Microneedling & Cosmetic Acupuncture

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!