Collagen induction therapy is often called microneedling due to the tiny, sterile needles used during treatment. It is designed to promote fresh collagen growth in the skin by creating micro-wounds in the upper layers of the skin. This action jumpstarts the body’s regenerative healing mode and helps smooth and tighten the skin, resulting in a more youthful glow.
Each patient experiences a unique treatment process and varied results based on their skin concerns, age, and other factors. Our doctor will work with you to ensure that your treatment recommendation works for you and that you experience optimal results. In most cases, the results from a microneedling session last for approximately 4-6 weeks.
After this point, the skin’s natural turnover process may result in the reappearance of some progressive skin concerns like acne or signs of aging. In these cases, it is beneficial to have regular treatments to maintain your ideal results over time. For patients who wish to correct scarring, stretch marks, or sun damage, a shorter-term treatment plan may be all you need to achieve permanent results after several treatments.
Beyond its long-lasting results, this treatment can offer several other benefits. It is able to address a number of common skin concerns, including signs of aging such as lines, wrinkles, and loose or sagging skin, without surgical intervention. It is considered safe and effective for repeated treatment and is proven to improve results over time, giving patients an excellent non-invasive treatment option for their skin at any age.
In most cases, your appointment will last less than 45 minutes, making treatment a convenient addition to every schedule. It involves zero downtime and a fairly straightforward recovery process for the majority of our patients. Best of all, you can expect to watch your skin transform as new collagen refreshes your skin and reveals your ideal image throughout your treatment plan.
Collagen and elastin are the two most important structural proteins in the skin. Collagen helps provide your skin with lift and framework, while elastin keeps your skin soft and elastic. As the aging process progresses, these proteins naturally break down in the skin. In addition, the body’s production levels drop, resulting in common concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, folds, and skin laxity.
Collagen induction therapy helps restore the structural framework of your skin by stimulating new collagen growth in the skin. When the skin is punctured by the professional microneedling device, your body responds by triggering collagen production to rebuild the wounds. The strategic placement of the micro-wounds means that collagen will reinforce the skin in a wide area, resulting in a noticeable tightening effect and a natural lift after healing is complete.
Beyond wound repair and anti-aging benefits, collagen offers the power to improve several other skin-related concerns. It can help keep your skin smooth and address issues of tone, texture, or dullness. It can also help shrink the size of pores, fade scarring, correct sun damage, and promote an overall vitality in the appearance of your skin.
Because this treatment benefits your skin in multiple ways, it can be used in multiple locations with great success. It is most often used on the face, where signs of aging are most noticeable. In addition, we can treat the neck and chest, hands, and various problem areas throughout the body that may benefit from targeted collagen induction therapy.
Thanks to its versatility, this treatment can improve or even permanently correct several common skin concerns in patients of all ages.
Common signs of aging include lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, and dark spots. These are all natural side effects of the aging process, but you don’t need to let your self-esteem or confidence in your appearance be impacted by these issues. A microneedling session can stimulate collagen production in your areas of concern, firming the skin to smooth away mild to moderate lines and wrinkles.
Collagen can also address mild skin laxity by creating a mini-facelift effect and lifting the skin to combat sagging. Over time, this treatment can even fade dark spots by delivering healing rejuvenation directly to affected areas. With a personalized treatment plan that’s right for you, your skin could be completely transformed as signs of aging diminish.
An uneven skin tone or texture is one of the most commonly treated concerns among our patients. These issues can be challenging to conceal in your everyday life and can leave your feeling unsatisfied with the appearance of your skin.
Microneedling treatment can help regulate your skin tone and promote a smooth texture by offering regular regeneration to your areas of concern and opening micro-channels for skincare products to permeate your skin.
Harmful sun exposure is estimated to cause over 90% of all common skin concerns, even including some signs of aging. In addition, it can cause discoloration, sunburn, or even skin cancer, making it important for every patient to apply sunscreen and limit their time in direct sunlight. This treatment can help correct some sun damage symptoms by delivering collagen induction therapy to affected areas and encouraging long-term healing.
