Some breakouts after microneedling may be due to “skin purging” as impurities are brought to the surface. This is temporary and should resolve within a few days to weeks.
If you're prone to breakouts and oily skin you may also experience breakouts in lots of lumps like pimples. But these'll go away in 2-3 days. I want to assure you these're also normal and it's just your body purging itself of toxins.
The skin's natural response to the micro-wounds might include inflammation, which can temporarily heighten the appearance of acne.
It's normal to experience certain side effects after a microneedling procedure. Your skin can be flushed or even bright red when you leave your visit. Within 48 hours, the majority of the redness you experience after microneedling will go away. Peeling, flaking and breakouts may take a little longer.
Microneedling Recovery Timeline
Generally, the initial healing period lasts about 2 to 7 days, during which you may experience redness, sensitivity, and mild swelling. After the initial healing stage, the skin may continue to improve over the following weeks and months as collagen production increases.
For the first 1 – 3 days, the skin will may feel dry and tight. Frequent use of post-session topical creams will help alleviate this. After 2 – 3 days, you can return to regular skin care products or as soon as it is comfortable to do so.
Why Do I Look Older After Microneedling? You might look older after microneedling because your skin is temporarily inflamed and shedding older layers.
The average cost of microneedling in the US is about $640 per session, according to over 300 patient experiences on RealSelf. This can vary between $300 to $700, however, depending on: Your location: Prices may be higher in major cities or upscale clinics.
Phase I: Inflammation. Microneedling triggers your immune system to disinfect the treatment area, remove debris, increase blood flow and begin to generate new tissue. Phase II: Proliferation. Your treatment area experiences new growth of collagen and elastin, as well as a new network of blood vessels.
“Purging usually follows a predictable duration, typically anywhere from four to six weeks,” Dr. Thiede said. Since purging occurs because your skin is adjusting to a new product, it shouldn't last longer than how long it takes for your skin to renew itself (about 28 days for most people).
Itchy bumps, swelling, tightness, and other mild side effects are quite common but they usually subside after a few days.
In other words, when you use certain products, your skin is likely to look worse before it looks better. A purge can look like blackheads and whiteheads, and it's likely to appear in the places where you normally break out.
If the skin isn't cleansed properly before and after the procedure, this can also lead to an increase probability of acne post treatment. Microneedling can also cause inflammation in the skin, which can lead to an acne flareup.
Skin damage is a risk that commonly occurs with microneedling devices. The damage may include bleeding, bruising, redness, tightness, itching and peeling, and these typically go away without any treatment after a few days or weeks.
Purging is temporary, and it won't last forever – your skin needs to adjust to the new active ingredients in your regime. Keeping consistent will help you through this phase, as your skin will gradually adapt. A simple, stripped back skincare routine will also help your skin to acclimatise.
Getting results with microneedling
You may need three to five microneedling treatments every two to four weeks to get the best results. Research shows that microneedling can fade acne scars by as much as 70%. It takes time for your skin to rebuild collagen and results appear slowly over several months.
One study showed that almost 100 percent of microneedling participants reported a noticeable difference, and 80 percent reported a vast improvement in the appearance of their acne scars after a treatment1, so yeah—microneedling is that girl.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, Niacin supplement, high-sodium foods, high sugar foods, refined carbohydrates, spicy foods, and cigarettes 24-48 hours before and after your treatment.
It is normal to experience skin purging after microneedling. This means your skin may breakout afterward because it has just been exposed to a new treatment.
But beyond these basic microneedling benefits, it also offers several other VERY beneficial side effects that you can take advantage of. These range from healing acne, reducing scar formation and even helping you look 5+ years younger!