If you suffer from signs of aging and other skin conditions, you may have browsed the internet looking for remedies and learned that microneedling is a safe and effective option. This non-surgical cosmetic treatment is most commonly used to treat various blemishes and aging concerns on the face, and it might be just the treatment you’re looking for to achieve clear, radiant skin.
How Does Microneedling Work?
Microneedling is a type of minimally invasive collagen induction therapy that works by using tiny sterilized needles to puncture your skin and create micro-injuries. These micro-injuries stimulate collagen production and a healing response within the skin that produces new, healthy tissue and treats surface concerns. The result is firmer, brighter skin with a more even, youthful complexion.
What Is Agnes RF Microneedling?
At California Dermatology Care, one type of microneedling we offer is Agnes. The Agnes pinpoint microneedling device uses radiofrequency (RF) energy combined with microneedling to rejuvenate your skin. Radiofrequency energy waves penetrate the deep skin layers to heat them and further stimulate the production of new collagen fibers for more firm, smooth skin.
Agnes RF microneedling improves upon the results that can be achieved with traditional microneedling, and it helps the microneedling results develop faster and last longer.
What Is Agnes RF Microneedling Good For?
Many people wonder if microneedling actually works and what it can do for them. The answer is yes; microneedling works very effectively on many cosmetic issues. It’s also good for allowing serums and other skincare products to be more easily absorbed by your skin, making them more effective.
Agnes RF microneedling can treat the following skin conditions:
- Active acne
- Acne scars
- Stretch marks
- Wrinkles and fine lines
- Loose skin
- Hyperpigmentation
- Rosacea
- Large pores
- Sebaceous hyperplasia
- Syringomas
- Eye bags
- Neck contouring
Microneedling for Active Acne
Acne occurs when the sebaceous glands (oil glands) within your pores become clogged with dead skin cells, dirt and/or oil. Agnes RF works as an acne treatment by delivering radiofrequency energy to destroy the clogged sebaceous glands.
Only a portion of the total pores on your skin get blocked, so you will still have plenty of healthy sebaceous glands remaining to ensure your skin gets the natural oils needed for hydration.
Microneedling for Acne Scars
Microneedling can address depressed scars in the skin, especially those caused by acne. These types of indented scars heal below the upper layer of skin tissue. Microneedling stimulates collagen that will fill the indentations in the skin to create a smooth surface.
Agnes RF microneedling is best for wide and shallow scars rather than deep “ice-pick” scars, which may require several treatments to see an improvement.
Microneedling for Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are scar-like lines that develop on the skin when it stretches quickly. When the connective fibers in our skin are overly stretched, they can tear and leave these bothersome marks on our skin.
Microneedling treats scratch marks by producing new collagen and elastin to heal the damaged connective tissue fibers.
Microneedling for Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Wrinkles and fine lines are an inevitable part of aging. Unfortunately, lifestyle factors like sun exposure, smoking and making repeated facial expressions can cause them to become worse. Agnes RF microneedling can reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen in the skin. Collagen is a fibrous protein that creates a support structure in the skin and improves the skin’s hydration and elasticity. This allows wrinkles and lines in the skin to smooth out.
Microneedling can help with various wrinkles, including:
- Marionette lines (vertically down from the corners of the mouth)
- Nasolabial folds (from the nose to the mouth)
- Smoker’s lines (around the mouth)
- Frown lines (between the eyebrows)
- Crow’s feet (at the corners of the eyes)
- Horizontal lines across the forehead
Microneedling for Loose Skin
In the same way Agnes RF microneedling stimulates collagen for firmer, smoother skin to reduce wrinkles, it can also tighten loose skin. While not an alternative to a surgical procedure like a facelift for significantly sagging facial skin, repeated microneedling sessions can improve the elasticity of the skin to help lift and tighten mild to moderate skin laxity and sagging.
Microneedling for Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation results when excess melanin is produced by our skin, which can be caused by sun exposure or inflammation after an injury. The result is dark spots or dark patches of skin that are also known as age spots, liver spots or freckles.
The Agnes RF microneedling device breaks up the pigment below the surface of your skin to lighten areas of hyperpigmentation.
Microneedling for Rosacea
Rosacea is a condition that causes redness and blood vessels to be visible through the skin. The symptoms may come and go intermittently. Although microneedling isn’t a cure for rosacea, it can reduce the redness associated with this skin condition.
With increased collagen from microneedling, the walls of the blood vessels and supportive connective tissue are thickened. RF microneedling can also help release anti-inflammatory growth factors that soothe redness in the skin. The skin also becomes more dense after microneedling, which means you’re less likely to see visible blood vessels through it.
While microneedling can effectively treat many symptoms of rosacea, patients with pustular acne rosacea should not undergo microneedling when they have this type of flare up.
Microneedling for Large Pores
As your skin loses collagen and elastin support over time, it stretches and sags, making the pores on your skin appear larger because they also become stretched out. Oil production can also affect the size of your pores. Each pore has a sebaceous gland in it, and when the glands are stimulated to produce more sebum (oil), your pores get larger due to increased pressure and in order to excrete the additional oil.
Microneedling adds volume to your skin and tightens it around your pores, causing your pores to visibly shrink. Agnes RF microneedling, in particular, targets the sebum glands to reduce the production of oil, which also allows your pores to shrink and become less noticeable.
Microneedling for Sebaceous Hyperplasia
Sebaceous hyperplasia is a benign skin condition characterized by small skin-colored or yellowish bumps beneath the skin. They commonly develop on the face, especially on the cheeks and forehead.
This condition may be caused by excess sebaceous glands or the overproduction of oil from your sebaceous glands. Sebaceous hyperplasia is thought to develop when excess oil becomes trapped beneath the skin and the glands become enlarged.
Microneedling with Agnes RF penetrates these glands and delivers radiofrequency energy to heat and destroy them, ridding you of sebaceous hyperplasia bumps.
Microneedling for Syringomas
Syringomas are small pink, yellow or brown bumps that commonly appear on the neck and around the eyes. They develop when there’s an overgrowth of the sweat glands (eccrine glands).
Agnes microneedling can treat syringomas by destroying the excess sweat gland cells and smoothing out the associated bumps.
Microneedling for Eye Bags
Bags and dark circles under the eyes result from weakened tissues and muscles in the lower eyelids. Fluid and displaced fat can also cause bags and puffiness.
RF microneedling stimulates collagen to restore tighter, firmer skin beneath the eyes. Bags and puffiness are further improved as the RF energy melts and eliminates excess fat. This treatment also makes the skin less translucent so dark circles are less visible through the skin.
Microneedling for Neck Contouring
Aging can cause the tissues on the neck to droop and the skin to become wrinkled. Agnes RF microneedling rejuvenates the skin to smooth wrinkles and creases beneath the chin and on the neck, and the tissues are tightened to restore more defined neck contours.
Discover How You Can Achieve Radiant, Smooth Skin With Agnes RF Microneedling
There are many benefits of microneedling, including smoother, more radiant skin and virtually no downtime after this quick treatment.
Dr. Ting and the providers at California Dermatology Care are dedicated to patient education, and they can help you further understand this treatment and determine if microneedling is the right choice for you.
If you have any questions about microneedling or would like to schedule your consultation at our office in San Ramon, Hercules or Livermore, call or text us at 925-328-0255 today!