Can Microneedling Get Rid of My Acne Scars?

Acne itself is a frustrating skin issue, but the frustration can grow if the acne clears up only to leave scars behind. These dark spots and indentations can wreak havoc on a person’s appearance. 

Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve the appearance of acne scars. David Reeves, MD, FACOG, and our team at Medical Aesthetics & Laser in The Woodlands, Texas, have extensive experience helping patients improve the appearance of their skin. 

Our team frequently recommends microneedling, which triggers the body to produce new healthy skin, thereby improving the texture and appearance of it. In addition to improving the appearance of acne scars, microneedling can help with everything from dark circles and crow’s feet to uneven skin tone and fine lines.

What is microneedling? 

With microneedling, your provider uses a handheld device with very thin needles to make very tiny punctures in your skin. This, in turn increases the production of collagen. 

As the body produces more collagen, it gradually replaces damaged skin cells with new, healthy skin cells, resulting in healthier looking skin and a diminished appearance of blemishes.

Microneedling can also improve the absorption of topical therapies. 

What are the benefits of microneedling?

The following are some of the major benefits of microneedling:

Quick treatment

Microneedling takes around 30 minutes.

Immediate and long-term benefits

Along with triggering the long-term production of collagen, microneedling produces a glow that you can notice immediately. 

Highly personalized

Microneedling can address a wide range of skin issues, including crow’s feet and fine lines. 

Fast recovery

Depending on the strength of your therapy, recovery time is usually only a few days. However, if your treatment requires more passes and deeper penetration, more recovery time may be needed.

Safe for all skin types

Because microneedling doesn’t use heat, it can be used on all skin tones without causing pigmentation issues that can accompany laser resurfacing procedures.

Versatile

Though it’s most commonly used on the face, neck, and chest, microneedling can be performed everywhere on the body.

What’s a microneedling session like?

Microneedling is a quick treatment. To keep patients comfortable, our aesthetic expert applies a topical anesthetic cream. The topical anesthetic cream sits for 30 minutes before it is removed. 

The microneedling device is used to puncture tiny injuries into the skin which in turn stimulates collagen. Our devices have an adjustable needle head that allows the depth of the needle pricks to be customized.

We utilize varying depths of microneedling depending on the skin type and the area of the face we're treating. The skin on your forehead, for example, is considerably thinner than the skin on your cheeks. We may also simply use less pressure or fewer passes to get the desired result.

Following treatment, your provider applies a customized serum or cooling mask to help relax your skin. You'll leave looking a little red and with some pinpoint bleeding, however within 3 days your skin will look better.

What results can I expect?

In addition to an immediate glow, most patients notice an improvement in their skin texture about a week after their first treatment. Pores often look smaller, which makes the skin look smoother. And, as the body produces more collagen, the appearance of acne scars should improve. 

Our team typically recommends at least three microneedling sessions for improving acne scars. After you've completed your series, your clinician will be able to evaluate which maintenance plan is appropriate for you depending on your overall skin care goals.

To learn more about microneedling and to see if it could help you, call 281-419-2220 or book an appointment online with Medical Aesthetics & Laser today.