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Microneedling vs. Microdermabrasion: What’s the Difference?
One of the reasons your skin may look dull and appear older is because of the presence of dead and damaged skin cells. The best way to get rid of these skin cells is by exfoliation. There are plenty of exfoliation products in the market, but the two most popular cosmetic treatments for handling dead skin cells and promoting skin regeneration are microneedling and microdermabrasion. From the names alone, these procedures might sound similar, but they’re actually quite different from each other.
So what is the difference between microneedling and microdermabrasion? Microneedling uses needles to puncture the skin in order to create microscopic holes to trigger the skin’s collagen and elastin production for skin repair, while microdermabrasion uses a tool with a rough tip and a built-in vacuum to exfoliate the skin and collect the debris. While microneedling is used for treating deep wrinkles, stretch marks, and old scars, microdermabrasion is usually for exfoliating the skin and treating new and superficial scars.
Microneedling vs. Microdermabrasion
Both microneedling and microdermabrasion are skincare procedures that can help shed away dead skin cells and bring forward younger and healthier skin cells. Both procedures are suitable for all skin types and can be done at home, but for best results, patients should have theirs done by a professional.
Microneedling vs. Microdermabrasion: How These Work
Microneedling – also known as collagen induction therapy – uses your body’s natural response to skin trauma to get rid of dead skin cells. Thin surgical steel needles from a handheld device puncture microscopic holes on the skin surface. This triggers your skin to produce more collagen and elastin to begin repairing your skin. Combined with serums and your usual skincare routine, this can help get rid of dead skin cells and bring forward new skin cells that can give you more youthful skin.
The concept of microdermabrasion, on the other hand, is similar to sandpapering your skin. Microdermabrasion machines use a mechanical device with abrasive material at the tip to exfoliate your skin while a built-in vacuum sucks up the debris. Unlike microneedling procedures which take multiple sessions before you can see results, microdermabrasion shows instant results. However, you’ll have to have multiple sessions to keep removing the dead skin cells that build up on your face.
Pros and Cons
Microneedling and microdermabrasion have many advantages. However, it’s important to also consider the possible drawbacks.
Microneedling Microdermabrasion
Pros
Treats your face, body, and scalp. Microneedling can be used to address problems like dark spots on certain parts of your body. It is also used on the scalps of patients trying to improve hair growth.
Offers different levels of treatment. Microneedling uses needles of different lengths according to the skin condition. Needles longer than 2 mm can reach the epidermal layer of your skin and treat issues like wrinkles and stretch marks. For deeper procedures like treating deep scars, professionals use numbing cream to reduce the pain during the treatment.
Makes skincare products more effective. The microchannels make skincare products penetrate deeper layers of the skin, making it more effective as your skin absorbs more nutrients while it heals. Instant results. Unlike microneedling that takes more time and more sessions to produce visible results, microdermabrasion instantly removes dead skin cells, providing instantly smoother skin.
Quick procedure. One microdermabrasion treatment takes around 30 minutes. It is also minimally invasive, non-surgical, and virtually painless.
Can last up to 12 months. Microdermabrasion results can last up to 12 months. However, if you want to maintain brighter-looking skin, you should schedule more sessions every 2 to 3 months to constantly shed away dead skin cells.
Cons
Requires multiple sessions to produce visible results. Microneedling won’t have instant results like microdermabrasion provides. It can take weeks and multiple sessions to see visible changes in your skin’s appearance.
More expensive than microdermabrasion. Microneedling can cost between $200 to $700 per session. In comparison, the average cost of microdermabrasion sessions range from $100 to $250 per session.
More vulnerable to bacterial infection. The microchannels on the patient’s skin can be susceptible to bacterial infection if not handled carefully. This is why people suffering acne, psoriasis, cold sores, and eczema are not allowed to get microneedling until they are fully healed. Only addresses superficial scarring. Deeper scarring can be addressed with microneedling with longer needles. Microdermabrasion cannot treat deep acne scars as it cannot penetrate the deeper skin layers.
Scars must be less than 3 years old for microdermabrasion to work. After three years, untreated scars become deeply rooted into the skin and will require treatments like microneedling to penetrate those layers.
Age can affect the effectiveness of microdermabrasion. As people grow older, collagen production becomes much lower. This means it can be difficult for older patients to produce enough collagen to fill in depressed areas of the skin after one session.
Which Procedure Is Best for Certain Skin Conditions?
