Microchanneling is a noninvasive procedure designed to stimulate your body’s own natural ability to generate collagen, elastin, and other building blocks of healthy skin. By stimulating the outermost layers of the skin, microchanneling can help your body start this process without penetrating into living tissue.
With minimal physical discomfort, most clients are able to do the procedure without numbing cream and without any noticeable pain. There is no lingering discomfort, and we have a number of strategies we employ to minimize discomfort during treatment. Post-procedure, most people report a “tight” feeling in their skin.
It is normal for treatments to result in some skin irritation, especially for clients with more sensitive skin. Always wait a minimum of 90 minutes before putting anything else on the skin. During this time it is normal for the skin to remain pink or light red. After the 90 minutes you can apply additional moisturizer or other products. Keep in mind however, that as your skin may be more sensitive than usual for several days after the treatment, especially strong topicals should be avoided until the skin returns to normal.
New collagen can take several weeks, it is not abnormal to notice an improvement in the quality and appearance of your skin within the first 24 hours. After 2-3 treatments a thicker more robust, collagen filled cellular matrix will produce more consistent and noticeable improvement. And 6 or more treatments may be recommended for scarring, laxity and wrinkles.
If you have any underlying condition that significantly impairs your immune system, it is a good idea to avoid microchanneling. Examples include but are not limited to active radiation or chemotherapy, uncontrolled diabetes, chronic inflammatory skin disease, Accutane in the past 2 years, hemophilia or similar bleeding disorder. Also anyone with stainless steel allergies should not do this treatment. We also discourage treatments for those who are pregnant or nursing.
The number of treatments necessary will range greatly depending on what we are treating. On average, for light anti-aging treatments, 1-2 treatments may be sufficient. For deeper wrinkles and acne scarring, 4-5 treatments may be required to achieve desired results. There is no limit to the number of treatments that one can receive as long as adequate time passes in-between each treatment (1 month). And as always, maintaining your investment with maintenance sessions is highly recommended.
Use of the aftercare products ensure the skin continuously receives potent, robust, pristine peptides, cytokines and growth factors even in between treatments. Think of diet and exercise – microchanneling without serums is like exercising without dieting. Results can be good with microchanneling only, but are significantly amplified with serums.
A sunburn-like effect is normal. The treated area may appear pink in color, but will resolve in 24 hours. The skin may feel tight, dry, swollen, itchy and sensitive to the touch. You may experience peeling in the several days after the treatment.
After Care Products and Regimen: Do not cleanse your face for the reminder of the day after the treatment. The following day you can cleanse the treated area gently with a gentle cleanser. Apply the Procell after care to the clean treated area in the morning and evening. You may also resume your daily skin regimen the next day avoiding Retin-A, Retinols and harsh chemicals and peels for 7 days.
Sun exposure must be avoided for at least 24 hours after your treatment. If you know you will get incidental sun exposure, i.e., driving to and from work, walking from your car to the house, etc., we recommend physical avoidance of the sun in all treated areas, wear a protective hat and a full spectrum sun block of SPF 30 or higher.
Do not use exfoliating medications, chemicals or products on the treated areas for at least 2 weeks.
Waxing and/or use of chemical depilatories must be avoided for 2 weeks after the treatment. Shaving is allowed 24 hours before treatment and 48-72 hours after treatment as long as there is no skin irritation.
Avoid exercise that causes sweating, jacuzzis, swimming, saunas or steam baths for 3 days.
Sleep on your back with your head elevated slightly to reduce swelling.
Generally, clients are able to return to their schedules with almost zero downtime. Skin may be red for a day, depending on skin sensitivity. You can return to work day-of if you need, and can apply mineral makeup within 90 minutes of treatment. Ideally, however, we recommend leaving your skin bare for the rest of the day of the treatment