A little history on Microneedling
Microneedling has come a long way since the first needling device was introduced in 1996. Microneedling has been around for decades, going back to 1905 when a German dermatologist used the resurfacing/abrasion technique to treat acne scars. In 1996, a Canadian plastic surgeon noticed significant improvement in facial scarring when the skin was punctured with tattoo needles. Shortly following this discovery, the first microneedling device was introduced. The device was a small needle stamp, as well as a dermaroller that was used to stimulate collagen production. These skin needling techniques have since become internationally recognized, safe and effective methods of treating scarring, fine lines/wrinkles, tightening skin, decreasing the appearance of pores, improving skin texture, and decreasing the appearance of stretch marks, as well.
Dermaroller/Microneedling roller
The dermroller was the first official device in the evolution of microneedling. Both the dermaroller and microneedling pen create microinjury to the skin and promotes the production of collagen, which remodels the damaged area, resulting in rejuvenated skin. Although this was a good option, there were some negatives. With the dermaroller, the needles penetrate the skin at an angle, and the needle depth and speed cannot be customized. This causes more skin damage, pain and recovery time. Different areas of the face and other areas of concern require different penetration depths to achieve the best results, and unfortunately, this was not an option with the dermarollers.
Microneedling Pen
Technology evolved with the discovery of the microneedling pen. This is a motorized device with multiple needles and varying options of speed and depth of needle penetration. The injury to the skin can be controlled, allowing for customization of each treatment site. With this device, there is less injury to the skin, because the needles penetrate the skin vertically, resulting in less pain, less down time and less damage to the skin. With the pen, we can also treat those hard-to-reach areas, such as the area around the eyes, upper lip and nose.
Microneedling with Secret RF
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we now have Secret Rf. Secret RF combines microneedling with fractional radiofrequency. It’s one device working synergistically in the treatment of scarring, fine lines and wrinkles and overall skin rejuvenation. The capability of this device to deliver heat to deeper layers of the skin with controlled RF energy is what makes it superior over standard microneedling, which can only treat the surface of the skin. With this option of microneedling, there is virtually no down time; in fact, most patients are only pink for a few hours. It’s the least uncomfortable of the previously mentioned options. There is incremental improvement with multiple treatments, which is much more feasible due to little to no down time.