Your Skin + Microneedling
It’s no secret that microneedling is one of the hottest skincare treatments around! The secret to microneedling’s incredible impact on the skin, really has very little to do with the microneedling treatment. The body’s own miraculous wound-healing process works to rejuvenate the skin. You see, microneedling causes tiny, controlled wounds to the skin, as the body works to heal the wound, the skin reaps the benefits.
How Skin Heals After Microneedling
After some research, we discovered that wounds to the skin heal in 3 phases. The first phase is really designed to stop the bleeding and fight off infection. The 2nd and 3rd phases are the areas we are going to focus on for this article.
The Wound Healing Process
Wound healing is an orderly process initiated in a predictable manner whenever tissue damage occurs. In healthy individuals, healing progresses sequentially through three overlapping phases (fig. 1). There is (1) an inflammatory stage comprised of hemostasis or blood clotting and migration of inflammatory cells to the wound, (2) a proliferative phase involving migration and proliferation of keratinocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells, leading to reepithelialization, neovascularization, and granulation tissue formation, and (3) a long remodeling phase involving extracellular matrix maturation aimed at restoring tissue structure and function [3, 4]. Read Full Study from US National Library of Medicine
Thank Your Fibroblasts For Microneedling Benefits
If we can geek out for a few seconds on science. Now we know that in phase 2 of wound healing there is proliferation of fibroblasts! Let’s dig a little deeper into the role that fibroblasts play in the skin benefits of wound healing! In the excerpt below, the authors outline the fibroblast’s role and activity as a wound heals in phase 2 – the Proliferative Phase.
The Cellular Biology of Wound Healing
Proliferative Phase (Day 3-14) […] The proliferative phase is characterized by the formation of granulation tissue (in the wound. Granulation tissue consists of a combination of cellular elements, including fibroblasts and inflammatory cells, along with new capillaries embedded in a loose extra cellular matrix of collagen, fibronectin and hyaluronic acid. Fibroblasts first appear in significant numbers in the wound on the third day post-injury and achieve peak numbers around the seventh day [4]. This rapid expansion in the fibroblast population at the wound site occurs via a combination of proliferation and migration [10]. Fibroblasts are derived from local mesenchymal cells, particularly those associated with blood vessel adventitia [11], which are induced to proliferate and attracted into the wound by a combination of cytokines produced initially by platelets and subsequently by macrophages and lymphocytes (Table 1). Fibroblasts are the primary synthetic element in the repair process and are responsible for production of the majority of structural proteins used during tissue reconstruction. In particular, fibroblasts produce large quantities of collagen, a family of triple-chain glycoproteins, which form the main constituent of the extracellular wound matrix and which are ultimately responsible for imparting tensile strength to the scar. Collagen is first detected in the wound around the third day post-injury [12, 13], and thereafter the levels increase rapidly for approximately 3 weeks. It then continues to accumulate at a more gradual pace for up to 3 months post wounding [10]. The collagen is initially deposited in a seemingly haphazard fashion and these individual collagen fibrils are subsequently reorganized, by cross-linking, into regularly aligned bundles oriented along the lines of stress in the healing wound. Fibroblasts are also responsible for the production of other matrix constituents including fibronectin, hyaluronic acid and the glycosaminoglycans [14]. The process of fibroblast proliferation and synthetic activity is known as fibroplasia. Read The Full Paper
Jenni’s Microneedling 3 Treatment Diary
Jenni became interested in microneedling after she experienced it at the IECSC last year. She learned that it had many skin rejuvenating effects including reduction of the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Since she’s been dealing with some stubborn hyperpigmentation, she decided to do a series of 3 microneedling treatments. Jenni did 3 microneedling treatments and outlines her device, treatment tip, treatment depth and the products she used pre-treatment, for the treatment and post treatment, along with her feedback on how her skin felt.
Treatment #1
Pre Treatment: Zensa numbing cream on for about 30 minutes.
Device: CIT Pen from Herbal Skin Solutions.
Treatment Tip: Original 12 Tip
Treatment Depth: .25 on forehead and then went to .375 on you rest of the face.
In Use Product: Herbal Skin Solutions/AnteAGE Micro-Needling Solution with Stem Cytokines and Saian Hyaluronic Acid
Post Treatment Sensation: Skin was tender after the treatment and very tight. Had a bit of a sunburned look the day after.
