Today on my blog I am talking to Dr Weber who is a plastic surgeon with expertise in non-surgical treatments.
Hi Dr Weber, so can you tell me about microchanneling?
Microchanneling is an effective and innovative way to activate cellular regeneration. When microchanneling techniques are used, skin is lifted and tightened, and a multitude of skin problems are minimized. These problems include photo-ageing, fine lines, poor texture, dull skin, body scars, stretch marks, acne scars, and any other flaws in the otherwise smooth skin.
What's the basic science behind microchanneling?
Microchanneling is a way of introducing controlled wounds to the skin in the form of tiny channels. These wounds trigger a natural release of growth factors, along with new elastin and collagen.
This is an ideal solution to skin problems because, despite the way "controlled wounds" sound, this method causes significantly less damage to your epidermis than other treatment methods such as lasers and dermal rolling. Ablative treatments are more likely to damage your skin. When you use microchanneling, the growth of the new skin cells will be protected, which allows a faster healing time and a greater rate of success for long-lasting results that meet the patient's goal.
Skin is pretreated with a serum that is filled with multiple growth factors. Then the microchanneling device will create hundreds of channels in your epidermis, which increases the overall absorption of the pre-treated growth factors by 300%. To be clear, your skin will absorb three times as much growth factor if you use a microchanneling technique as opposed to using the growth factor by itself.
Skin is then fed by the growth factors. This allows your skin to revitalize itself. The results tend to be more permanent and longer lasting than those found in face lift surgeries and dermal fillers.
How Does Microchanneling Work?
When you have a microchanneling procedure done, you'll be pretreated with some form of growth serum. Then the needle comes into play. A sterilized needle-face will contain tiny micro-needles and attach to the microchannel. Your skincare professional will base the depth of the treatment on your unique skin factors and goals.
After the pretreatment is complete, the microchannel will either be tapped or stamped across all areas of your face. This creates hundreds of tiny channels with the needles. The serum becomes absorbed into your skin through these new channels. When your skincare professional stamps the microchannel across your face rather than dragging it, they'll avoid causing any injury to your epidermis except for those tiny wounds inflicted by the needles.
Even without the use of numbing creams, the procedure tends to be painless or nearly painless. You might experience a slight tingling or stinging as the channels are being created, but you won't bleed. You also won't have any downtime like you would for a more comprehensive facelift or filler surgery. Instead, you can go out on the town or return to work immediately after the treatment takes place.
How Is Microchanneling Different From Lasers?
Resurfacing lasers can be a very effective tool for the treatment of ageing skin. But with that said, a laser uses focused light to create heat. This heat vaporizes skin and destroys certain pigment colours.
This makes lasers great for the targeting of dark spots, but it can make treating patients with dark skin complicated. Microchanneling, on the other hand, uses mechanical means to break up pigments. Collagen is also remodelled without the use of light or heat. The removal of heat from the process makes the treatment safer, more consistent, and far more comfortable.
When a patient undergoes a microchanneling procedure, they'll generally have a pink glow after the procedure. There will not be any visible wounds or bleeding. The pink glow will lessen within a day or sometimes even less time. The majority of patients return to work on the same day.
How Is Microchanneling Different From Dermal Needling Rollers?
Dermal rollers and micro-needling are part of the previous generation of skincare and the treatment of ageing skin. Dermal rollers have multiple drawbacks, one of which is that they have a fixed depth for the penetration of their needle. The face requires needles to penetrate at different depths depending on the area that is being treated. Different skin tissue has different thicknesses.
The biggest drawback of micro-needling devices, on the other hand, is that they cannot be stamped on the face because of their smaller pin surface. This means that they need to be dragged across the skin instead of being tapped or stamped. Micro-tears are created due to the dragging motions. It's an additional layer of damage that isn't necessary for the increase of your elastin and collagen production. These damages also increase recovery time to four to seven days.
Differences in Needles Between Microchanneling Devices And Last Generation's Devices
These are the advantages that the needles of a microchanneling device have:
- Hundreds of needles can penetrate the skin at once, which means that the device can be stamped instead of dragged.
- The needles do not have a fixed depth of penetration, so they can effectively treat multiple skin thicknesses.
- The procedure carries no risk of bleeding and has no downtime for the majority of patients.
- These are huge advantages compared to the procedures that preceded this technique.
How do I Schedule A Microchanneling Consultation?
When you prepare to get a microchanneling consultation, you'll want to talk to an experienced skincare professional or plastic surgeon. Weber Facial Plastic Surgery is a practice with a team of experienced professionals who know how to utilize the best microchanneling techniques.
Would you have a non-surgical procedure like this?
Dr Weber is a plastic surgeon licensed in Denver, Colorado. He became well known for his facial aesthetic aptitude while still studying at Boston University. He also completed a five year residency at Oregon Health & Science University. He specializes in a variety of non-surgical treatments including micropen procedures in Denver, CO.
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