How To Repair Severely Damaged Skin

By Olga Solovienko, Medical Laser Technician

Astoria Laser Clinic & Med Spa

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How To Repair Severely Damaged Skin

Cosmetic lasers have come a long way since they were first introduced to aesthetic medicine. The newest lasers provide impressive results with less downtime than their predecessors, making them the go-to devices for helping patients with problems such as unwanted tattoos, scarring or hyperpigmentation. However, lasers are limited in their usefulness in some patient types, and some lasers can still carry significant risks of post-procedural complications such as scarring, infection and dyschromia.

In recent years, microneedling has risen in popularity and is now commonly used for treatments that were formerly reserved for fractional lasers; such as scar revision, hyperpigmentation and improvement in fine lines/wrinkles. While the rise in the acceptance of microneedling among dermatological and surgical practices may be attributed to its ease-of-use, versatility, overall safety and consistently satisfactory results, it is the complementary nature of microneedling to laser treatments, which makes it a worthwhile addition to any practice that currently offers fractional laser treatments.

Just like lasers, microneedling works with the skin's natural ability to repair itself. However, unlike lasers, microneedling creates microchannels within your skin without causing ablation (thermal injury or burning) or unnecessary damage to the surrounding tissue layers. While lasers can damage the epidermis (outer skin layer) , microneedling leaves the protective epidermis intact allowing for all the benefit of collagen induction therapy (CIT) with less risk of scarring and infection. Consequently, because microneedling is non-ablative (no thermal injury to tissue) your epidermis remains intact and there is far less “down-time” needed compared to some laser treatments.

The advantage of this treatment is that all people with all skin types can effectively use microneedling throughout the year. Unlike lasers, microneedling does not depend on chromophores (pigment or color) to work. Therefore, it does not matter how dark one's skin tone is (naturally or if you've spent too much time in the sun) when considering whether to perform a microneedling treatment.

Microneedling can provide great results for people with all skin types, which is not the case for lasers. Certainly, laser treatments have their place in cosmetic medicine depending on the patient's need. However, anyone who thinks they may benefit from fractional collagen induction therapy (CIT) should consult their skin professional to consider microneedling as a cheaper, safer and more versatile option.

Microneedling treatments take advantage of the skin's natural healing ability to safely deliver consistent results to patients with all skin types with little-to-no downtime.