Medical Aesthetics

Conditions such as hair loss, scars, acne, wrinkles, or variations in pigmentation can be distressing, cause lack of confidence, and low self esteem. At Vitality Family Healthcare we treat these conditions with a variety of methods, including microneedling.

 

Microneedling: A minimally invasive treatment for these conditions which involves puncturing the skin with very fine needles. The small areas of injury caused by microneedling send hormone/cytokine signals to the surrounding cells in the tissue, recruiting them to remove old scar tissue. At the same time that the old scar tissue is being removed, new blood vessel growth occurs, bringing more nutrients and healing factors to this area, allowing the body to naturally deposit collagen and other components needed for healing. This can be done on all areas of the body (including face, neck, and hands), most commonly for cosmetics purposes.

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Microneedling can also be done with PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma). PRP has a concentrated level of growth factors that signal for the natural healing mechanisms discussed above. These growth factors increase blood vessel growth, increase mitochondria (energy production part of the cell), and epidermal growth factor, which leads to better cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and function. Multiple studies show PRP slightly improves the healing response to microneedling. This creates better remodeling of old scars and a thicker, more natural looking epidermis. 

 

What to expect: We apply an anesthetic cream (lidocaine) to numb the area of treatment and leave this in place for 20-30 minutes. If using PRP, while waiting for the lidocaine to work, we draw your blood (about 20 mL) and spin it down in a centrifuge to obtain the PRP. After obtaining the PRP, we then prep your skin and begin the microneedling procedure. The entire procedure takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete. You will want to refrain from washing off the PRP solution until the next day.

 

Expectations should be a glow to the skin after the first few days. It will then take 4-6 weeks for the full effect of collagen deposition and skin healing to take effect. Depending on the severity of skin condition, scars, and individual healing response, it may take between 1 and 4 treatments for desired result.