Is Microchanneling the Next Big Thing in Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation?
- Posted on: Mar 21 2018
“Skin needling, microneedling, microchanneling – could someone please explain to me the difference?” said one of our patients in exasperation. “Beth” – a beautiful woman in her fifties – had never really taken good care of her skin before. She had the typical level of sun damage that I see on our Southwest Florida patients for a woman her age, as well as some deep wrinkling around her eye and mouth areas.
We know that when you do an internet search on a treatment or procedure, the amount of information you can find is overwhelming. And not always correct! So, as microneedling is a brand new anti-aging skin treatment at Azul, let me share with you the information I shared with Beth.
Skin needling, microneedling and microchanneling – what’s the difference?
First of all, “skin needling” is just a general term used to describe any minimally invasive aesthetic treatment that involves a device utilizing fine needles. Both microneedling and microchanneling fall under this category. Both treatments use a device to puncture the epidermis of the skin with fine needles, creating tiny micro-injuries. Each micro-injury creates a channel that triggers the body to heal these microscopic wounds, producing new collagen and elastin.
Here’s where we go into a bit of science – through the process of neovascularization and neocollagenesis (say those ten times fast!), the skin’s texture and firmness improve, and scarring, stretch marks and skin pore size are all reduced. Once the skin has these micro-injuries, then typically your aesthetician will also apply a topical serum with growth factor to help accelerate results, enabling the product to reach deeper into the skin’s dermis and supplying your skin with nutrients it needs to boost regeneration.
Microneedling and microchanneling do, however, have key differences. These relate to the different way each device administers treatment. Microneedling typically uses a roller or handheld wand which glidesacross the skin. While this method is effective in causing the skin needling, it also can cause additional drag on the skin, and cause microtears.
Microchanneling, on the other hand, is like the next generation of microneedling. Instead of pulling the device across the skin, the needles are precisely administered to the skin using a “stamp” type pattern – which doesn’t cause tearing or any additional trauma to the skin. Recovery time is accelerated, and the results? Well, we’ll let you be the judge of that. Look at these images taken of our client, before, immediately after her microchanneling treatment with us (and then a series 30 minutes to 10 hours later to be precise!). The last two photos are 10 hours later without and with make up.
Here’s why Dr. Flaharty loves microchanneling so much. “Micro-channeling is a safe, chemical-free method that triggers new collagen production in the skin,” he says. “The trauma to the skin is less than with microneedling – most of our patients head out the door to lunch dates and golf games immediately. It can be performed on all skin tones and types, and repeat treatments yield even better results.
If you’re ready to see if microchanneling might help you achieve the results you’re looking for, please call our office at (239) 747-1148 or visit our website at www.azulbeauty.com, to arrange your complimentary skin consult!
Posted in: Procedures