Post Treatment Products: Herbal Skin Solutions Vitamin C+ repeatedly all day the day of treatment. Day 2: Herbal Skin Solutions Herbal Sheet Mask and Herbal Skin Solutions Daily Moisturizer with Medium Tint.
Treatment #2
3 Weeks Later
Pre Treatment: Incredible Enzymes by Hale & Hush. Zensa numbing cream on for about 45 minutes.
Device: CIT Pen from Herbal Skin Solutions.
Treatment Tip: New Updated Tip From Herbal Skin Solutions. This newer, evolved design seemed to expedite the healing process afterward; I didn’t feel as “sunburned” or sensitive after treatments 2 and 3.From the HSS website, about the new cartridge, “Product assembly and additional Quality Control (QC) for an even more thorough process: We added microscopic inspection to the quality control process to eliminate needle hooking or bending. We implemented a crown tip: which allows for better grip and visibility of the needles in otherwise more difficult to reach, small or tight corners like the nose. The diameter of each individual needle was decreased from 0.25 mm down to 0.20 mm: The smaller diameter allows for an even more precise controlled injury which can result in faster recovery, less discomfort during treatment & less inflammation post treatment.”
Treatment Depth: .375 on forehead and .5 on rest of face.
In Use Product: Herbal Skin Solutions/AnteAGE Micro-Needling Solution with Stem Cytokines and Saian Hyaluronic Acid
Post Treatment Sensation: There was a delayed tenderness that happened about an hour after the treatment. However skin was not tight. Didn’t have initial redness. Was delayed. Did have a sunburn look next day.
Post Treatment Products: Hale & Hush H Hush Hydrate Mask and Bio Relief Powder left on for 30 min. Then Hale & Hush Hush Hydrate Gel.
See the treatment in action on our Hale & Hush Instagram Highlight Reel! Click here, and tap through to see the products and treatment photos.
Treatment #3
3 Weeks Later
Pre Treatment: HydroPeptide Exfoliating Polish + Plump Peel the evening prior. Zensa 45 minutes prior.
Device: CIT Pen from Herbal Skin Solutions.
Treatment Tip: New Updated Tip From Herbal Skin Solutions. This newer, evolved design seemed to expedite the healing process afterward; I didn’t feel as “sunburned” or sensitive after treatments 2 and 3.From the HSS website, about the new cartridge, “Product assembly and additional Quality Control (QC) for an even more thorough process: We added microscopic inspection to the quality control process to eliminate needle hooking or bending. We implemented a crown tip: which allows for better grip and visibility of the needles in otherwise more difficult to reach, small or tight corners like the nose. The diameter of each individual needle was decreased from 0.25 mm down to 0.20 mm: The smaller diameter allows for an even more precise controlled injury which can result in faster recovery, less discomfort during treatment & less inflammation post treatment.”
Treatment Depth: .375 on forehead and .5 on rest of face.
In Use Product: Herbal Skin Solutions/AnteAGE Micro-Needling Solution with Stem Cytokines and Saian Hyaluronic Acid
Post Treatment Sensation: There was a delayed tenderness that happened about an hour after the treatment. However skin was not tight. Didn’t have initial redness. Was delayed. Did have a sunburn look next day.
Post Treatment Products: Herbal Skin Solutions Vitamin C+, EGF Cellular Activator, Mineral Tint
3 Skin-Wound Healing Benefits Of Jenni’s Treatments
Jenni’s 3 microneedling treatments were optimized to leverage her skin’s wound healing! That means she’s gonna get amazing results because the treatments took full advantage of her own body’s wound healing.
Benefit #1
Her treatments were spaced 3 weeks apart. We learned that, “Collagen is first detected in the wound around the third day post-injury [12, 13], and thereafter the levels increase rapidly for approximately 3 weeks.” This means that just as the collagen production in the wound peaked and would have begun to slow down, she introduced a new wound to kick start the rapid production again!
Benefit #2
Jenni infused a growth factor product of stem cytokines. This is beneficial because we learned that these growth factors help to proliferate fibroblasts. “Fibroblasts are derived from local mesenchymal cells, particularly those associated with blood vessel adventitia [11], which are induced to proliferate and attracted into the wound by a combination of cytokines.”
Benefit #3
Jenni used a Vitamin C rich product. It’s known that Vitamin C helps to improve the function of fibroblasts which are responsible for producing collagen.