5 Things That Happen to Your Skin After You Get Microneedling
By Elise Minton Tabin , Executive Beauty Editor |
Microneedling is one of the most popular skin rejuvenating treatments at the moment, and for good reason. Not only can it improve the look and feel of the skin, but it can also work wonders on reducing acne scars, lines and wrinkles. What you’ll experience at the doctor’s office is a more intense treatment than what you’ll get if you do it yourself at home (with a microneedle roller). But for as much praise as the treatment gets, there are a few things to take note of, especially when it comes to what you’ll experience once the treatment is complete.
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Your skin will be red.
It’s totally normal for your skin to appear red after you’ve had microneedling done, but the majority of the redness should subside within 24 hours. However, if a more aggressive treatment was done, the redness may linger for a bit longer. “I uses the Infini Radio Frequency Microneedling device in my office to treat acne scars, fine line and wrinkles around the eye and to lift and firm the skin,” says Seattle dermatologist Jennifer Reichel, MD. “Directly after the treatment, the skin looks bright red from the heat with an almost sunburn-like feeling (but it’s not all that bad).” Keeping the skin hydrated can help take down the redness, too.
Your skin may feel rough to the touch.
Directly after a microneedling treatment (and even in the coming days post-procedure), your skin may feel a little different than normal and a bit rough when you touch it. There may be some swelling and bruising, too. Santa Monica, CA, dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, says that the swelling can range anywhere from being mild to more severe, although it is more frequently mild. “But it really depends on the type of microneedling done. Taking an antihistamine beforehand helps, too.”
There may be some minimally visible marks.
Because microneedling makes hundreds of tiny safe yet controlled microinjuries on the surface of the skin, it’s not uncommon to see some very small marks on the skin after the procedure has been performed. Not to worry, whatever you see on your skin is short-lived at most. As the skin heals and recovers, any marks will slowly fade away.
You may break out.
If you’re prone to breaking out, you’ll definitely want to let your doctor know beforehand because micrnoneedling can cause breakouts. This is especially the case if there are active lesions on the surface—the treatment may make them worse. While it can work wonders at improving acne scars, microneedling can actually spread bacteria in the skin, making breakouts worse.
Pin point bleeding isn’t uncommon.
According to Dr. Reichel, it’s normal for there to be some pinpoint bleeding on the skin from having the needles inserted into the skin. “Because some microneedling treatments are more invasive, like Infini, we use topical numbing, local anesthetic with mesoneedles, and oral or IV sedation,” says Dr. Reichel.
