What it is
Collagen induction therapy. Controlled micro-channels prompt the skin to rebuild its own structure over the following weeks.
The appointment
Suitability check and numbing
Depth set per zone across the face
Growth factor infusion
Recovery mask and post-treatment kit
Right for you if
Afterwards
Two to three days of pink, tight skin. Plan it for a Thursday if you have a weekend free.
Your practitioner confirms suitability, strength and the number of sessions at your consultation. Prices are indicative.
Why it is worth it
Peels and lasers work by removing. Needling works by asking the skin to lay down new collagen and elastin itself, which is why the result keeps improving for weeks after the appointment rather than fading from day one.
Skin over the cheekbone is a different thickness to skin at the temple or along the jaw. A digital handpiece lets the practitioner change depth as they move across the face instead of treating everything at one setting.
Because nothing is left sitting on the surface, needling is often available to people whose skin flares with strong actives or who have been told to stay away from peels.
Rolling and boxcar acne scars sit in the structure of the skin, not on top of it. Treatment has to reach that layer to change anything, which is the whole argument for a course rather than a single visit.
Choosing a practitioner
Needling depth is a clinical decision, not a dial setting. Ask who is holding the pen, what they trained on and how many courses they have run. A practitioner who cannot answer that in a sentence is the wrong practitioner.
Asked about microneedling
Numbing cream goes on thirty minutes beforehand. Most people describe pressure and vibration rather than pain, with the forehead and upper lip the sharper areas.
Three to four, spaced four to six weeks apart, is the usual course for texture and fine lines. Deeper scarring is often six. Your practitioner will give you a number at the consultation rather than after you have paid.
Day one your skin is flushed and warm, like mild sunburn. Day two it feels tight and looks pink. By day three most people are back in makeup. Plan it for a Thursday if you would rather not explain it at work.
Stop retinol five days before and leave it for five days after. Bring your whole routine to the consultation and your practitioner will tell you what pauses and what continues.
Glow at about a week. Real texture change from week four, still building at week twelve. Photographs at both points are how we measure it rather than relying on memory.
A 45 minute mapping appointment reads your skin and sets the order of treatments. Nothing is booked until you agree to it.
