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The under-the-radar skin treatment that boosts collagen naturally
Want to know the celebrity secret to good skin, at any age? Here’s everything you need to know about microneedling
Botox softens wrinkles, filler re-volumises contours and ultrasound tackles sag. But none of that matters if your skin texture is lacklustre and uneven. A study commissioned by Olay back in 2006 found that when respondents were shown images of different faces, the ones with clear, even skin were deemed 10-12 years younger compared to those with an uneven complexion, despite having no lines. This was breaking news at the time – Botox was rife and lines and wrinkles were a war to be won, not embraced as they (kind of) are today. Ever since then the quest for a glowy, uniform skin texture has become the holy grail.
Professional microneedling: a basic but powerful treatment for perfecting skin texture
Enter microneedling, a basic but powerful treatment that improves skin texture whether it’s acne scarring or pigmentation –Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and Gywneth Paltrow have all spoken of its benefits. The secret tool in many aesthetician’s toolboxes, microneedling works by creating a controlled micro-trauma in the skin prompting a healing response in the form of more collagen and elastin, the proteins that give skin its bounce and glisten.
There are different ways of administering the needles from hand rollers you can use at home to energy devices like Morpheus 8 which combines radiofrequency with needling, but the one most revered is the needling pen, a stamp-like device that aestheticians use to drive active ingredients deep into the skin while minimising imperfections through the reparative needling process.
Fatma Shaheen, the founder of Skin Design London, is one such aesthetician. “Needling is great for tightening the skin,” enthuses Shaheen when I meet her for the first time at her newly appointed treatment room in Selfridges beauty hall.
Shaheen is known for her face-lifting techniques that involve layering multiple active ingredients in between passes of HIFU (high intensity frequency ultrasound) and microneedling, the key focus being tight translucent skin without the need for injectables like Botox and filler. In fact, Shaheen, who considers herself a “skin designer” who adjusts her protocols for each client, doesn’t approve of lasers, telling me, “they thin the skin,” a consequence, she says, of too many overzealous treatments.
Shaheen is not anti-injectables but pro skin health, preferring to administer her facial programmes over the long term and travels to and from Paris to Los Angeles and New York to ensure she can deliver on that promise, whether it’s Kim Kardashian (she did the SKIMS founder for this year’s Oscars), Naomi Campbell or Iris Law who she prepped for the red carpet at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Shaheen’s clients can afford just about any treatment, so why needling? “It’s great on pores, on hyperpigmentation, acne, rosacea. It’s good for oily skin or dry skin – it really helps to balance out the skin, leaving it looking much healthier,” she explains. “People assume stimulating collagen is just for firmness but it helps with all of these things. It gives skin this really beautiful texture – but you need to combine it with good skincare to maintain the results,” she adds. Her SDL Face Tight Infusion treatment combines her Glow Vitamin microneedling pen with radiofrequency at low levels to tighten and brighten while re-texturising the skin and costs from £350, depending on the therapist.
Outside of London, Skinpen is an FDA approved microneedling treatment that’s available nationwide. “It’s great for treating indications like acne scars, fine lines, surgical scars, stretch marks, enlarged pores and pigmentation – with a needle depth of 2.5mm,” explains leading aesthetic practitioner, Dr. Christine Hall. “Skinpen creates 1600 micro channels in the skin per second with medical grade needles that can penetrate to a depth of 2.5mm and are guaranteed to stay sharp for 80 minutes,” she continues. The sharpness matters as the slightest blunting can create damage and potential scarring.
At-home microneedling: smart or dangerous?
The jury’s out on whether or not to use microneedling rollers at home. They are more cost effective upfront, but in the long run it could be a false economy. The issue with at-home devices, says Fatma Shaheen, is that you can’t control the usage and if the device is kept sterile and clean. While Shaheen says she’s adept at using hand rollers and wouldn’t mind her clients carrying on at home if they follow her exact protocol, Dr. Hall says the potential issues aren’t worth the risk.
“You want to create a vertical single thin channel in the skin – the issue with rollers is that they enter the skin at a certain angle and, as the roller moves along the skin the angle moves, which creates a large v-shape channel that can leave behind scarring,” she says. “The other risk is that you could be using low quality needles which blunt quickly, and if the channel isn’t sharp and precise it can cause unnecessary damage,” she adds, pointing out that when microneedling is performed in a clinical setting, the cartridges are not only sterile but designed for single use which minimises the risk of infection considerably.
How many treatments are required?
Dr. Hall says the amount of microneedling treatments you require depends on the skin issue you are aiming to overcome. “For those with skin concerns such as texture and pores, only shallow needling is required and so down time may only be one day with mild redness. Often only a single treatment may be needed to see results and these might become visible as soon as a week after the treatment but continue to improve,” she explains.
“With acne scarring, greater depths are needed and as a result the downtime is prolonged – redness can persist for 2-3 days followed by some dryness,” she adds, emphasising that improvements are usually not evident until 12 weeks after the first treatment as this is how long it takes for collagen and elastin stimulation to kick in.
Skincare ingredients to use alongside microneedling
Fatma Shaheen has her own skincare line, Skin Design London, which includes a layering system of serums and treatment peels including the Cherry Gloss Peel specifically created to be used three times a week ahead of a big event to help brighten and infuse the skin with antioxidants.
But aren’t there numerous serums that claim to have all the benefits in one? “My clients see the difference when they use multiple products for each concern,” she counters. “It’s about daily and weekly rituals that maintain the results. In the long run, it works out to be a smart investment”.
The heroes in the line include the aforementioned Cherry Gloss Peel, the C-Glow Peel, a brightening Vitamin C treatment serum with a unique anti-dark spot ingredient that inhibits the over production of melanin while fading existing pigmentation. Along with Face Tight, a triple peptide formulation for firming up sagging skin. For an all-in-one starter kit, Shaheen’s SDL Hyperpigmentation Set was created to retexturize and brighten and includes a limited edition black pouch containing the Cherry Gloss Peel, Retinol Gel Creme, Retexturizing Serum and C-Antioxidant Glow for £285.
To optimise the results of microneedling, Dr. Christine Hall agrees that a consistent skincare routine is necessary. “If you are able to tolerate it, a retinoid serum will smooth fine lines and wrinkles and help to improve skin texture even further as it increases cell turnover and effectively resurfaces the skin,” she advises.
“Similarly acids can help to exfoliate,” adds Hall, citing AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) as being good for general skin resurfacing whilst those with enlarged or clogged pores would benefit from a BHA or salicylic acid.
Look like yourself, but better
Where microneedling trumps is its ability to switch on the skin’s wound healing powers, naturally from within. And when done safely with an expert who understands the intricacies of the skin, the results are exceptional and long lasting. Perhaps most importantly: You’ll look like yourself, only with better skin.
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