Micro-dermabrasion by roller can be used for smoothening of atrophic scars (e.g. acne scars), light wrinkles (e.g. peri-oral, décolleté), facial freckles, fine body striae and for making very deep facial wrinkles more shallow. With micro-dermabrasion hundreds of small wounds are made on the skin.
Each of them triggers the normal wound healing process and every following treatment augments collagen formation, progressively filling up scars and wrinkles.
Treatment protocol includes 6-8 sessions, every 1 or 2 weeks and conservation every 6 months after the initial cluster of sessions.
The procedure
It is performed after the application of local anaesthetic cream. It’s a day case treatment. The roller is applied on the skin over any possible direction creating hundreds of minuscule holes. A small self-controlled bleeding occurs which is useful due to the very important growth factors liberated by the platelets and macrophages (PDGF, TGF-β). Therefore this little amount of blood is used as a gel and applied for about 10’ on the area treated. Then the skin is cleaned and a soothing gel is applied.
Complications
Micro-needling can be done on all skin types. There is almost no possibility of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, owing to the fact that melanocytes are located in the basal cell layer of the skin which is not affected by this kind of treatment. This is the main safety advantage of this treatment in comparison to all other methods used for the same indications, e.g. laser resurfacing, deep chemical peels, dermabrasion etc. Small, pinhead sized white spots may appear after a few days in the freshly healed skin and is due to the blocking of the pores of the skin and will normally clear up spontaneously.
After the treatment
The face can be cleaned with water and soap. Camouflage make-up can be used after 24 hours. You can apply local cosmetics after 2 days. Sunblock needs to be applied from the next day and for a period of 3 months.