Microneedling treatment

Is Microneedling Right for You?

If you’re looking for younger, more youthful, clear and toned skin, THIS IS FOR YOU. Turning back the hands of times may not be possible, but with microneedling your skin can look baby fresh again with this holistic, non-toxic treatment.

Also known as ‘Collagen Induction Therapy’, microneedling uses a hand-held, pen-like device that uses disposable, one-time-use needle tips that are quickly propelled up and down at 18,000 rpms. This make hundreds of tiny holes or microchannels all over the surface of your skin.

This tricks the skin into thinking that it’s being injured and stimulates a healing response – including the production of collagen and elastin, which help the skin to be firm, radiant, smooth and more youthful in appearance. In this healing response, newly formed capillaries increase blood flow resulting in a healthy glow as well as improved structure and texture of the skin.

Micro needling does not damage the epidermis in the long term and there is virtually no risk of infection or scarring from the procedure. Aside from day-of-treatment redness, microneedling has virtually 0 downtime or side-effects.

What Can Microneedling Treat?

  • Acne Scars
  • Fine Lines & Moderate Wrinkles
  • Pore Size
  • Texture
  • Tone
  • Scars
  • Stretchmarks
  • Photo Aging & Sun Damage
  • Hyperpigmentation
  • Hypopigmentation
  • Hair Loss
  • Dry Skin
Microneedling treatment

Is Nanoneedling Right for You?

Both the Nano and Micro-Needling treatments use the same pen-like device that oscillates a tip up and down to stimulate a skin reaction. They both induce cell turnover, serum infusion and provoke the healing process that results in skin transformation.

The main difference between the two is the depth of needle penetration. Nano-needling only punctures the first layer of the skin (epidermis) while micro-needling penetrates deeper into the dermis. Nano-needling uses a different tip or cartridge that has 81 silicone projections instead of 12 micro-needles. These nano microscopic cones separate the cells within the epidermis to allow active products like serums or vitamins to be pushed into the skin, allowing for up to 97% product absorption. This treatment can be done weekly to exfoliate the skin.

If you are concerned about fine lines & wrinkles, skin tone, puffy, undereye bags, or sagging skin, then nano-needling is for you. If your skincare concerns include deeper wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, stretch marks, or deep acne scars, then micro-needling would be a better option.

You can’t microneedle the delicate skin around the eyes so if puffiness or under-eye-bags are a main concern, I would opt for nanoneedling or the Best Skin Ever package. This BSE package includes weekly treatments of 1 microneedling and 3 nanoneedling for $1200. This is a great option to do the month before weddings, birthdays, holidays or vacations to get your skin glowing and fresh AF.

Nanoneedling treatment

How many treatments?

This varies from person to person and depends on the type of problem you have. Generally, longstanding chronic problems (hyperpigmentation, deeper wrinkles and scars, cystic acne) take longer to resolve, and more acute or recent problems respond quicker.

Having said that, it also depends on your underlying state of health. Some people look healthy, but really are quite depleted. Others have illnesses, but strong underlying constitutions. It would be great if one or two treatments were all that was needed, and some times that’s all it takes but we generally recommend starting with a package of 3 or more to truly see results.

The frequency of Micro-Needling and Nano-Needling treatments are not the same as with regular acupuncture treatments. Micro-Needling can only be performed once a month to allow the skin to heal in it’s 28 day cycle. After only 4-6 treatments, once per month, patients notice improvements that last for years!

Nano-Needling can be performed once a week. The benefits of this serum infusion treatment include pigmentation reduction, increased cell turnover, skin rejuvenation, and an immediate glow with NO downtime. This treatment can also be done in a weekly series of 1/week for 6 weeks.

Cosmetic Acupuncture

Super fine acupuncture needles are placed into ‘trigger points’ as well as directly in to problem areas like wrinkles and hyperpigmentation along the eyes, mouth, neck and ears. The needles stimulate muscles tightening and skin rejuvenation helping to lift and refresh the face.

The stimulation also increases collagen production by creating small, non-invasive micro-traumas that will initiate cellular repair. Needles are also placed in other parts of the body as well to help reduce inflammation, promote blood flow and correct internal imbalances (heat, damp, qi deficiency, etc). Your skin is a reflection of your internal health and cosmetic acupuncture helps to treat the body from the inside out.

