You may have some slight swelling, and your skin will feel a little tight for a day or so. If you can arrange it, it’s a good idea to have your microneedling session as an after-work procedure. That way, your skin can calm down overnight.
How Do I Care for My Skin After My Microneedling Treatment?
Due to the microscopic wounds created in your skin, you don’t return to your normal skincare routine immediately. After your session, your skin will look as if you have a mild to moderate sunburn. It will feel warm and somewhat tight. These sensations pass in a day or two. Hyaluronic acid is an ideal ingredient for hydration and to help calm your skin. You should only use gentle cleansers and warm water on your face for three days after your microneedling session. No scrubbing with Clarisonic or exfoliating for one week.
Don’t use makeup for 24 hours, if possible. Protect your skin against sun exposure for 1-2 weeks. Don’t use swimming pools or hot tubs for three days.
Why Shouldn’t I Simply Do Microneedling At Home?
Thanks to celebrities touting microneedling and its effects on their skin, the marketplace has been flooded with lots of DIY microneedling rollers. But microneedling isn’t something to take lightly; it’s not like painting your nails at home rather than having a salon do it.
Microneedling rollers can be found online for as little as $9. But the treatment these rollers provide is nothing like the clinical microneedling we perform at Musick Dermatology. We do not use a roller. We use the RejuvaPen for our microneedling. This handheld pen-like devices feature 12 oscillating microscopic needles that move up and down as the pen is moved across the treatment area. We can adjust the penetrate depth of the needles up to 3mm. This penetrates the epidermis down into the dermis layer of the skin, which is necessary to initiate the body’s wound-healing response.
In contrast, at-home microneedling rollers only penetrate between 0.1mm and 0.3mm. This doesn’t create anything but superficial wounds that can help your skin care lotions and balms penetrate the epidermis a bit. The problem with rollers, other than that they don’t penetrate deeply enough, is that they tend to tear the skin instead of creating clean, microscopic punctures. This damages your skin, makes the perfect environment for infection, and can leave permanent scarring. These rollers are also used multiple times, and they often are not fully disinfected, and the needles become more and more dull. Hello, more skin tearing and infection risk! At Musick Dermatology we use a new, sterile tip with the 12 microscopic needles for every patient.
In other words, DIY microneedling isn’t a great idea when you weigh the potential damage you can do.
Are Microneedling Treatments Covered By Insurance?
No, these treatments are not covered by health insurance. However, we offer multiple patient financing options, please ask any Musick Dermatology & Advanced Clinical Spa team member about what may be available to you.
Is Microneedling Bad for Your Skin?
Anything but! You could think that creating hundreds of microscopic wounds would be detrimental. But that is the opposite of the truth. The microscopic wounds heal almost immediately, and they are so small they cannot create any scarring or damage. What they do, however, is trigger the skin’s wound-healing mechanisms. This turnover of cells and production of new collagen and elastin actually improves the skin.
If you need a metaphor, think of microneedling for your facial skin as you would for aeration of your lawn. The initial damage actually makes the final appearance healthier and more vibrant.
Schedule a Consultation for Microneedling in Swansea, IL
Are you ready to book your complimentary consultation and start your journey towards a younger-looking you with the help of RejuvaPen microneedling? Contact us today or schedule your appointment by phone at 618-628-2588 !