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Microneedling is all the rage nowadays. It involves using a small instrument that will poke microneedles into your skin. This will “damage” your skin in a way, causing it to produce more collagen to repair the damaged areas. The microneedles don’t actually end up hurting your skin at all, but the collagen that’s produced will give you wonderful results. You’ll look younger, and your skin will look flawless!
After getting the treatment, your skin will feel a bit raw. It may be red, and it may even start to feel dry and itchy. Aftercare is very important. Here, we’ll look at 5 things you should do after getting microneedling services. If you have any questions, make sure to ask our dermatologists for clarification!
#1. Apply a Hydrating Serum to Help Your Skin Heal
Shortly after the microneedling, your skin will feel dry. It’ll start to flake, but rest assured that this means that it’s working!
The flakiness will soon subside within about a week. The best thing that you can do in the meantime is to encourage the skin to heal. Apply a hydrating serum with growth factors to help stimulate healing and to speed up the recovery. Consider applying a moisturizer over the serum in order to seal it in. Both of these products will keep your skin hydrated and replenished.
They’ll speed up recovery, so you’ll see glowing, flawless skin even sooner! If you’re not sure whether or not your moisturizer or serum is suitable, bring it in during your appointment. Our professionals will take a look at the ingredient list to make sure that you have everything you need for a speedy recovery.
#2. Avoid the Sun
Your skin is very sensitive at this time. It’s very vulnerable and can be easily damaged. You definitely don’t want to expose it to any non-beneficial situations. This means that you should avoid direct sun exposure for at least the first 7 to 10 days. This can be quite difficult if you live in Southlake, TX. After all, it feels as if the sun is always out here!
If you go out, wear a hat and try to stick to areas that are shaded. Some dermatologists even recommend staying indoors as much as possible. If you have to go out, make sure that you wear a zinc-based physical sunblock at all times to protect your skin.
You can even look for a zinc-based physical sunblock that has hydrating properties to help keep your skin as moisturized as possible. Some of these sunblocks may even be tinted, so you can forego foundation and makeup for the time being.
#3. Do Not Aggravate Your Skin
Since your skin is still recovering, most dermatologists will recommend being as gentle as possible. This might mean that you’ll have to change up your skincare routine until your skin has completely healed. Most dermatologists will recommend avoiding any active serums or acids for the first 7 days after microneedling, as they may be too abrasive for the skin. The same goes for prescription topicals and exfoliators. This includes any type of retinol products, granular exfoliants, enzymes or acids.
After microneedling, the flakiness will get rid of quite a lot of dead skin. If you had some dermaplaning done prior to the microneedling, your skin will be even more sensitive. Applying any of those products may aggravate your skin and cause it to worsen.
#4. Avoid Overstimulating the Skin
Not only do you want to avoid being too aggressive with your skin, but you also want to avoid overstimulating it. This means that you should avoid steam rooms, hot tubs and hot showers. You should also avoid doing any type of intensive exercise for the first couple of days after the microneedling.
If you have a hot shower or do some intensive exercises, you will increase blood flow to your face. This may overstimulate your skin and affect the overall results.
#5. Keep a Skin Diary to Keep Track of Your Progress
Often, it can be difficult to tell whether a skincare treatment really did help your skin. While most dermatologists will usually take before and after pictures for you to compare results, you really should try doing this on your own. Take photos of your skin each day to keep track of the progress, and keep a diary that keeps track of things that you can’t see. For example, note down if there are certain areas that feel itchy or especially dry.
This diary will help you a lot if you ever need to speak with your dermatologist again about the results of the treatment. Your dermatologist should also call you to follow up with you sometime after a week or two. This is a good time to talk about whether the treatment is progressing as you’d like. If not, your dermatologist may be able to recommend some serums or moisturizers that can help you achieve the results you want.
Give Compassion Dermatology a Call to Schedule Your Appointment
Microneedling, when done right, is not painful at all. It’s mildly uncomfortable, but this skincare treatment can do wonders for your skin. It can make you look more youthful, get rid of fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of sunspots and acne scars and more. It’s truly the holy grail of skincare treatments. No wonder it’s so popular locally.
If you want beautiful, radiant skin, this is one of the treatments that you should really look into. It will rejuvenate your skin and turn back the hands of time. Best of all, you only need to get it done every several months for maintenance.
Our dermatologists at Compassion Dermatology can walk you through the process, so you know what to expect. We will analyze your skin to see what type of skincare treatment can give you the best results! We serve many cities in Texas, including Southlake, TX. Give us a call today to schedule your appointment.