Cosmetic acupuncture treatment
Green leaf

Constitutional or Whole-Body Benefits

  • Improves acne (caused by hormonal imbalance)
  • Helps menopause, premenopause, PMS and other GYN issues
  • Helps sinus congestion and headache
  • Improves hyper- and hypothyroidism
  • Reduces symptoms of toothache, TMJ, trigeminal neuralgia, and Bell’s palsy
  • Helps headaches (except severe migraine)
  • Treats diarrhea and constipation (most digestive issues)
  • Helps to eliminate edema and puffiness
  • Benefits eyes, ears and brain
  • Can help insomnia and dizziness
  • Helps depression and aids self-esteem
  • Improves metabolism
Green leaves

Facial + Aesthetic Benefits

  • Improves collagen production and muscle tone
  • Helps reduce bags and sagging tendencies
  • Helps eliminate fine lines and diminish larger wrinkles
  • Helps reduce double chin and lift drooping eyelids
  • Tightens pores and brightens eyes
  • Increases local blood and lymph circulation
  • Improves facial color

If you are planning a special occasion, I recommend completing your sessions 2-4 weeks ahead of your event for best results. For individuals who are on blood thinners or bruise easily, Arnica gel/cream and pellets before/after can help minimize bruising.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s some Frequently Asked Questions that will answer most of yours!


The short answer – Yes.

The longer, more honest answer…

It’s important to note however that micro-needling CAN speed up the metabolism of the botox and filler and it’s best to wait at least 2-3 weeks after botox or filler to begin microneedling. On the other hand, botox needs to be performed on healthy skin, so it’s best to wait a few weeks (ideally a full skin turnover cycle – 28 days) after microneedling to get botox.

Botox: I recommend waiting 2 weeks after Botox before micro-needling on the face.

Cosmetic Fillers: The cosmetic-type injectable fillers take about 14-28 days to integrate into your skin’s collagen structure.

Cosmetic Surgery: If you are having a surgical procedure, I recommend non-cosmetic acupuncture treatments before and after your surgery, as this will increase your body’s healing mechanisms. Acupuncture before surgery will boost your immunity, and acupuncture post-surgery will help speed your recovery while reducing swelling and bruising.

While cosmetic acupuncture and microneedling are safe and beneficial for most people, it is not recommended for those with certain conditions:

High Blood Pressure – unless controlled with medication, facial acupuncture is contraindicated for those with severe high blood pressure

Migraines – for those who suffer from frequent, severe migraines, facial acupuncture can sometimes aggravate or bring on a headache/migraine as more qi and blood is brought to the head

Acute Viral/Bacterial Infections (cold, flu, herpes outbreak, allergies, etc.)

Pregnant + Breastfeeding

Fillers or Botox – wait at least 2 weeks after Botox and 4 weeks after a filler like Juvederm. There is not a health risk doing a microneedling treatment earlier but it could have an effect on how the botox and filler work.

Intensive skin treatments such as laser resurfacing, chemical peels and microdermabrasion – wait 3-4 weeks after procedure to schedule an appointment

Sun-burn

We encourage buying a package of 3-4 because that’s when most people start seeing significant changes.

People often see a difference in their skin within a week of their first procedure (smoother, clearer, brighter, etc) however the more dramatic textural, pigment and fine line improvements will take at least 3-4+ sessions. Committing to the package helps to ensure we both get the results we want instead of becoming discouraged that years of sun damage or deep 11’s didn’t magically disappear after 1-2 treatments.

It took years for your current concerns to build up. The practice of patience is vital when it comes to holistic treatments, which take a gentler approach than the instantaneous results we are used to with powerful pharmaceuticals, laser resurfacing, and other more aggressive treatments.

I’ve gone down those routes too and while instant changes can be gratifying, they also come with side-effects. This non-toxic, side-effect free method is designed to provide progressive and incremental results.

Research has shown long-term benefits from as little as three treatments.

Microneedling is only done once a month to give the skin sufficient time to produce new collagen and heal the micro-channels created during the process.

As microneedling is designed to stimulate and renew the skin through the body’s natural mechanisms, the results do not fade or wear off as they do with other cosmetic procedures such as Botox – but rather, are maintained by regularly taking care of the skin with serums, antioxidants and continued stimulation to ensure that collagen production continues.

