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How Long Does Microneedling Take To Heal?

  • 6 min read

Guide:

If we don’t feel confident with the appearance of our skin, it can sometimes be hard to be ourselves and enjoy social situations. Luckily, several nonsurgical treatments are available to smooth out wrinkles, reduce acne and pigmentation, and bring out an overall radiance to our skin. 

Microneedling uses fine needles to penetrate the skin’s surface to rejuvenate its appearance. These tiny needles trigger your body’s natural wound-healing response, kickstarting collagen production and helping make the skin look younger, healthier, and brighter.

How Does Microneedling Improve The Skin?

So, what is microneedling doing that makes skin look so great? By creating thousands of tiny injuries and triggering your body’s natural healing process, microneedling releases growth factors and boosts collagen production. Collagen, the protein fibers that keep the skin smooth, supple, and hydrated, significantly impacts the youthful, healthy appearance of the skin.

How Long Does Microneedling Take To Heal?

It’s normal to have some redness and swelling in the treated areas immediately after microneedling. Your skin will look like you have sunburn.  It is a minimally invasive procedure that only affects a fraction of the skin, and most of the initial redness and swelling after treatment will take just 24 hours to heal.

Patients with more serious concerns and needing more extensive treatments may take a day or two longer to heal. It also typically takes longer for people with fair skin to heal than those with brown or olive skin.

While the surface of your skin heals in just a few days after your microneedling treatment, the targeted areas underneath the superficial layer continue healing for up to two months. It takes time for your collagen to respond to the treatment and naturally create new, healthy, glowing skin.

While your skin heals quickly after microneedling compared to other rejuvenating treatments, you should still follow your aesthetic physician’s aftercare instructions.

How Many Microneedling Treatments Do I Need?

We recommend most of our patients start with a series of 3-5 treatments, each spaced about a month apart, but the amount of treatments needed depends entirely on your goals and the extent of your concerns. When you schedule a consultation, one of our microneedling specialists will work with you to develop a customized plan to help you achieve the skin you are happy with.

How Soon Before An Event Should I Get Microneedling?

Since microneedling usually takes a few treatments for patients to achieve their goals, we recommend scheduling your initial microneedling treatment at least six months in advance if you have a big event such as a wedding coming up. We work with our patients to ensure they schedule their microneedling treatments as often as needed so their last treatment is two weeks before an important event.

How To Take Care Of Your Skin After Microneedling

As with any kind of aesthetic treatment, aftercare plays a role in how well you heal. We recommend being extra cautious with your skin for the first two weeks after microneedling, especially with sun exposure. 

Avoid sun exposure

Stay out of the sun as much as possible, but if exposed, be sure to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours and wear UV-protective clothing.

Prevent infections

To prevent infections in the treated areas, we’ll send you home with a prescribed antibiotic cream that you should reapply often. Only touch your face if you wash your hands immediately before. 

Don’t wear makeup for the first 48 hours after your microneedling treatment to give your skin time to heal. Makeup can clog your pores and cause breakouts during healing. 

Avoid strenuous gym workouts, swimming, saunas, and other activities that may cause you to sweat significantly for the first 72 hours after your treatment.

Avoid certain skin care products.

Some skin care products may include harsh chemicals and ingredients that can cause reactions immediately after your microneedling treatment. We recommend avoiding retinol, vitamin C, exfoliants, specific cleansers, and moisturizers 2 to 3 days after your treatment. You can discuss your skin care regimen with your provider beforehand to understand which products to steer clear of during this period.

How Often Should I Get Microneedling Treatments To Maintain Results?

Microneedling results can be permanent in some cases.  However, we recommend returning to our office every six months for maintenance treatments to keep your skin in the best condition possible and help prevent results from fading.

What Can Be Combined With Microneedling?

By creating channels for topical products to be absorbed, microneedling allows ingredients to penetrate more effectively, helping the skin look better and better over time. Depending on your goals, we recommend including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or radiofrequency (RF) energy in your microneedling treatment. 

PRP enhances collagen and elastin production in deeper layers of the skin and can boost microneedling results exceptionally when targeting concerns like pigmentation and acne scarring

Microneedling RF is an anti-aging treatment to tone, tighten, and smooth out wrinkly, loose, sagging skin.

Benefits Of Microneedling

Even with minimal healing, microneedling yields impressive results and can treat various skin conditions. Since it doesn’t use heat, it’s safe for all skin types without risking pigmentation issues. We typically use it on the face, neck, chest, and hands, but it’s safe to use anywhere on the body that you want improved skin.

We most commonly use microneedling to address the following skin concerns:

  • Fine lines and wrinkles
  • Large pores
  • Loose skin
  • Skin tone
  • Stretch marks
  • Scars 
  • Dark under-eye circles
  • Crow’s feet
  • Hair loss
  • Neck or chest lines

Is Microneedling Right For Me?

Several non-invasive and minimally invasive treatments are available for improving the overall texture and appearance of the skin, from chemical peels and facials to microdermabrasion. Microneedling is the best answer if your concerns involve skin problems beneath the skin’s surface. Please contact one of HerSpace MedSpa’s master skin rejuvenation specialists to learn whether microneedling is the correct treatment for you.