Beauty Note: I Tried Microneedling, Here’s What You Should Know

Hello ladies! It’s Jessi from Team LC again, back with another post dedicated to a beauty treatment totally worth your while. Earlier this month I documented my experience with dermaplaning, a gentle yet effective way to remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells from your face and neck. Since I was so impressed with both my results, I decided to go back to the Kate Somerville Clinic in West Hollywood and try out another one of their cutting-edge skincare treatments. Today I’m here to tell you all about my experience with microneedling. Let’s get to it…

So, what is microneedling?

Let me get started by explaining what exactly microneedling is. According to Kate Somerville herself, microneedling is a minimally invasive skincare treatment that stimulates “wound healing,” or the body’s natural reaction to produce collagen. Microneedling has been around for centuries, most commonly as acupuncture. This modern version didn’t really take off until the early 2000s and has since been taking the beauty world by storm.

The benefits make microneedling worth the splurge. This treatment boosts collagen, promotes healthy circulation, and helps to tighten and lift skin. Plus, microneedling is ideal for treating those dreaded acne scars, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and even stretch marks. Whoa, count me in!

My experience…

Before

I took these photos after I had washed my face before my microneedling appointment. Clean faced and ready to go!

Before walking into my microneedling appointment, I made sure that my face was thoroughly cleansed without a trace of makeup. Once I got comfortable, my aesthetician Sydney applied a numbing cream all over my face for 20 minutes to ensure the maximum amount of comfort for the treatment. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the surface of your entire face numb before, but it felt interesting to say the least!

During

With a completely numb face, it was finally time to get the microneedling done! The tool that was used looks like a large pen, so you don’t actually see any needles. Sydney worked in sections on my face, and each time she would take a pass over my skin, she would apply a custom blended serum that was packed with vitamins so that my skin would absorb the benefits throughout the process. The first and second times she would microneedle over an area were completely painless, but after the third go ‘round I felt a little bit of a scratching sensation. She then moved onto each cheek, my jawline, chin, upper lip, and finally my nose. Most of the time the microneedling felt like a tickle to a mild scratching feeling. Honestly, no part of my face actually hurt until my upper lip, and even then, the pain was tolerable. This is generally a more sensitive area on your face anyways, so it makes sense!

Once Sydney went over my entire face a few times, I was all done! She then applied a cooling and calming mask for 10 minutes to help reduce inflammation and redness. The final step was to apply a calming cream and I was officially good to go.

These photos were taken just under 24 hours after my microneedling treatment. It was a little bit more red in person.

After

Let me warn you that the first time you look in the mirror is slightly alarming. The best way that I can describe how my skin appeared afterwards is that it looked like I had the worst sunburn of my life. But don’t be alarmed! This is totally normal. Your skin is supposed to be very red, sometimes with more extreme redness in certain areas. For me, I had the most redness around my jaw, the tip of my nose, and under one of my eyes. As the numbing cream wore off, I felt a stinging and throbbing sensation but that too wore off after the first 12 hours post treatment. To help reduce my inflammation and redness, I went home and held an ice pack to my face and boy did that feel good!

The amount of downtime that you need after microneedling varies from person to person but is typically 2 to 7 days. It was recommended that I do not work out, wear makeup, or apply anything other than gentle cleansers and moisturizers for at least 24 hours after my treatment. I was also strongly advised to stay out of direct sunlight for the first week after my treatment. The only real downside from my microneedling experience was that my face did break out for a couple of days, but as soon as that and the redness cleared up, I immediately saw results!

The final results! The fine lines around my eyes and mouth have almost complete disappeared.

The Results

All in all, I would absolutely recommend that everyone try microneedling. After just one treatment, the fine lines around my mouth and eyes basically vanished. Of course, results vary from person to person depending on your skin issue. I went for the sole purpose of trying it out and was amazed with how well it combated the lines that I had on my face. I can only imagine what wonders multiple treatments would do!

How frequently should you be microneedling?

According to Kate, one microneedling treatment will yield positive results but multiple appointments are recommended. Each appointment should be spaced out at least a month apart or longer depending on your skin concern.

Who should avoid microneedling?

Microneedling is safe for all skin types. When scheduling my appointment, I was advised that pregnant and breastfeeding women should not get microneedled since they cannot use the numbing cream that is applied to the face before the treatment. It is also advised that you don’t have any open lesions such as cold sores or cystic acne, because microneedling can potentially cause a severe outbreak.

How does a professional treatment differ from at-home rollers?

With accessible at-home dermarollers on the market, I thought it would be interesting to get Kate’s take on this trend. Microneedling at the clinic is much more effective than the at-home version. A professional treatment goes deeper into the layers of skin for better results and is performed by a trained professional for safety and sanitary purposes. If an at-home dermaroller is not cleaned properly and bacteria is present, the roller can infect your pores.

I realize that this post is packed with information, but if you’re interested in microneedling I hope this helps! I had such a positive experience myself that I believe this treatment is worth the try. A special thanks to the professionals at the clinic and Kate Somerville herself for allowing me to experience this cutting-edge technique!

Have you ever experienced microneedling? Are you considering getting this treatment done?

Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments!

xo
Jessi
Team LC

Photos: Jessi Burrone for LaurenConrad.com

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