Microneedling Might Improve The Appearance Of Your Sun-Damaged Skin
If you spent a lot of time soaking up the sun in your youth, you might be paying for it now with sun-damaged skin. While there are many cosmetic treatments that can improve the appearance of your skin, reversing photoaging is much more difficult. Your cosmetic physician might recommend microneedling treatments. Here's how the sun damages your skin and how microneedling might reverse some of the damage.
Sun Damage Accelerates Skin Aging
Photoaging is caused by exposure to solar radiation. The more exposure you've had over your lifetime, the worse the effects on your skin since sun damage is cumulative. You might have red and brown discoloration on your skin. Your skin may look leathery or crepey. The skin may thin out on your forehead and wrinkles can form all over your face.
Your skin may also lose collagen and its elastic qualities, and this leads to sagging. The texture of your skin changes and your skin may have a dull appearance. The total effect can make you look much older than you are due to accelerated skin aging.
Microneedling Stimulates Collagen
Microneedling can help reduce the effects of sun damage because it stimulates collagen production. The treatments may not reverse all signs of photoaging, but once collagen production is stimulated, the collagen helps rejuvenate your skin. The treatment does this by making tiny injuries to your skin that your body works to heal. One way skin injuries heal is by your body stimulating collagen that repairs the damage.
Microneedling Might Be Used With Other Treatments
Microneedling is done by puncturing your skin with tiny needles. The needles might be on a roller or inside a pen. When your face has puncture marks all over it, cosmetic serums are more readily absorbed. In addition to using serums, your esthetician may use platelet-rich plasma. This is derived from your own blood and it's the substance used with vampire facials. The effects of PRP might be more pronounced when combined with microneedling.
Another treatment that might be combined with a microneedle treatment is radiofrequency that rejuvenates your skin. Your cosmetic physician determines if additional treatments are necessary depending on the degree of sun damage you have. Microneedling can be done without added treatments too.
The effects you might notice include lightening of spots, a more even skin tone, glowing skin, a return of elasticity, and a reduction in wrinkles. Once you undergo the procedure, be sure to use sunscreen every day so you halt further damage and maintain the results of microneedling for as long as possible. Reach out to a professional for more information about microneedling.