To begin this week’s topic of Microneedling, Orlando Cosmetic Surgery introduces you to a fictional character, “Beth.” Beth is a lovely woman, but she doesn’t know it.
She styles her hair forward in a long drape to hide the right side of her face. At cocktail parties, she is the woman who hides in the shadows of the giant Boston fern plant.
She often leans delicately with her hand against her jaw and cheek, as she participates in company meetings.
Beth is masking the ugly signature of severe adolescent acne: acne scars. She faces them every morning, as she applies her ritual of creams and makeups in an effort to hide them.
Acne scars can be divided into four types, and poor Beth sees them all:
Ice Pick: These are small holes that look like they were made by a tiny stabbing wound. Sometimes they are so deep they look like gigantic pores.
Box Car: Typically rectangular, oblong shaped, and pitted from a loss of collagen. These have “steep vertical sides. Wider than ice picks, boxcar scars give the skin a pitted appearance.”
Rolling Scars: Almost every morning, Beth touches these wave-like bumpiness caused by “fibrous bands of tissue which develop between the skin and the subcutaneous tissue below. These bands pull the epidermis, binding it to deeper structures of the skin.”
Hypertrophic or Keloid Scars: Almost the opposite of a box car, a hypertrophic scar or a keloid scar appears to be a raised, firm mass of tissue.
You can find out more about these different types of acne scars, and other ways to treat them, at this informative source.
Beth does not care what they are called. she only knows, it would increase her self-confidence greatly, if they were gone, or at least lessened. She knows that laser treatments could help. But, she is working a heavy schedule at an entry-level position, and hasn’t time nor money for it.
Now, Orlando Cosmetic Surgery has a procedure which will help Beth and others like her. The procedure, called “microneedling,” will be guided by the gentle hands of our talented aesthetician, Lea Spoto.
Here are the three main facts you should know about this amazing procedure:
1. She will utilize “needling devices that prick the skin with 1mm or 2mm needles on a roller.” Perhaps it sounds a little scary. It isn’t. It might require local anesthesia, but it requires ve
ry little down time. It is typically, less expensive than the laser treatments.
2. Microneedling is a technology proven by both patients and doctors. In a recent research study, a JAMA article reported, “The patients said the devices improved their acne scars by 41%. And dermatologists, who were blinded to treatment procedures, also reported a statistically significant improvement in scars treated with these devices.”
3. If the idea of needles bothers you, then you can call this procedure by its other name “Fractora,” which is what it is called by Dr. Haideh Hirmand, M.D. at her aesthetic plastic surgery office in New York.
The mini-needles will stimulate the growth of collagen cells, which are the building blocks of the skin.
“Collagen is a main structural protein found throughout our body. Collagen provides the strength our tissue and organs require, while elastin provides the ability to stretch and recoil.“
Discover more about collagen at this resource of information.
There are many benefits to microneedling. In addition to excellent results, “the treatment costs less,”sometimes much less, than lasers. Plus, “patients reported little or no pain,” in the June 11th issue of the JAMA, which spotlighted a definitive study on microneedling.
“Needling is so easy to undergo, and potentially so inexpensive, that even a modest benefit may be sufficient to make this a worthwhile treatment for patients with limited budgets,” stated Dr. Murad Alam, of Northwestern University in Chicago. Find out the details of this study at the above link to the JAMA online source.
So, we report a happy ending to the fictionalized case study of “Beth.” In microneedling, she found a procedure she could afford, given the limits of her finances and her time. Her results have increased her self-confidence so much, she probably won’t have to wait too long for that promotion!
Even then, she knows, she might not even need the ablative laser therapy of her dreams.
Dr. Nelson L. Novick, a New York Dermatologic Surgeon stated, “For many people, just smoothing the scar in this fashion (and eliminating the shading “craters of the moon” effect) is sufficient and gratifying improvement.” He added,
“However, when the ivory white or off-white scar appearance remains troubling, I have found that a series of medical microneedling treatments, combined with the use of an agent to enhance new pigment formation may be helpful.” Read more about microneedling at this helpful resource.
When the time comes for more invasive measures against her scars, Beth’s doctor at Orlando Cosmetic Surgery, and her aesthetician, Lea Spoto, will consult with her, as they monitor her response to the microneedling treatments
At this point, it is safe to say, in the words of Dr. Alam, “Acne scars are resistant to treatment, and commonly, physicians have to come at them from various angles, and treat them with several different techniques, in order to get significant overall improvement.” He noted. “Needling may be just another tool in the acne scar treatment toolkit.”
As we have said previously, every case at Orlando Cosmetic Surgery receives customized treatment. Only a personalized approach can bring you the best of care, compassion, and confidentiality.
If you are enduring acne scars, we invite you to call and investigate this procedure. Microneedling might not sound very appetising, but if you are enduring shame and lack of confidence due to acne scars, it can be a dream come true.