Come to your session make-up and oil free!

This will make it easier for us to get started and have a cleaner workspace to start with. We always clean your face prior to micro-needling but the cleaner the better!

Prepare to be red for 24 hours

While the treatments don’t require any downtime, you will be red for about 12-24 hours. It looks and feels like a fairly serious sunburn. For 24-48 hours after the treatment you may experience some flakiness partially due to the hyaluronic acid applied post treatment and partially to your skin’s response. If this happens you can use a little water to smooth it out.

No exercise (sweating) for 12 hours after.

We want the skin to heal properly in those next 12-24 so skip the intensive HIIT class, sauna or hot yoga and opt for a neighborhood walk (with a hat) or a yin yoga class instead. Sweat can create an environment for bacteria to grow and we want to keep it kosher while your skin is in a semi-vulnerable state.

Internally prepare.

Limiting sugar, processed foods and alcohol before and during treatment will lower inflammation systemically. Also, your skin reflects your gut health! You’re doing this treatment to have glowing radiant skin and all of that starts from within.

The sooner the better! As we’ve discussed, each treatment builds upon the last so the more sessions you’re able to fit in prior to the big day, the better off your skin will be.

Microneedling (MN) can be done once a month while nanoneedling can be done weekly. Depending on how far in advance you’re preparing, I’d recommend starting with MN once a month and the month prior I would do our BSE package which includes 1 MN and 3 Nano sessions (each done once a week for a total of 4 weeks).

If your focus is more on lifting and tightening the skin, Cosmetic Acupuncture can be done weekly and up to 7 days prior to the big day. We’d want to wait a week just in case there’s any bruising — even though makeup can do pretty amazing things these days, nobody wants to deal with that. You can also take arnica leading up to and after your treatment to prevent possible bruising.

There is some discomfort associated with micro-needling, however, a numbing cream can be helpful for sensitive patients. If you plan on using the numbing cream, we ask that you arrive 20 minutes prior to your appointment time to let the cream start to do it’s magic. Many people are just fine without the cream so it comes down to personal pain tolerance and preference.

The amount of discomfort will also depend on the depth of the needle. If you’re new to microneedling or have sensitive skin, we use a shallower needle depth to create less discomfort. Your skin generally becomes more tolerant of the needles with each treatment and we work up to going a bit deeper to deliver greater results.

Botox smoothes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by injecting the botulinum toxin into the underlying muscle, partially paralyzing it and restricting its movement.

This restriction of movement stops the muscle from being able to be ‘active’ enough to form a wrinkle but still allows you to make facial expressions (well… depending on personal preference and amount of botox used). It doesn’t directly treat the surface of the skin, just the underlying muscle.

With microneedling, rather than restricting or paralyzing the movement of your facial muscles, it works directly on the skin to stimulate the production of new skin cells which smooths out fine lines and wrinkles, minimizes acne scars, uneven skin tone or texture, hyperpigmentation, and improves skin elasticity.

Microneedling stimulates your natural collagen production and cell metabolism which speeds up healing and regeneration of healthy skin. This improves and strengthens your skin instead of creating weaker, thinner skin over time like botox often does. Long-term botox users tend to have thinner and crepe-ier skin that requires them to continue using the product in order to have the desired effect.

While I’ve personally dabbled in botox and fillers (and I’ll be the first to admit, the results are pretty fantastic — and addictive), I’m actively trying to limit the amount of toxins I expose my body to and find healthier, holistic ways to age gracefully. After being a holistic esthetician for nearly 10 years, microneedling just made sense as a gentler option.

If you’re looking for a healthier option for younger looking skin without the need for cosmetic injectables, microneedling can produce a remarkable improvement in your overall skin quality. Getting monthly or even seasonal microneedling treatments are an amazing anti-aging therapy to include in your skin care routine as it calls upon your body’s immune system to rejuvenate your skin.

If you have deep lines and creases on your forehead, between your brows, or crow’s feet, botox will be “better” option in getting the results you want as there are limitations on what microneedling can do.

The answer to the question “which is best” lies in lies in your individual skin quality and condition – you may benefit both!

Walking through the desert

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