Whether you call it microneedling or microchanneling, the concept is the same: creating controlled micro-injuries to initiate a wound-healing response and stimulate collagen induction. Pairing these procedures with topical actives has become standard practice in advanced aesthetics, with growth factors leading the way as one of the most widely used adjuncts. But results don’t depend on one ingredient alone. True correction comes from synergy – signals, support, and fuel working together.
October 2025 L+A Report
How Long-Term Treatment Plans Produce Advanced Skincare Correction
It’s no longer about booking a single facial or even committing to a series of treatments. Clients and patients are partnering with skincare professionals for lifetime skin health strategies. Professionals aren’t just service providers; they’re trusted guides who help their clients navigate the biological changes, environmental stressors, and lifestyle shifts that impact skin health across decades.
Think of it as a shift from one-off fixes to skincare mentorship. The role of the esthetician or medical skincare professional now extends beyond the treatment room, providing holistic planning, seasonal adjustments, and support through hormonal and life stage changes.
Growth Factors as Signals
Growth factors have changed the way professionals think about corrective treatments. When applied during microneedling or in conjunction with a peel, they act like a set of instructions delivered straight to fibroblasts. These signals tell the skin to produce collagen, repair damage, and remodel tissue.
There’s no doubt about their impact. Protocols that once relied on injury alone now include growth factors to accelerate recovery and amplify results. But signals on their own can only go so far. If the cell doesn’t have the resources to respond fully, the outcome can plateau.
Peptides as Support
That’s where peptides come in. They provide both structural support and targeted signaling to reinforce what growth factors start. Certain peptides can stimulate collagen, others calm inflammation, and some strengthen barrier repair.
Think of peptides as the support team that clears the path so the growth factor signals can get through without interference. In the context of microneedling or peels, peptides help reduce irritation, stabilize the barrier, and prepare the skin to sustain correction over time.
NAD+ as Fuel
Growth factors are the phone call that tells the skin what to do. Peptides act like the support team, strengthening the environment so the signal has more impact. But if the cell doesn’t have energy, it can’t respond fully to the call. That’s where NAD+ comes in – it fuels the cell’s repair response so the message can actually turn into action.
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme that drives cellular energy production. It supports ATP synthesis, DNA repair, and the regulation of oxidative stress. In skin under oxidative stress, or in aging skin where NAD+ levels naturally decline, cells may struggle to act on the signals from growth factors – even if those signals are strong.
Contribution by Karla Barrick
Karla Barrick is the founder of TalaDerma, an aesthetic nurse, licensed cosmetologist, and professional skincare consultant with over 20 years of experience in healthcare and professional skincare. She has trained and mentored estheticians and spa professionals across the globe, helping them deliver consistent results and elevate client outcomes. Karla is also the author of Booked & Banked, a business guide for estheticians.
Follow Karla Barrick on Instagram @TalaDerma
Applied topically in advanced formulations, NAD+ acts like a charger for the cell phone. Growth factors send the message, but NAD+ ensures the cell has the energy to respond. This is especially valuable after microneedling and peels, where skin is actively repairing.
In practice, this can translate into a visible difference. In my own treatments, clients who received growth factors alone often experienced redness and discomfort for 3–4 days. When I added NAD+ boosters, those same clients reported calmer skin in just 1–2 days, with irritation resolving faster. The correction outcomes were stronger because the repair process was more efficient.
Putting It Together: Signal + Support + Fuel
The real opportunity in advanced correction isn’t choosing one active over another. It’s combining them strategically so the skin gets what it needs on every level.
Signals: Growth factors instruct fibroblasts to remodel tissue and produce new collagen.
Support: Peptides calm, reinforce, and stabilize the skin environment.
Fuel: NAD+ provides the energy to act on those signals efficiently.
This synergy model can be applied in both microneedling and peel protocols. Apply growth factors in the procedure to deliver the message, follow with peptide and NAD+-rich formulations to support and fuel the response, and finish with LED to calm inflammation. The LED doesn’t undo the treatment – it helps modulate inflammation so recovery is smoother and more predictable. More inflammation doesn’t equal better results; controlled injury plus managed repair is what produces correction.
In my own practice, I integrate NAD+-powered boosters (such as TalaDerma) because they give me confidence that the cells can respond fully to the signals I’m sending. It’s not about replacing growth factors – it’s about giving the skin the complete toolkit for correction.
Correction With Intention
As professionals, we all want to deliver correction that lasts. That doesn’t happen from injury alone, and it doesn’t happen from one ingredient in isolation. It comes from creating the right environment for skin to repair itself fully and efficiently.
Microneedling and peels are powerful modalities, but the outcome depends on how well we support the skin’s biology. By thinking in terms of signal, support, and fuel, we can create treatment plans that move past temporary improvements into true correction.