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Microneedling At Home- Everything You Must Know With Procedure.
Microneedling at home can help reduce spots, lines, and scars on the face. Putting needles on the face sounds a little scary at first and should be handled by professionals only for the first time but there is a home version of micro-needling too.
Let’s see how Microneedling at home can be carried out using cost-effective ways.
What Is Microneedling?
Microneedling is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure used for treating skin conditions by producing collagen. It is also called collagen induction therapy. This treatment can also be helpful for anyone looking to reduce acne scars and stretch marks on the face.
Microneedling is also used in few anti-aging procedures, such as for reducing sun spots and eyelid surgeries. Note that it is not effective for loss of hair despite the collagen involved in the growth of hair.
Anyone who has certain skin concerns and is in good shape is the ideal candidate to go for the Microneedling procedure. Also, for those people who haven’t seen any good results after other treatments, micro-needling can be a great help.
Microneedling may be the final step before considering any cosmetic surgery for any concern like anti-aging.
Benefits of Microneedling at home
Although it sounds a bit risky, Microneedling at home can be performed easily. It is safe to assume that micro-needling at the office will cost you nearly 200 to 700 USD for each treatment or session you go for. This price is not something everyone having scars can afford, especially when you are required to go for follow-up treatments now and then.
You can rollers online for an average price of 20 USD. If your skin is more affected by skin problems that need to be treated completely, using home treatment in form of rollers is not sufficient to provide results because it does not go deep enough. But this procedure can help enhance product absorption and exfoliation. Patients who consistently use this home treatment over 4 to 6 months will definitely witness changes and improvement in their skin conditions.
As far as we see office-based micro-needling, some potential benefits over a short time include:
- Imprvemt of scar and dicoualrion.
- Reduced stretch marks and wrinkles.
- Rejuvenation of skin for complexion and texture.
- Enhancement of absorption of products you apply (topical).
- Skin thickness increases.
Microneedling at home can provide the following benefits too given that you practice it regularly for 4 to 6 months. Here is all you need to know about Microneedling at home.
Microneedling at home- Where To Begin
For Microneedling at home, you must know all the things from choosing the roller to precautions you must take.
Choose a good roller
The first step is choosing a good roller to start with. According to research, some people can receive great results after starting with rollers for 2 to 3 sessions from 1.5 mm length injections whereas some people need more time. If you have made your mind to perform Microneedling at home, just start with a 0.15 mm length injection.
There are many different options available online and offline like stacked skincare collagen-boosting micro-roller, healthy care derma roller, and Lolysenta derma roller. Choose any derma roller based on your budget.
Difference between professional and Microneedling at home
Know that a bigger needle does not indicate you will see fast results. When it comes to micro-needling, patience is a must. If you go for in-office micro-needling, you may get fast results and the process will be safe as they are experienced professionals. They use slightly long and sharp medical needles which helps treat skin faster.
Results are normally seen after 1-4 treatments. A series of treatments can give great results similar to deeper laser resurfacing treatments. Those who go for Microneedling at-home treatments may have to wait for slightly longer to see results. The fine needles used in micro-needling induces tiny injuries in the skin due to which our skin produces more collagen at a faster rate. The synthesis of new collagen can even take three months to six months.
Steps involved in Microneedling at home
When you are Microneedling at home, your safety should be prioritized and number one concern because needles are involved in the procedure.
You must clean your skin properly and sanitize all the micro-needling equipment carefully before using them on the skin to limit any sort of infection. Also, you must be careful not to push the needling devices hard as it may lead to scarring. Allergic reactions might also occur due to products used in Microneedling at home and in-office.
A Microneedling at home kit includes a roller, 70% isopropyl alcohol, cleaner, numbing cream (optional), and a follow-up serum.
Here’s what you need to do to perform Microneedling at home:
- The first step involves disinfecting the derma roller. This must always be the first step when you start Microneedling. Let the roller soak in 70% isopropyl alcohol for nearly 7 to 10 minutes before you start using it on the skin.
- The second step involves washing your face. Make sure to clean your skin using a gentle pH-balanced cleanser. Once you are done using it, cleanser your skin again. You must also wipe the 70% isopropyl gently on the face before using the roller. Know that if you cannot bear the pain, there are numbing creams available that can be used once you wipe your face. If you have advanced the treatment to use long needles, using numbing cream can be helpful.
- Start rolling using the roller. Before you begin it, divide your face mentally into 4 regions avoiding the eyes completely. The upper left portion, upper right portion, lower left portion, and lower right portion. Firmly and gently roll the roller in one direction either horizontally or vertically 2 to 3 times. Make sure you lift the roller before each role.
- Rinse your face using clean water after you are done using the rollers and pat dry using a clean pad.
