Acne scars are a common, stubborn skin condition that significantly affects the skin’s texture and a patient’s confidence in their appearance. The good news is that there is a way to treat acne scars, and it doesn’t require that you undergo an invasive treatment. With a personalized microneedling treatment plan, you can restore a youthful appearance and uniform skin tone and finally live free of the acne scars that have defined your appearance for weeks, months, or years.
Can Microneedling Help With Acne Scars?
Microneedling is a treatment known as collagen induction therapy that can significantly improve the appearance of acne scars. It’s designed to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, smooth skin textural irregularities, and reduce the appearance or completely eliminate acne scars. It does so by increasing natural collagen production in the deeper layers of the skin.
When estheticians treat acne scars with the needling device, the needles will penetrate the dermal tissue below the visible acne scar. The body will respond by building collagen in that area to address scars, including pitting and depressions, thus creating a more even skin texture and smoother-looking and feeling skin.
What Is Microneedling?
Collagen induction therapy is a minimally invasive skincare treatment that uses tiny, hair-thin needles held within an automated device to boost collagen production. It’s an anti-aging treatment that unlocks the powers of the body to reverse aging and restore youthful-looking skin.
One of the benefits of the treatment is that it doesn’t require surgical intervention to produce results, nor does it require that patients take time off of work or plan around significant downtime.
What Does It Treat?
Collagen induction therapy treatments use needling techniques to treat some of the most common signs of aging and prevalent skin conditions. A customized treatment plan can effectively and safely minimize or eliminate fine lines and wrinkles on the face, neck, and chest.
It can also reduce or eliminate skin irregularities contributing to uneven skin texture, including acne scarring, tighten the skin to treat and reverse skin laxity and boost collagen to promote skin radiance, youth, and fullness.
How Does It Work?
This collagen induction therapy treatment begins with an initial consultation. You’ll meet with an experienced esthetician who will evaluate your skin, ask you more about your treatment goals, and confirm your treatment eligibility. Once you’re confirmed as a good candidate for collagen induction therapy, you can schedule your first appointment.
Your esthetician will give you some ways to prepare your skin so it’s ready for the treatment. You may be asked to avoid certain supplements and medications, alcohol, and harsh exfoliating skincare treatments that can make your skin more sensitive to the needling device and the treatment effects. It’s also important to avoid sun exposure before your treatment.
Preparing Your Skin for Treatment
When you arrive for your first treatment, your esthetician will sanitize your skin and remove any product, cosmetics, oil, or debris from your skin to prepare it for your session. She will then apply a topical numbing cream to your skin to minimize discomfort. This numbing cream takes approximately 30 minutes to take effect, after which the esthetician will begin the treatment, and you won’t feel a thing.
Your Needling Session
During the session, the esthetician will use the automated needling device to repetitively create uniform microchannels or micro-injuries across your skin’s surface. These tiny microchannels create pathways from the epidermal or top layer of the skin into the dermal or deeper layers.
In doing so, the process forces the body to respond as if it’s been injured. It begins a healing process that includes skin cleansing and tissue rebuilding. During the healing process, the body will generate more collagen to heal the treatment area, thus significantly improving skin tone, texture, and health.
Taking Advantage of the Skin’s Increased Absorption Rate
Some estheticians may apply topical products during or after the needling session to take advantage of the skin’s temporarily increased absorption rate.
The device will create microchannels that are pathways to the dermal tissues, making your skin more receptive to topical products with anti-aging ingredients. Whatever is applied topically during, after, and in the days following your needling treatment will better absorb into the deeper layers of the skin, creating visible changes and enhancing your results.
The Aftercare Protocol
After your first session, you can resume your normal daily activities, but you must care for your skin as it heals. You must avoid sun exposure and always wear sunscreen, as exposure after a needling treatment can result in accelerated aging and skin imperfections. It’s also important that you take steps to let your skin heal, avoid environments that cause you to sweat or increase your body temperature immediately following the treatment, and avoid wearing makeup for several hours.
You can wash your face with a gentle cleanser the night of your treatment, but you will need to avoid certain products, including those with harsh anti-aging ingredients like AHAs, BHAs, and retinoids, as they can make your skin more sensitive and delay the healing process. Your esthetician will provide you with a thorough list of aftercare instructions so you can accelerate the healing process and enjoy your results as quickly as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Most patients need a series of needling treatments to see the best results. Treatment plans vary based on the patient’s primary goals. Those who want to treat fine lines and wrinkles may need fewer sessions than those who need to treat deep and noticeable acne scars. During your initial consultation, your esthetician will provide you with a better idea of what your treatment plan will look like based on your treatment goals, so you can plan accordingly.
When Will I See the Results?
You can expect visible results and improvements in your skin within three months of your initial treatment. You’ll see the best results after completing the recommended number of needling sessions. It takes up to 12 weeks for the body to produce collagen after treatment, which is why waiting for your results requires patience.
However, many patients will notice visibly tighter skin in as little as 24 hours after treatment, and the results will only get better from that point on. Your esthetician can give you a better idea of when to expect results so you can plan accordingly.
Is It Safe?
This needling treatment has been FDA-approved to help patients reduce the appearance of or eliminate acne scars and the signs of aging. As long as you schedule treatments with a skilled and trained esthetician who has the experience to customize a treatment plan that helps you safely achieve results, you can move forward with confidence, knowing by the end of your sessions, you’ll have smoother, scar-free, and younger, looking skin.
If you’ve been living with acne scars, a collagen induction therapy treatment can make all the difference in the appearance of your skin and your confidence. Our skincare experts can give you more details about this treatment, how it works, what to expect, and determine your treatment eligibility. If you are interested in rejuvenating your appearance and you’re in the Indian Harbour Beach or West Melbourne area contact The Refinery Medspa & Wellness and Skin & Body by The Refinery by using our simple online form. Alternatively, you can also call us at 321-341-3321 to reach us in West Melbourne, FL, or call us at 321-428-3004 to reach us in Indian Harbour Beach, FL. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for our latest deals and specials & events!
