The Miracle of Microneedling

When you feel younger than you look in the mirror, your self-confidence can take a hit. The visible signs of aging — fine lines, wrinkles, dry and sagging skin, and even acne pits and scars — creep up on us all, and sooner than you might think.

But you don’t have to just accept an aged look. Dr. Michael Nichols at Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi in Flowood has just the treatment to make you look and feel more like your younger self — microneedling. It’s a cosmetic treatment that takes advantage of your body’s healing abilities to firm and tone your skin.

Under the surface

When you were younger, you had skin that was smooth and taut and glowing. That was due in large part to two proteins, collagen and elastin, which together give your skin strength, volume, and stretchability.

Unfortunately, your body starts producing less of these proteins by the time you reach 25. Collagen production also decreases because of damage caused by the sun’s ultraviolet light, smoking, and other environmental pollutants. Without as much collagen to support your skin’s structure, you lose volume in your face and hands, leading to hollows, fine lines, and wrinkles. These types of wrinkles are called “static” wrinkles because they’re visible even when your face is at rest.

Over time, you also develop “dynamic” wrinkles, those that result from repeated facial expressions. Every time you smile, frown, or squint your eyes, the muscles that allow you to make those expressions tug on the skin above, eventually causing a furrow to form.

In the early stages of wrinkle development, dermal fillers can temporarily address the static wrinkles, and Botox®, a neurotoxin that prevents muscle contractions, can temporarily address the dynamic ones.

The miracle of microneedling

Microneedling involves the use of very small needles that we move over the skin to be treated. The needles puncture your skin’s surface, creating “micro-injuries.” Your body responds by doing two things: sending healing factors to the area to close the wounds and jump-starting collagen production to produce new tissue to fill in the furrows and replace damaged skin layers. You end up with smooth, healthy-looking skin again.

At Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi, we use the FDA-approved SkinPen® microneedling system. This handheld device creates thousands of micro-injuries, stimulating wound healing while preventing cellular damage.

Your treatment time depends on the size of the areas we need to address. Once the microneedling is complete, we may apply nourishing serums, stem cells, or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to your skin to enhance the effectiveness of the microneedling procedure.

How PRP makes a difference

Platelets are one of your blood components — the part that helps with clotting and recruiting healing factors to an injury site. Doctors take advantage of these properties to boost the effectiveness of other treatments, such as microneedling. PRP is one of the most effective natural treatments for cellular rejuvenation, especially for the visible signs of aging.

To create the PRP, we first draw a vial of blood from your arm. Next, we spin the vial in a centrifuge, which separates the blood components, leaving the platelets concentrated in the watery plasma. We apply this platelet-rich solution to the areas that received microneedling treatment, and it’s quickly absorbed into the small holes in your skin. Once absorbed, the platelets recruit healing and growth factors; combined with the new collagen, these help resurface your skin, leaving it smooth and glowing.

You can expect some redness and tenderness from the microneedling treatment, but these should resolve quickly. We give you specific aftercare instructions so you can ensure you’re doing the most to help your skin heal without complications.

If you’re experiencing visible signs of aging, microneedling can be the miracle you’ve been looking for. To learn more, and to find out if you’re a good candidate, call Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi at 601-282-9290 to set up a consultation with Dr. Nichols.