- Sanitize the roller again before keeping it. First, you must wash the roller using dishwasher soap and then let it soak again in 70% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes. Once it’s done, put it back in the case. Do not wait for long to replace the roller. After you use the roller 10 to 15 times, you mist ditch it and bring another. Microneedling at home must be done with one roller for a month and then replaced.
Note- You must apply a numbing cream only when it is necessary. It can be slightly uncomfortable based on the caliber and depth of needles used. Many dermatologists give their patients nitrous oxide to inhale when the procedure of micro-needling is performed in their offices. However, this should not be tried at home. Dermatologists utilize the numbing creams for nearly 30 minutes before they begin the procedure. Pinpoint bleeding is mostly observed after the procedure due to the depth of the needles.
Serums To Use After Microneedling
One of the biggest benefits of using a derma roller or Microneedling is to allow the serums, moisturizers, andanother skin products to deeply penetrate inside the skin and become more effective. Needling helps improve the absorption of serums inside the skin. Penetration of these products is good for skin if you introduce healthy ingredients in the skin, but it also means being more careful about the ingredients in the products.
At-home use of these ingredients must be judicious. This is one of the biggest issues too because introducing chemicals and topicals that must not be penetrated inside the skin below the epidermis is not good for the skin.
Here are few useful ingredients to look at when using serums:
- Vitamin C serum– It is really important to find good quality and effective serum to promote collagen and brighten the skin. There are few case reports of firm nodules or granulomas from people who use vitamin C topicals that have ingredients that induce a foreign body reaction within the skin. Sterility of the needles after use and before use is paramount to avoid any infection.
- Hyaluronic acid serum– This serum can be used to retain and attract moisture so applying it after Microneedling at home can help hydrate the skin and plump it.
- Peptides- Copper peptides occur naturally in the form of complexes which when applied topically have been found to elevate the collagen production on the skin thus helping lighten the scars and pigmentation.
- Growth factors– These are certain proteins that help promote the production of healthy tissues and cells in the skin. They bind with the skin cells and signals to rejuvenate and repair your skin. When used with micro-needling procedures, they help thicken the skin.
How often Microneedling at home should be performed?
The frequency of treatments will completely depend upon the derma roller’s length (needles) and your skin sensitivity. If you use shorter needles, you might be able to roll them on the skin every other day but if the needles you use are much longer, you must use them every 3 t0 4 weeks for spacing out the treatment and avoid injuries.
If you wish to alleviate the results, you might want to use additional skincare treatments along with micro-needling sessions. As per reports by Dermascope– chemical peels are micro-needling produce great results when both are used as complementary treatments. Know that both treatments should be administered 4 to 6 weeks apart.
If your skin can treat both treatments, some other treatments like facial acupuncture and gua sha may help accelerate the results after these treatments.
Is there a risk in Microneedling at home?
If you are planning to perform Microbeedlig at home, you must know that it includes puncturing your skin using the needles in derma rollers so the treatment will not be pleasant. It will pain and the level of pain totally depends upon the aggressiveness of treatment used. Bleeding is common with Microneedling. Bleeding is pinpoint when lighter treatments are used and heavier in case of deeper skin treatments.
Your skin opens after using needles, so it is highly recommended that you use non-irritating and high0quality products only that suit your skin for the next 24 hours. Do not go for topicals that have harsh actives and acids. Make sure the needles are completely cleaned using isopropyl after every treatment because every time the skin is pierced with microneedles, there is always a chance of introducing infection which may worsen your current skin condition.
Experts agree that micro-needling is helpful for people who wish to boost their collagen and treat skin issues like acne scars and fine lines however, not everyone can go for micro-needling. Patients having Rosacea skin condition can not tolerate Microneedling at all. While few patients having active acne can benefit from Mirco-needling treatment, many dermatologists prefer not to recommend micro-needling due to flares potential. Also, patients having very thin and sensitive skin should not go for micro-needling.
The Bottom Line
Microneedling at home is not something many skin experts may recommend using or endorse but if you want to incorporate this effect into your skincare regimen, complete your stretch on it and introduce it with full precautions. You can always talk to a dermatologist for the same.
The effectiveness of micro-needling depends upon the person’s skin and the depth of needles. Besides keeping safety as a priority, you must also know that these treatments will feed repetition. Using only e treatment at home and expecting the results is not a good idea. Research and reports have indicated that micro-needling is useful after 3 to 4 treatments and the results will be seen after that. But individual success with micro-needling depends upon a variety of factors and requires patience.
Know that Microneedling at home cannot provide as many benefits and fats results as in-office treatments but it is still useful when sued for long-term. Know that change takes time and a series of treatments are required to see the best results.
