My Experience with Microneedling and IPL Photofacial

So.. what is all this Micro crap that I keep writing about? Well I just posted about my second microBLADING type procedure of my eyebrows but today I'm going to go over the microNEEDLING procedure I got done recently along with IPL.

So all these new types of facials are getting so much recent press and I definitely was on board to try them out. There's dermaplaning, hydrafacials (my review here), and these more invasive procedures. These two that I did also work on redness and that I DO have on my cheeks!

So the first one we did (we did both on the same day, back to back) was IPL photofacial.

WHAT IS IT:

A photofacial, or fotofacial, also known as photorejuvenation. A treatment to reverse sun damage, even out facial color as well as improve tone and texture in the process.

WHAT DOES IT DO:

• tighten pores

• reduce the severity of acne

• reduce the appearance of or eliminate sun spots and freckles

• lessen hyperpigmentation

• treat skin flushing and skin redness

• reduce the appearance of scars (acne, chickenpox, etc.)

• reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

• reverse sun damage

• treat vascular lesions (broken capillaries, blood vessels, telangiectasia, rosacea)

• improve facial contour

• tighten skin

• boost collagen and elastin production

DID IT HURT:

So we did put numbing on the face for about 25 minutes which helps a lot. The numbing did seep down to my lips so I felt my lips numb and my tongue- so throw out your gum just in case! haha. After the numbing, she wiped that off and cleansed my face. Then she covered my eyes because of the bright light and then she started zapping away. The first zap didn't hurt but then when you do the whole face, it ends up feeling like a rubberband snap. They do give you stress balls to squeeze and it goes by pretty fast and it totally tolerable. So, not SO bad! I was actually surprised because I was wayyy more nervous about the microneedling and was afraid that that would hurt and it was the complete opposite.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST:

$300-600 ($400 at Whole Beauty Institute)

PS. Whole Beauty Institute (where I got this all done) is having a sale on IPL this month of October too! See here for more info.

The SECOND one we did that day was microneedling.

WHAT IS IT:

A dermaroller procedure that uses small needles to prick the skin. The purpose of treatment is to generate new collagen and skin tissue for smoother, firmer, more toned skin.

WHAT DOES IT DO:

• Improves the quality and texture of your skin (immediately)

• Reduces scarring

• Reduces blackheads

• Exfoliates the skin

• Reduces fine lines and wrinkles

• Reduces hyperpigmentation and evens out your skin tone

• Treats acne

DID IT HURT:

The numbing was still in effect for this one but honestly I did not feel a thing. The forehead gets a smaller needle but mainly she used the 1.0 MM needle. It felt just as easy as hydrafacials and I loved the sensation. I didn't even bleed a lot (and not really at all) because these procedures for me were preventative so if you go for actual reasons like acne scars etc, then you may bleed a bit more or be redder than I was.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST:

$100-$700 per session (if you are trying to get rid of acne scars you will need more than one session) ($400 at Whole Beauty Institute)

RIGHT AFTER BOTH PROCEDURES (and Day 9 of my powder brows)

Dani from Whole Beauty Institute gave me some products to use (and everyone would get these) after the micro needling. It was a cleanser, hyloronic acid blend, moisturizer, and SPF. I used it for 5 days after the procedure. I did flake a little bit from the microneedling since new skin was coming in but that ended around day 4 or 5. More details are in the video below about how my skin felt after etc!

I would totally recommend this! My skin felt amazing and the collagen is going to continue to come in for months.

Whole Beauty Institute website: https://www.johnqcookmd.com

Dani insta: https://www.instagram.com/danixmarie/

VIDEO OF THE WHOLE PROCESS AND AFTERMATH

Thanks to Dani at Whole Beauty Institute for collaborating with me and providing the services for this post.

xoxo ela