Microneedling improves skin appearance with little downtime

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Microneedling treatments rejuvenate skin by reducing scars and signs of aging and also enhancing product absorption, according to a presenter at South Beach Symposium.

Microneedle rollers contain fine needles that roll over the skin and create micro-wounds that stimulate the body’s healing process, increasing the growth of new collagen fibers and permitting penetration to damaged layers of the skin that other treatments cannot reach, Glynis Ablon, MD, FAAD, of the Ablon Skin Institute, said during her presentation.

“The main things that you’re dealing with when it comes to these devices is there are many of them out there. ... The idea is there are four things that differentiate these devices,” Ablon said. “No. 1 is insulated vs. non-insulated [needle], No. 2 is the length of the needle and depth penetration, the third is the amount of energy delivered in pulses by watts, and the last is pulse duration.”

An insulated needle protects the epidermis with a low heating volume, but it requires multiple passes and more downtime after treatment. A non-insulated microneedle utilizes both the dermis and epidermis, with the whole needle active and a shorter treatment time. Regardless of the needle used, Ablon finds that doing between two and three passes gets better results.

Performing microneedling treatments with a 127 µm tapered needle, Ablon penetrates the skin at 3.5 mm on the first pass at 35 W to 40 W, 2.5 mm on the second pass at 30 W to 35 W and 1.5 mm on the third pass at 25 W to 30 W. Pulse duration lasts anywhere from 80 milliseconds to 110 milliseconds, and a pass may be performed at the end of treatment without radiofrequency emission to enhance results.

Microneedling, which can be offered in both mild and aggressive treatments, is a color blind technology with little to no downtime or adverse side effects, is good for combination treatments, and shows significant improvements to the skin in just four sessions. – by Kate Burba

Reference:

Ablon G. Treatment enhancements on energy based microneedling. Presented at: South Beach Symposium; Feb. 6-9, 2020; Miami Beach, Florida

Disclosure: Ablon reports she is a speaker for MTDerm, Eclipse and Endymed; receives research grants from MTDerm; and is a consultant for Eclipse.