All About Microneedling: Before and After
Microneedling Before and After: A Patient Testimonial
I had the pleasure of having my first ever Microneedling with PRP procedure this summer. I wanted to take a moment to harp on how amazing this experience was for my skin care goals. If you’re curious about having this procedure, take a moment to read about my experience. I was blown away by the microneedling results and truly believe this procedure can do wonders on almost every skin type. Check out my microneedling before and afters!
Microneedling with PRP Preparation
I have to say, I was pretty nervous going into this procedure. I have filmed Microneedling with PRP over a dozen times, so I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on how it works. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was the pain level. Every patient I had ever filmed remained calm while filming and all looked as though they were actually enjoying the procedure. I started to wonder if it hurt at all. I recruited Beleza expert injector and aesthetician, Emily Stimson, to administer my procedure who, in my humble opinion, is a MicroPen Master. When I arrived at Beleza in Cedar Park to undergo this procedure, Emily immediately began applying numbing cream to my face and explained how important the numbing cream is for microneedling — my nerves definitely grew stronger at this point.
The numbing cream needs about 20-25 minutes to kick in (and we weren’t starting even 1 minute early). During that time, Emily drew my blood for the PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma. If you have a tendency to get queasy from having your blood drawn, rest assured this is a cakewalk compared to most vials. This is a TINY vial. It takes about 30 seconds for it to fill up. From there, the vial is placed into a centrifuge where it spins for 30 minutes. The centrifuge is a vital part of this procedure because it activates your blood cells and forces them to separate and release growth factors. This part of your blood is called PRP. We can use the growth factors in the PRP for cosmetic purposes to trigger your body’s repair mechanisms for skin rejuvenation.
MICRONEEDLING PROCEDURE
Once Emily had the syringes loaded with my body’s PRP, it was time to remove the numbing cream (gulp). By this time, I was definitely numb, but of course still nervous about the pain. Emily cleaned my face to remove the numbing cream and then applied the MicroGlide Hyaluronic Acid and the PRP to the skin. Here we go, time to microneedle!
Microneedling PRP
I was pleasantly surprised at the low about of pain for this procedure. You definitely can feel it, and some areas are more sensitive than others, but this procedure was a piece of cake! Anyone should be able to tolerate the pain from microneedling, if you even want to call it “pain”.
Emily worked in small 1-2 inch sections. She would apply the MicroGlide and PRP on to each section and then microneedle over the 1-2 inch sections. The PRP dries so fast, so she was careful to not microneedle over a dry area. She started with my cheeks, then my chin, then the nose (which tickled SO much), then forehead, and then finished on my neck. It was over before I knew it. On a scale of 1-10, (10 being the most amount of pain), I would say there were a few areas that got up to a 6 on the pain level, but they only lasted for about a minute. The majority of the time I felt like the pain level was between a 3-4.
Injections during a Microneedling with PRP treatment?
The biggest myth about this procedure is that your own blood is injected into your skin. This is so false! There are no injections during this procedure. Should you want to go with a Microneedling with PRP (which includes a syringe of Voluma), or should you want to inject your PRP into the dermis of your skin, then yes, there would be injections. But, for a standard Microneedling with PRP) there are no injections. The PRP is simply applied onto your skin and then your provider performs microneedling over the PRP.
After Microneedling with PRP
Following my procedure, I followed Emily’s instructions very carefully to ensure I would have the best results. Beleza also provides take-home instructions for every patient, so you don’t have to worry about your post care. I was instructed to wait at least 4 hours before washing the PRP off my face, I ended up waiting 6 hours just because I didn’t have any reason to wash my face. I applied Hyaluronic Acid every hour during that 6 hours. After 6 hours, I washed my face using Elta MD’s Foaming Facial Cleanser with cool water and then applied more Hyaluronic Acid and went to bed.
It is important not to use sunscreen for at least 48 hours following your procedure. If you need to be outdoors, be sure to bring a hat or scarf. I continued this regime night and day for 2 days. At the end of the second day, I began to use SkinMedica’s TNS Recovery Complex, SkinMedica’s HA5, and Elta MD facial sunscreen, only when going outdoors. Be sure to NOT use the TNS Essential Serum for at least a week following, or when your provider say it’s ok to do so. I chose not to wear any makeup for over a week to ensure my results would be top-notch, but if you must wear makeup before a week after the procedure, please use CLEAN brushes and a mineral based makeup line (Jane Iredale is our fave!).
Microneedling Before and After & Microneedling Results
What shocked me the most about this procedure was the minimal downtime! I had the procedure done on a Saturday and I was back to work Monday with barely any peeling. By day 4 (picture right), I was as good as new! And, of course, the best part about this procedure was the finished product. The microneedling results made my pores TINY following this procedure and it got better every week after.
The first week after was great, but the second week after was when I really noticed the microneedling results. The fine lines around my eyes were minimized, my pore size had shrunk completely, some old acne scars had faded, and, the best part, my usual hormonal breakouts were truly reduced!! I am very acneic, so this was definitely worth the cost for me. I highly recommend this procedure and cannot wait to have it done again.
Beleza’s medical professionals are highly experienced in Microneedling and PRP. They can answer any questions you may have about the treatment.