Skin needling, also known as micro-needling, is a cosmetic procedure used to improve the appearance of various skin concerns. It’s a popular and effective treatment for fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, hyperpigmentation, and more.
However, a common question about skin needling is how often it should be done to achieve the desired results. To help you understand how many skin needling treatments you may need, our team at Victorian Dermal Group explore the factors that influence the frequency of skin needling treatment and provide necessary recommendations for various skin types and concerns.
What is Skin Needling?
Skin needling uses micro-needles on a medical-grade roller moved over the skin to create tiny, evenly-spaced punctures. Although these needles cause minimal damage to the upper layer of the skin, they are designed to create a microscopic and typically painless injury to the deeper dermal layer.
This minor injury triggers the skin’s natural wound-healing response, producing increased collagen and elastin. Collagen production from microneedling treatments can do wonders for the skin. Some of the many benefits include:
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Smooth uneven skin tone and pigmentation
- Reduce the appearance of scar tissue
- Heal acne scars and uneven skin texture
- Reduce the appearance of stretch marks
- Overall skin rejuvenation
What Skin Conditions is Skin Needling Suitable For?
There are three common reasons why a skin needling treatment plan would be ideal. If you have one of the following skin goals, opting for microneedling sessions could be the skin treatment you’re looking for.
- Anti-aging
- Scar reduction - especially for acne scarring
- General skin health
How Often Should You Get Skin Needling?
Although skin needling is a minimally invasive procedure, there are still some general rules surrounding how often you should needle your face. Most dermatologists will tell you that micro-needling treatment can be safely performed once a month or every 4-6 weeks, depending on your skin type. This frequency is usually what works best with patients. However, you can always talk to your dermatologist about the frequency of your sessions and how they will help to achieve your aesthetic goals.
First Round of Treatments
Your first round of skin needling treatments will take place closer together and more frequently than your regularly scheduled appointments in the future. This is to kick-start your treatment and help you attain the best results possible in the shortest time frame. For most patients, we recommend 3-4 treatments spaced about four weeks apart.
Maintaining Desired Results
After you have completed the first round of microneedling treatment and you can see significant results, you will need to book subsequent appointments that will be used to help maintain the desired aesthetic.
The results of skin needling tend to build gradually over time, so you will see greater skin benefits as you attend your regular appointments, usually every 6-8 weeks.
Why Does How Long I Wait Between Skin Needling Sessions Matter?
The time between your appointments matters because of the nature of the skin needling treatment. After each session, your dead skin cells and the microscopic injury it creates in the dermal layer need time to heal. Usually, this healing period takes about 3-4 weeks for most people.
How Many Skin Needling Treatments are Needed Before Seeing Results?
The number of skin needling sessions needed to see results depends on the aesthetic goals you’re after. Usually, patients will start to see results as soon as their initial healing stage is completed and the skin has been given time to produce more collagen.
An overall improvement in the tone and texture of your skin will be noticeable within 1-3 days of your treatment. However, sometimes the specific results you want may take time to emerge.
For Anti-Aging
The correction of fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots are usually noticeable after three skin needling appointments. Usually, patients will notice an improvement in the tightness of their skin that continues to improve with every routine session.
For Scar Reduction
Smoothing or healing scars takes more effort from the skin. Therefore, it may take longer for you to see the desired results. For most patients, it takes 3-6 appointments before a full reduction of scarring is noticeable. However, even from the first appointment, you will start to notice a gradual improvement in skin texture.
For General Skin Health
Results for general skin health from skin needling sessions occur the quickest. After your first appointment, you will notice an immediate result for healthier-looking skin and an improvement in tone and texture within 7-14 days.
Can Skin Needling be Combined With Other Treatments?
Skin needling can be combined with other minimally invasive procedures to maximise results and achieve the smooth, glowy skin you’ve always wanted.
Some common treatments used in conjunction with skin needling include:
At Victorian Dermal Group, we provide all of these services to our clients to turn your dream skin into a reality. Book a consultation with us today.
