There’s no question that the sun can feel good on your face. It helps the manufacture of vitamin D in your body while providing an unmistakable feeling of well-being. Yet, lurking in those warm summer rays are ultraviolet (UV) components, elements of energy with the power to alter and break down skin cells in harmful ways.
Many facial treatments seek to stimulate the growth of new skin tissue to counter the effects of photoaging, a common name for the collective effects of sunlight exposure. Some of these, such as chemical peels and dermabrasion, can cause the deliberate destruction of your surface skin in a controlled way to jumpstart new tissue development.
While these aggressive procedures provide outstanding results, they do require long recovery times as new skin forms. The Spa MD recommends microneedling as a minimally invasive way to address photoaging with minimal downtime after treatment. Microneedling also combines well with other skin procedures to improve your appearance.
The effects of photoaging
Damage from the sun comes down to the one-two punch of UVA and UVB rays. UVA penetrates all skin layers, taking a particular toll on collagen and elastin tissue in your skin’s middle layer, the dermis. This radiation can also affect surface skin cells and capillaries that supply blood throughout.
UVA is an even bigger villain, even though it doesn’t penetrate as deeply. The DNA in skin cells can be disrupted by this portion of sunlight, creating actinic keratoses, which are precancerous skin changes, as well as other photoaging effects.
Even in the absence of cancerous effects, photoaging could display some of these conditions:
- Changes to smooth skin texture
- Uneven skin tone
- Lines and wrinkles
- Reduced elasticity
- Pigment changes, such as sun spots and freckles
- Spider vein formation on the cheeks and nose
As a treatment that stimulates the growth of new collagen, microneedling starts a regenerative process that helps to minimize the visible effects of photoaging.
What is microneedling?
As it sounds, microneedling uses rollers or penlike devices covered with fine needles to create a controlled, light trauma to your skin. Your body responds to damage by sending out orders to generate new tissue, and the microneedling tool triggers that response, but it does so without causing widespread damage to your skin’s surface, as other aggressive skin treatments do. This keeps recovery time to a minimum.
A typical treatment starts with a numbing cream so that you won’t feel the tool, and the procedure lasts about 20 minutes. There may be tiny amounts of bleeding, but this stops quickly. You may have serums or creams applied afterward to moisturize and nourish your skin deeply.
Under the surface, new collagen starts to form in the weeks after treatment, bringing new vitality to the treated areas. While your results may vary, many patients choose a series of treatments to produce the desired aesthetic results.
The Spa MD offers microneedling and other skin revitalization procedures. Schedule a consultation by phone or online to learn more about the procedure that’s right for you.
