How wonderful it is to be back working again in my skin clinic at Needham Market! I’m enjoying being able to see my lovely clients again and talk skincare with everybody. I think it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who has missed being able to have and carry out aesthetic treatments in a clinic. According to a recent survey, almost 4 million women reported that the stress of the pandemic had made them feel as if they have aged at least five years – and more people are booking for treatments to make themselves feel better.
Some people have been trying to carry out clinic-based treatments like microneedling at home, because of the popularity of brands such as SkinPen which has recently been championed by Victoria Beckham. Everyone wants to look good now Lockdown is starting to ease, and it’s not been easy to keep up a beauty regime over the past year or so… This has resulted in more people considering aesthetic treatments for the first time.
I’m a big advocate of home care as you know – I always say that my clients will get the best results if they keep up their at-home skincare alongside their regular appointments with me. And I absolutely know how hard it’s been for many of you, and how tempting it is to DIY at home. Let’s face it, we’ve probably all had a go at cutting our hair or doing our nails. The things is; it’s never quite as good when you do it yourself as it is when it’s done by a professional, and in the case of microneedling it can even cause damage.
As you might already know, microneedling is an incredibly effective, minimally invasive treatment. But it does repeatedly puncturing the skin with needles. In my clinic, of course, my equipment is sterile, the products I use are state of the art, and I am fully trained in carrying the treatment out. You’ll have been assessed at a consultation and we’ll have decided the best way forward for your personal skincare needs. I use the SkinPen Victoria loves in my clinic - a medical grade microneedling tool that’s fully CE marked for safety and efficacy. The SkinPen is only designed to be used by medical professionals, and in the right hands, it’s a fantastic way to give your skin a boost, especially after lockdown. Stress certainly has an adverse effect on most people’s skin and a microneedling session will give you a bit of a glow once again. For people worried about the ageing effects of the past year, SkinPen microneedling is also great for reducing the signs of aging. It can also be easily combined with other treatments in my clinic such as IPL and laser treatments, chemical peels and more. I can create a bespoke skincare package for you that’s perfectly suited to you and your needs – take a look at my website for ideas of how I can help you, or book a consultation.
Don’t be tempted to cut costs or beat queues for clinic treatments and try microneedling at home though. You can’t always be sure of the equipment you’re buying, for a start. With me, you’ll always be reassured that you are being treated with medical grade, sterile equipment, by a trained, passionate skincare professional. Please, don’t be tempted to buy a cheap microneedling tool online – it won’t be the same as SkinPen and it could even be damaging. Some of the home microneedling devices are available on eBay extremely cheaply; they can penetrate the skin as deep as 2.5mm though and if not used extremely carefully there’s a chance that you’re leaving yourself prone to infections and/or skin damage. You simply don’t know what you’re buying if you purchase online, and the quality of the tools and treatment isn’t going to be anything close to the treatment a professional would carry out for you.
There’s also the issue of pain – if you’ve had a microneedling treatment in my skin clinic in Suffolk, you’ll already know that before I get started I use a numbing cream so that it’s not uncomfortable when I puncture your skin with lots of tiny needles! I pride myself on making sure that the experience is pain-free – most people say they feel a slight vibration from the SkinPen and it’s not even as uncomfortable as an eyebrow wax! However - if you try it at home without any topical anaesthetic you might find that it’s a completely different and rather painful experience… I also ask my clients to keep their eyes closed throughout the procedure, but if you are carrying it out at home in front of the mirror there’s a slight chance that you could accidentally get a needle in your eye…that’s definitely something to avoid as you could end up with damage to your eyesight.
If you want the benefits of a SkinPen microneedling treatment, without the dangers of a DIY treatment, please get in touch and I’ll be delighted to chat to you about how I can help. Book a consultation and we can chat about which treatments will be right for you. Some treatments are fine for the bathroom – but trust me, microneedling should always be left to an expert.