Introducing Perfection’s latest treatment, SkinPen Precision! Micro Needling or Collagen Induction Therapy will stimulate collagen production, resulting in regeneration of the skin with visible improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, complexion and scarring.
Micro – Needling was found in the the late 90s by a Doctor who came up with the concept that pricking the skin promotes collagen formulation. By 2007 the first Micro-Needling pens were launched and last year saw the arrival of the NEW Skin Pen Precision.
The Skin Pen Precision Micro-Needling Device is the only U.S. engineered and manufactured micro-needling pen on the market, with patent-pending, medical grade stainless steel needle cartridge. It is a disposable cartridge with a lock out mechanism ensuring single use only.
In a nutshell Micro- needling is an aesthetic procedure that involves repeatedly puncturing the skin with tiny sterile probes in order to induce the production of collagen.
So how does it work?
To start we go through a thorough consultation and apply a topical anaesthetic to ensure the treatment doesn’t hurt, and you fully understand what’s involved and why we are doing it.
Using the SkinPen Precision, tiny sterile probes cause micro-injury to the skin on purpose, in a controlled, sterile environment. The probes enter the skin vertically without tearing or scratching the tissue. This causes inflammation and triggers ‘a wound healing response’. The wound healing response is the reaction to the probes penetrating the skin.
So what happens when we cause injury to the skin?
Phase 1 – Fire Fighters! (Immediate)
The first stage starts immediately after the injury is caused. I like to liken it to the fire-fighting phase ie: it is the body’s emergency response to the injury. The firefighters come in and ‘fight’ the infection! The main purpose of the inflammatory response is to prevent further infection and blood loss. Without this response, no healing can take place.
Phase 2 – Cleaners
Once the house fire has been extinguished, it is then time to clean up the debris created by the emergency. Similarly, within a wound, the functions of the next phase are to prevent infection, clean the wound and provide the best conditions for healing to occur…
* The damaged cells and bacteria are removed from the area
* The blood vessels dilate (the skin goes red) to allow the white blood cells to flood to the area
* The white blood cells and nutrients from the blood, enter the wound and accumulate there. They cleanse the wound by releasing chemicals that digest any bacteria or tissue debris present. Once this is complete, the white cells die off and can be seen as moist, sticky tissue.
The next phase cannot begin until the wound is sufficiently cleaned.
Phase 3 – Builders
After the debris from a house fire has been cleared, builders are called in to restore the house to its former structure – in wound healing, this is known as the proliferative phase.During this phase, the fibroblast cells (the cells responsible for making collagen), gather at the wound and produce new collagen. The new collagen formed at this stage is not laid down in nice straight lines, instead, it is constructed in a random, disorganised fashion. This happens because the body is trying to repair the area quickly. The skin then contracts to heal the wound.
Phase 4 – Decorating
The final phase can be likened to redecorating the house after a fire. The white blood cells re-jig the disorganised collagen and compact it down in nice straight structured lines, giving the skin strength, volume and a more youthful appearance and the wound healing response is complete.
As you can imagine this cycle takes time which is why it is so important to understand that Collagen Induction Therapy (Micro-needling) is not just a ‘quick fix’ – to enable to get the best results it is important to commit to a programme, in order to give the skin chance to remodel and progress through the different stages I described above. This in turn will stimulate the production of new collagen and the remodelling of old collagen.
Collagen Induction Therapy is a superb treatment for anyone wanting to….
- Improve wrinkles, minimize pore size and induce skin tightening.
- Stimulate collagen production promoting regeneration and better complexion
- Improve surgical, traumatic, burn and acne scars
- Hyperpigmentation (brown spots and melasma)
Other benefits include…
- Minimally invasive procedure performed in-office with little, to no recovery time
- Noticeable results in less than a day
- Safe for all skin types, light to dark
- Effective on all body parts, including face, neck and décolletage
- Post-procedure protocol for optimal results
I don’t like the sound of needles being put in my face…does it hurt?
Because a topical anaesthetic cream is used before the treatment, discomfort, if any, is minimal and it feels very similar to a normal CACI Microdermabrasion treatment. I found it was more in the mind and the thought of what was happening, as it doesn’t actually hurt at all.
Due to the nature of the treatment the skin is usually red afterwards however this goes down usually after a few hours.
Best visible results are seen with a series of at least 3 to 6 treatments, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, and then having a maintenance treatment to boost the skin every three months.
There is a continuous and progressive improvement overtime in overall skin smoothness and firmness and elasticity. The complexion becomes more even and brighter over time especially when combined with specific medical grade creams, such as our new skincare range ZO.
When will I see results?
Final results, won’t be noticeable for three to twelve months as boosting collagen and elastin within the skin takes time. Remodelling the skin and complete rejuvenation takes 3-12 months. Results are dependent on the individual.
If you would like more information on our Micro-Needling/Collagen Induction Therapy Treatment why not book in for a consultation with one of our SkinPen experts, and we can gladly talk you through each step of the treatment.