The Side Effects of Micro Needling

Micro needling is a highly popular skin treatment. One of the advantages is its virtually instant results with far less healing time than other, alternative methods, such as laser resurfacing or chemical peels.

However, micro needling isn’t without side effects. While these tend to be relatively minor, it’s necessary to understand what they are before you commit to a treatment.

Micro needling: what it’s good for and possible side effects

• What is micro needling good for?
• Learn about the side effects of micro needling

What is micro needling good for?

Micro needling isn’t solely about rejuvenating and anti-aging, it’s also extremely effective at treating many skin-related health conditions. These include:

• Rosacea: The process stimulates the natural production of collagen. One of the biggest issues of rosacea is that collagen within the skin breaks down too quickly, so helping to replenish this can be a pretty effective treatment.
• Acne: Micro needling causes the skin cells to reproduce more quickly, therefore helping reduce the look of acne.
• Burns and scars: Again, by improving the quality of the skin by accelerating the healing process, treatments can help reduce the appearance of burns and scars. This includes acne scars (but not keloid or raised scars).
• Overly large pores: The treatment causes the skin to plump up, so making large pores appear smaller.
• Helping apply topical medicine: Because the process causes tiny holes in the surface of the skin, it’s sometimes used in conjunction with topical creams, serums, and lotions. These can travel down the holes to target deeper layers of the skin. One example is when treating androgenic alopecia and the application of minoxidil.

Learn about the side effects of micro needling

Of course, because the procedure involves making tiny punctures in the skin’s surface, there are going to be some side effects. These are mostly mild and tend to take anything from 48-72 hours to recede.

The following are the most common:

• Reddening of the skin
• Minor swelling
• Flaking of the skin

As already mentioned, these usually subside within a few days. It’s important to know that the skin will be more sensitive over this time, so it’s important to wear a high-factor sunscreen—at least for a few days. It’s also advisable to refrain from wearing makeup during the recovery period.

Other important need-to-knows are:

• Not to be carried out during an active acne outbreak
• If you have a history of oral herpes (cold sores), then it’s advisable to take oral antiviral medication for a week before the treatment. This is because micro needling can stimulate a new cold sore.
• Not to be carried out if you have an active cold sore

While you can purchase DIY micro needling kits, paying a little extra for professional treatment is by far the best way forward. This is because you’ll be properly assessed pre-treatment, the procedure will be safely and correctly carried out, and the results will be far superior. Home kits only penetrate the upper layer of the skin (the epidermis), but professional treatments go deeper, stimulating the next layer of skin (the dermis), thus providing better results.

Contact Bayou City Dermatology Today for the Ultimate Micro Needling Treatment

The risk of side effects and the quality of the results of a micro needling session are directly impacted by the skill level of the practitioner. At Bayou City Dermatology, our dermatologically trained clinicians are some of the best in the business.

No treatment takes place without an in-depth consultation. During this, your skin will be assessed. Just as importantly, this will include understanding your aims and expectations, and only after this global approach to your bespoke skincare will an appropriate treatment plan be suggested.

Discover more about the benefits of micro needling at https://www.bayoucitydermatology.com/cosmetic/microneedling and give our friendly team a call to book your initial consultation.