Micro-needling or skin needling uses a needling device to create thousands of tiny punctures in the skin. The needles are very thin and move forwards and backwards at a very fast speed that makes pain almost imperceptible. This action causes stimulation of fibroblasts to produce more collaged. Another benefit of micro-needling is that it creates thousands of channels that allow infusion of cocktails and medications through the skin such as vitamin or anti-oxidant cocktails.

By adjusting treatment protocols and the depth of micro-needling, a wide variety of conditions can be treated such as:

• Wrinkles
• Photodamaged skin
• Acne scars
• Surgical scars
• Loose skin
• Active acne (as long as it is non-infective)

This depends on the treatment protocol selected. Treatment of active acne is done at more superficial depths to unclog pores and allow sebum or oil trapped beneath the skin to escape. This has a quick recovery time and can be done every second week. Results can be expected within weeks. On the other hand, deeper micro-needling is more effective for the treatment of scars, wrinkles and loose skin. This is because fibroblasts, or collagen producing cells, lie deeper in the skin so deeper needling is needed to stimulate them. Recovery time tends to be a few days of redness and results will start to be apparent within months. Results from deep needling may continue to improve for up to one year.

No, home rollers typically max out at superficial depths that are not deep enough to stimulate collagen production. Medical grade micro-needling involves use of specialised devices that can go deeper. Because of the speed of action of the needles oscillating up and down, these devices can go deeper without causing much pain.

This depends on the treatment protocol selected and the condition being treated. 3 treatments is typical of wrinkled skin and scarring, with treatments being spaced out 2 monthly. However, treatment results are variable and some individuals may need more.

Both non-ablative fractional lasers and micro-needling work by similar mechanisms to stimulate fibroblasts to produce collagen. A major point of difference is that micro-needling is safer with darker skin types and is less likely to cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or skin darkening as a result of treatment.