WHAT TO EXPECT

Before starting your microneedling treatment, your aesthetic provider will apply a topical numbing cream to your face to help keep you comfortable during the procedure. While you wait for the numbness to set in, you can read a book, check your emails, or simply relax. Once you are ready, usually after about 30 minutes, your practitioner will pass the microneedling device over your skin. You may feel small vibrations where the device passes and occasional pricks on the skin, but because of the anesthetic, most people report feeling little discomfort during microneedling.

WHAT ABOUT PRP AND HOW DOES IT WORK WITH MICRONEEDLING?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses the infusion of concentrated platelets harvested from the patient’s blood to accelerate healing in a specific area. It contains two elements – plasma, the liquid portion of the blood, and platelets. The platelets play a vital role in healing and contain growth factors that stimulate cell reproduction and tissue regeneration in the treated area. The patient’s blood is obtained through a simple blood draw and placed in a centrifuge to spin to create this platelet-rich plasma. The centrifuge is necessary to separate the platelets from the remainder of the blood and create a concentrate referred to as platelet-rich plasma. Because the treatments use a patient’s own blood, PRP infusions are safe and can be administered alone or in conjunction with other procedures. PRP is a wonderful addition to microneedling. First, a microneedling tool is used to puncture the skin and make numerous holes in the skin’s surface. PRP is then applied to the skin’s surface and allowed to penetrate the holes created by microneedling. PRP can enhance collagen and elastin production in deeper skin levels. Microneedling with PRP effectively treats acne scars, surgical scars, wrinkles, and fine lines, hyperpigmentation, sun damage, large pores, uneven skin texture irregularities, and it helps to decrease the appearance of stretch marks. The addition of PRP to microneedling produces superior results over microneedling alone.