Are you bothered by wrinkles, age spots, acne scars, or sagging skin? You don’t have to live with these blemishes. Many non-invasive skin treatments can improve the appearance of your skin. With just a few quick non-surgical treatment sessions in our Peachtree City office, you can look younger with a clearer, brighter, smoother complexion. Two of the most common skin resurfacing methods in use at the current time are microneedling and radiofrequency (RF). Each method has its unique advantages, but when used together, they can further enhance and rejuvenate your skin.
What is Microneedling?
Microneedling is a skin resurfacing treatment that uses an instrument that has dozens of tiny needles on it. When it’s applied to the skin, the device causes microscopic injuries (pinpricks) on the skin surface. The goal of the microneedling treatment is to trigger the skin’s natural healing response and prompt it to generate new skin cells and collagen. The result is smoother, healthier, more even-toned skin with a reduction in pores, fine lines, age spots, and scars.
Microneedling is a minimally-invasive procedure that is suitable for most skin types. There is no downtime, and you can return to work immediately. You may have some minor skin redness and irritation for a few days. Most people need 3-4 microneedling treatments for visible improvement in their skin.
What is Radiofrequency (RF)?
Radiofrequency (RF) is a non-surgical skin tightening procedure that utilizes heat waves to stimulate collagen production in the skin. Collagen is the protein that gives our skin its plumpness and youthful appearance. As we grow older, the amount of collagen in the skin decreases. The decline begins around the age of 35. This is why older individuals tend to have skin laxity and sagging.
There are several different devices on the market that produce RF energy for use in skin rejuvenation. They all work in the same way by producing heat waves that penetrate deep into the skin. The RF device produces temperatures of more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which cause heat shock and stimulate collagen production. Most RF procedures generally take around 60 minutes and are painless, for the most part.
RF is a safe and effective skin-tightening treatment. Radiofrequency waves are a type of radiation, but they are low-energy waves. The energy in RF waves is a billion times less powerful than X-rays. The most common side effects of RF include temporary redness, swelling, and tingling.
Besides sagging skin, RF treatments can help address concerns like sun damage and wrinkles. RF is also used for face contouring, improvement in facial skin laxity, and face slimming through the breakdown of facial fat. Additionally, RF technology is employed in some body contouring procedures to improve body shape.
Currently, we don’t offer just RF treatments at our practice. We feel it is better when combined with other modalities like microneedling. Keep reading to find out why this is better.
What Makes RF plus Microneedling Better?
If you would like to improve wrinkles, scars, and sagging skin, the addition of radiofrequency therapy to microneedling treatments can give you dramatically better results. The combination of the two therapies helps further stimulate collagen production, giving your skin a healthier, firmer, rejuvenated appearance.
What makes RF plus microneedling better is that the microneedling part of the procedure creates numerous minuscule pinpricks in the skin. These pinpricks serve as microscopic channels for the flow of radiofrequency energy, which is applied subsequently. As a result, not only are the skin’s natural healing responses evoked, but collagen production is stimulated to give you smoother, tighter, younger-looking skin.
An added advantage of the microneedling plus RF combination is that it is less aggressive than deep chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing. This means you can achieve noticeable improvements in the appearance of your skin with a shorter recovery time, usually less than 5 days. Most clients experience only minor redness and dryness after microneedling plus RF and can return to work immediately after the treatment. You should be aware that you will require multiple treatment sessions of RF and microneedling for optimum results.
Is RF with Microneedling Right for Me?
If you have loose facial skin, uneven skin tone and texture, scars, fine lines, wrinkles, or large pores on your skin and would like to do something about these concerns, RF and microneedling may be the ideal treatments for you. This combination treatment is safe for all skin types, including darker skin, which is sometimes unsuitable for other types of skin resurfacing techniques.
Some people may not be good candidates for RF plus microneedling, such as people who have taken the anti-acne medication Accutane within the last six months or had radiation treatments in the past year. RF and microneedling are also not advised in people who have open wounds, skin infections, or a history of keloid scar formation. Pregnant women should wait until after they deliver to undergo RF and microneedling.
If you’d like to find out whether you’re a candidate for RF and microneedling, talk to our amazing aesthetic team today. It is a safe and effective skin resurfacing combination therapy that can give you great results with minimal downtime.