Microneedling and microdermabrasions similarly treat the skin by getting rid of dead skin cells and promoting healthy skin cell growth. Both are good options for those looking to treat the following conditions:
Acne scars (that are less than three years old)
Uneven skin tone
Uneven skin texture
Large pores
Brown spots and age spots
Fine lines
If your skin concerns are at a superficial layer and only involve the upper layers of your skin, microdermabrasion is the better solution, since it produces faster results. Aside from the ones mentioned above, it can also take on:
Sun spots or melasma
Age spots
Dull, tired-looking skin
Blackheads
Any other superficial scar
Microneedling can handle both superficial and deeper skin problems. However, since microdermabrasion produces faster results, it might be best to get microneedling for skin problems like:
Severe wrinkles
Stretch marks
Deeper and older acne scars
Other types of non-superficial scars
Loose, sagging skin
It’s important to note that everyone’s skin condition varies, so it’s best to talk to your dermatologist about which is the best option for your skin. Take into account your current skin condition, your desired results, and your pain threshold among other things, and discuss these with your dermatologist.
Aftercare Procedure
After both procedures, your skin can feel a little sensitive to the touch. For microdermabrasion, this is because the outer layer of dead skin cells has been removed and replaced by newer skin cells. For microneedling, the punctures are in the process of healing and the production of collagen to improve your skin’s composition.
Healing time can vary between patients. However, because both treatments are non-invasive procedures, both have minimal recovery time before you can resume with your daily habits.
Taking Care of Your Skin
Microneedling and microdermabrasion have similar care tips you should practice after your procedure.
Avoid touching your skin, especially with unclean hands to prevent bacterial skin infection. You can continue your usual skincare routine (or as advised by your doctor), but avoid certain types of skincare products, including:
Strong cleansers (your doctor may prescribe a gentle cleanser to use)
Moisturizers with perfume
Active skin care ingredients (ex. hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, salicylic acid, retinol, etc.)
Avoid long baths, soaking your skin, swimming in pools, and excessive sweating.
Avoid excessive sun exposure. If you have to go outdoors, apply sunscreen to your treated skin.
Avoid wearing makeup while your skin heals.
In case of pain, you can use a cold compress or take over-the-counter painkillers.
Additional Treatments
Microneedling requires multiple treatments before you can see visible improvements in skin quality. Scheduling a treatment plan depends on the procedure and needle length used. Superficial procedures that use needles shorter than 2 millimeters can be scheduled every other week. Longer needles, on the other hand, should be scheduled months apart to prevent long-term skin damage.
Microdermabrasion, on the other hand, can provide visible results after one procedure. This can be good for up to one year before it may be necessary to undergo another treatment. However, dead skin cells will slowly accumulate on your face over time. To keep your skin looking radiant, you can schedule microdermabrasion treatments once every three months.
Microneedling and microdermabrasion get rid of older skin cells, promote skin regeneration, and bring out newer, more radiant skin cells that can enhance your appearance. Depending on what you’re trying to treat, both are good options that offer little to no downtime with fairly easy aftercare.
Vaney Beauty provides cosmetic and wellness clinics with quality medical supplies and tools. Our competitively priced products help aesthetic centers to ensure smooth operations, drive profits, and increase customer satisfaction with cosmetic procedures.
Microneedling vs. PRP: What’s the Better Solution for Healthier Skin?
Science and medicine are helping the cosmetics and skincare industry find ground-breaking ways to achieve healthier, younger-looking skin. Rather than artificial chemicals and harmful substances, there are now procedures and products that make use of natural ingredients and processes – including your own blood, or your skin’s trauma response. For instance, procedures such as microneedling and platelet-rich plasma or PRP injections have become extremely popular today for making the skin look healthier and more youthful.
So what’s the better solution for healthier skin? Microneedling and PRP injections are both beneficial to the skin when used separately, but are more effective when combined. Microneedling punctures the skin to trigger collagen and elastin production, which is then combined with plasma proteins from PRP injections to make the skin healthier and more youthful.
Microneedling vs. PRP
Microneedling and PRP injections are two different procedures available in aesthetic clinics and other dermatological facilities. They’re often associated together because of the presence of blood in both procedures: microneedling can draw blood under different circumstances, while PRP injections use substances drawn from blood.
How It Works
During a microneedling treatment or collagen induction therapy, thin needles from a microneedling device puncture microscopic injuries onto the surface of the patient’s skin. Under this cosmetic procedure, the puncturing triggers the skin’s natural response to trauma, which is to repair the skin tissue and increase collagen production in the affected area. This can help close up the microchannels in the skin while also nourishing it with collagen and elastin to make it firmer, healthier, and younger-looking.
How deep the needles go into the patient’s skin depends on the skin problem being addressed. Smaller needle lengths are enough to trigger elastin and collagen production for skin rejuvenation, while longer needles puncture deeper into the dermal layer and repair deeper skin issues.