Acne is often associated with puberty and the teenage years, but the reality is that many patients struggle with this skin concern throughout their 20s and 30s. While its root causes vary, acne breakouts can be prevented with microneedling treatments. The microneedling process helps clear the skin and opens tiny channels for anti-acne medication and soothing serums to permeate the deeper layers of the skin for inside-out healing and restoration.
Scars and stretch marks are sometimes considered permanent additions to your appearance. While this is true in some cases, many similar marks can fade over time and may benefit from the accelerated healing offered by collagen induction therapy. Targeted treatment can promote collagen rebuilding in an area impacted by a scar or stretch marks, ultimately offering a permanent solution to these common concerns for many patients.
If you’re an adult man or woman who wishes to improve the appearance of your skin, you could be a good candidate for collagen induction therapy. You should be in generally good health and free from any medical or skin conditions that may interact negatively with treatment. You should also have realistic expectations about the results you could experience after treatment.
This treatment is most often pursued by patients over 40, but it is beneficial for patients of all ages and may even help prevent certain skin concerns later in life. Microneedling may not be ideal for patients with bleeding disorders or severe skin sensitivity.
In addition, this treatment is not recommended for patients with cystic acne or current acne breakouts. If you’re unsure whether this treatment is right for you, our doctor can help you determine your candidacy.
To begin your treatment journey, you will meet with our experienced doctor to discuss your treatment goals. During this appointment, our doctor will examine your areas of concern and review your medical history to determine whether you are an ideal candidate. If you are approved for treatment, you will be provided with a personalized treatment plan and instructions for how to effectively prepare for your first appointment.
When preparing for your first microneedling session, it’s important that you keep your skin calm and free from irritation. This means that you should avoid certain skincare products and treatments, including exfoliants, peels, laser resurfacing, and similar treatments, for at least 1-2 weeks before your appointment. You can continue using your normal skincare routine as long as the products used are gentle and non-irritating.
If you take blood-thinning medications regularly, our doctor may ask you to stop taking these medications before your appointment to decrease your chances of bruising during recovery. You should drink plenty of water throughout the day and apply a moisturizer to keep your skin soft and hydrated. Finally, you should protect your skin from sunburn or tanning and alert our doctor if you notice any signs of infection in the target area prior to your treatment.
Before your appointment, you should wash the target area thoroughly and remove any makeup. When you arrive at our office, one of our trained staff members will sanitize the target skin and apply a topical numbing agent to keep you comfortable during the treatment process. Once your skin is numb, our staff member will use the handheld microneedling device to move over the target skin, creating dozens of micro-wounds.
Next, our staff member will apply a serum or other skincare product of your choice to your skin while the treatment is still fresh. This allows the product to absorb into your skin and enhance your final results. Once your treatment is complete, our staff member will provide you with instructions for your recovery. You can then return to your normal daily activities without any downtime.
Similar to your preparation process, your recovery process is focused on keeping your skin irritation-free while it heals. You should continue to avoid any treatments that could irritate your skin for at least 2 weeks. Applying nourishing skin creams and serums is recommended, but you may want to ask our doctor first to ensure that the products you use are ideal for this healing stage.
After 1-2, weeks, you should notice slight improvements in your areas of concern. These improvements will continue as new collagen is produced and your skin is lifted and smoothed. Any skincare products you use regularly should also help improve your concerns as they permeate deep into the skin through the micro-channels created by the treatment.
After several weeks, your areas of concern should be noticeably improved and your skin should have a new glow. These results will last for 4-6 weeks before beginning to fade. At this time, many patients choose to continue their personalized treatment plan to build on the success of their first treatment.
With ongoing collagen induction therapy sessions, you could achieve long-term or permanent transformation in your areas of concern in a few short months.
If you’re ready to learn more about this versatile treatment option, contact our team of experts at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, to schedule your initial consultation today! We look forward to serving you!
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