The concept of skin needling is based on the skin’s natural ability to repair itself whenever it encounters physical damage such as cuts, burns and other abrasions. Immediately after an injury occurs to the skin our body reuses the damaged collagen and elastin fibres as well as other damaged skin components to produce new ones. Skin needling allows for controlled induction of the skin’s self repair mechanism by creating micro “injuries” in the skin which triggers new collagen synthesis, yet does not pose the risk of permanent scarring. The result is smoother, firmer and younger looking skin.

 At Muse Maven  all Microneedling procedures are performed by professional Esthetician and or  medical practitioner with the use of the sterile. The procedure is normally completed within 30-45 minutes depending on the required treatment and anatomical site. Before the procedure commences a topical anaesthetic to be be applied to the client’s skin to ensure their comfort and a painless experience. After the skin is numbed, the practitioner gently rolls or presses the  Skin Pen over the client’s skin to puncture the outermost layers of the skin and create miniscule sub-cutaneous injuries. These microscopic wounds stimulate new collagen deposition which may last for up to a year, yet they close within less than an hour causing no bruising or injury.

After the procedure the clients skin will be red and flushed in appearance in a similar way to moderate sunburn. The client will also experience skin tightness and mild sensitivity to touch on the area being treated. This will diminish greatly after a few hours following treatments and within the next 24 hours the skin will be completely healed. After 3 days there is barely any evidence that the procedure has taken place.

 Visible results of skin rejuvenation are seen after just 6-8 weeks following procedure and continue over the following months for up to a year. A course of three  skin needling sessions, at 6-8 week intervals, is usually recommended to achieve optimum results; however great skin improvement is noticeable after just one treatment. 

 Skin needling does not involve injections and therefore allergic reactions and side-effects are unlikely. It is minimally invasive, involves minimal downtime (max. 24hrs), rapid healing and requires simple after-care. Clinical skin needling is minimally invasive and normally no blood is drawn, however small amounts of pin point bleeding in clients with thin skin may occur and should be considered as normal.

 Skin needling can be safely performed on all skin colours and types. There is no risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation as the melanocytes remain intact, like the epidermis, during skin needling. Other invasive procedures such as laser resurfacing are not recommended for Asian skin due to the potential risks of delayed wound healing, pigmentary changes and scarring. This is where skin needling has an advantage as these potential risks are very unlikely due to the epidermis remaining intact. Use of skin needling is viewed as a suitable procedure as it does not affect the heightened wound healing response in Asian skin. This natural reaction is not induced by skin needling as it does not disrupt the melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin which is a pigment responsible for skin colour.

The models are specifically designed to penetrate deep enough to be very effective, and yet not deep enough to touch nerves and cause appreciable pain. When used according to the directions, the ultra-sharp titanium needles will penetrate the upper layers of skin  Therefore,  Longer needles (1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm and 3.0mmm) can cause pain but also produce significantly better results. Therefore they can only be used by experts and have to be accompanied by a topical anaesthetic will be applied to numb the skin making the procedure comfortable. Normally this is a 4% Lidocaine or other anaesthetic creams applied 45 minutes before procedure takes place. 

Skin needling will induce collagen synthesis on its own (dry skin needling), but skin improvements is significantly enhanced by combining skin needling treatments with the topical application of vitamin A  prior, during and post treatment. Vitamin C  is an essential co-factor to be used alongside vitamin A. Both vitamin A and C work synergistically to induce collagen synthesis and help regenerate the skin. 

Skin needling is especially effective for ageing concerns such as wrinkles, lines, folds and crows feet. Because collagen is produced, scars can also improve from treatments especially indented acne scars or chicken pox scars. Pigmentation issues can be helped including hyperpigmentation as well as Hypopigmentation. General lack of skin radiance, skin firmness and compactness are also an indication for skin needling treatments and visible improvements can be seen.

Relative contraindications include; keloid or raised scarring; history of eczema, psoriasis and other chronic conditions; history of actinic (solar) keratosis; history of Herpes Simplex infections; history of diabetes; presence of raised moles, warts or any raised lesions on targeted area. Absolute contraindications include; scleroderma, collagen vascular diseases or cardiac abnormalities; Rosacea and blood clotting problems; active bacterial or fungal infection; immunosuppression; scars less than 6 months old.