PRP injections, on the other hand, is a fairly new procedure backed by numerous studies suggesting its many benefits to the skin. Each PRP injection consists of concentrated plasma extracted from the patient’s own blood, which is injected back into certain areas of their face. The extracted blood from the patient is processed in a centrifuge to separate the plasma from the other components of blood cells. This concentrated plasma filled with proteins is then injected into certain areas that have damaged tissues, where the plasma will help with cell growth. This process is needed for facial rejuvenation: making the face look healthier, firmer, and younger-looking.
Pros and Cons
Microneedling PRP Injections
Pros
Can Be Done at Home. Men and women interested in superficial microneedling can have it done at home instead of booking sessions at the clinic.This is only recommended for microneedling sessions that use needles less than 2 mm in length. More heavy-duty microneedling requiring longer lengths should be done in an aesthetic clinic.
Good for All Skin Colors. While other aesthetic procedures are limited to people with lighter skin tones due to possible skin discoloration for those with darker pigmentation, microneedling is safe for all skin types.
Covers a Wide Array of Cosmetic Concerns. Through different needle lengths and multiple treatments, microneedling can address plenty of skin concerns. This includes fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, surgical or other types of facial scars, sun-damaged skin, large pores, stretch marks, sagging skin, uneven skin tone, and dark spots. Used for Non-Cosmetic Medical Purposes. Aside from vampire facials, PRP injections are used to treat hair loss, muscle injuries, post-surgical repairs, and osteoarthritis.
Lower Risk of Allergic Reaction. The PRP injection is made from the patient’s own blood, so there’s a low chance of an allergic reaction when injected back into the body. This is in comparison to other serums or medications like hyaluronic acid, which others may be allergic to.
Build Tissue Naturally. Plasma contains proteins associated with tissue and cell repair. This can signal skin to build new cells around the injected area naturally.
Cons
Not for People with Certain Skin Conditions. Those who suffer from conditions like acne (or acne scarring that’s under treatment or still healing), eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea should seek treatment for their conditions first before getting microneedling done, as the bacteria can cause an infection. Those who are prone to slow wound healing are also discouraged.
Prone to Infection. The microchannels can be vulnerable to bacterial infections, especially if you’re microneedling at home without sterilizing your tools.
Sensitive Skin Post Procedure. While microneedling does require little to no downtime, you may feel certain side effects afterwards. Patients will need to avoid swimming and going out without applying sunscreen to the treated area until their skin fully heals. Pinkish Skin. After PRP injections, the patient’s skin will feel tender and will also have a pinkish hue to it for up to 48 hours.
Expensive. At-home microneedling will require microneedling devices with prices that range from $20 (for derma rollers) to upwards of $100 (microneedling pens). Microneedling sessions at a clinic can range from $200 to $700. PRP injections can start at $500 for one dose; for PRP injections with microneedling, prices can range between $1,000 to $1,500.
Not for Patients with Blood Conditions. Those with conditions like HIV, platelet and other blood disorders, or a chronic illness should not get this procedure as there could be complications related to the patients’ blood condition; the PRP injections may even worsen it.
Can Microneedling and PRP Injections Be Combined?
Yes! The process of combining microneedling with PRP injections are more commonly known as “vampire facials”. Many medical practitioners that offer this procedure believe PRP injections can enhance the effects of microneedling.
At the start of the session, the practitioner will extract blood from the patient and process it into PRP. They will then proceed with applying a numbing cream to the patient’s face before beginning with the microneedling procedure. Afterwards, instead of a serum, PRP is applied to these microchannels to be absorbed by the skin and enhance the repairing process. This can also speed up the healing time after the procedure.
Benefits of Microneedling with PRP
On their own, microneedling and PRP injections have their own benefits. But when combined, they have the following additional benefits.
Enhanced Healing for Facial Scars and Blemishes. A patient’s skin has a natural healing response which, combined with the cell and tissue regeneration properties of PRP, can help enhance your body’s healing and result in faster, more visible improvement.
Less Risk of Allergic Reaction. On its own, microneedling is often followed by applying a serum into the microchannels. However, some patients get allergic reactions from the serum. In comparison, PRP is made from the patient’s own blood. When handled carefully, the risk of a patient’s allergic reaction to their own PRP is low.
Decreased Downtime. Microneedling with PRP is exclusively done in aesthetic clinics, where microneedling sessions are done with more care and precision, and the tools used are accurate and more effective. While using longer needles in the clinic require more recovery time, PRP actually speeds up the healing process.Patients can start to see the effects of microneedling with PRP after a couple of weeks.
Microneedling and PRP injections have their own advantages on their own. When combined, you can achieve healthier skin at a faster rate thanks to the boost of plasma proteins working with the collagen and elastin produced to repair your skin.
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