Known by several different names including collagen induction therapy and dermaroller/dermapen treatment, medical microneedling is a generally safe method of improving skin quality and improving the appearance of scars in all skin types. It was first described in medical literature in 1996.
With the use of topical anaesthetic, very fine needles are introduced into the skin either by a hand held manual roller or more efficiently by an automatic pen device.
As the needles penetrate through the tissues they create very tiny, indistinguishable channels in the skin, the depth of which depend on the length of the needles and system used.
The body reacts to this “damage” by accessing its natural wound healing repair processes. This leads to the development and modulation of collagen over many months, restoring and improving the quality of the skin in question.
It has been estimated that up to 400% increase in collagen can be expected.
As a result skin looks and feels stronger, thicker and brighter; and scars look lifted and smoothed out, making it an ideal treatment for sun damaged skin and for acne scars.
It is not uncommon for several treatments to be done, with an interval of 2-3 months between sessions; thereby boosting the collagenases at each instance and increasing the level of result and can be used with other collagen and skin revitalization techniques such as dermal fillers, peels and PDO threads.
Dr Dan Dhunna performs both traditional dermaroller as well as the more modern electronic dermapen system.