Microneedling

Fine sterile needles create thousands of microscopic channels in the dermis. Each one is a controlled injury that your skin responds to with its normal wound-healing cascade — inflammation, proliferation, then remodeling — the end product of which is new collagen and elastin laid down in the treated area.

That remodeling phase takes weeks, which is why a single session gives you a temporary glow rather than a structural change. Real texture improvement is cumulative: each pass adds collagen, and the visible difference shows up somewhere around the third session.

Nothing stays in your skin. There is no product, no filler, no toxin — the improvement is entirely your own tissue rebuilding. For patients who are not ready for injectables, or who want to improve skin quality alongside them, that is the appeal.

Microneedling performs well on enlarged-looking pores, rough or uneven texture, fine lines, and shallow atrophic acne scarring — particularly rolling and boxcar scars. It also improves overall firmness modestly over a full series.

It is less effective on deep ice-pick scars, significant pigmentation, and vascular redness. Pigment and tone respond better to a fractional laser such as LaseMD; deep scars often need subcision or a more aggressive resurfacing approach.

It does not tighten meaningfully loose skin and it does not replace volume. If your concern is descent or deflation rather than skin quality, this is not the treatment that will satisfy you, and we will say so.

Sessions are $500, or $450 for members, and one base skin treatment is included monthly with Skin Club membership. Salmon DNA can be added for $200 ($180 for members) — polynucleotides driven through freshly opened channels, which patients tend to notice most in hydration and calmness of the skin.

We pair every treatment with topicals chosen for your skin rather than a fixed protocol. What goes on immediately after matters: open channels absorb dramatically more, which is an advantage with the right serum and a problem with the wrong one. Nothing fragranced, no active acids, no random product from your bag.

Plan on three to six sessions spaced four weeks apart, then maintenance every three to six months. Numbing cream is applied for about 20-30 minutes beforehand; most patients describe the treatment itself as a strong vibration with some heat around the forehead and jaw.

These three cover the skin category and patients regularly cross-shop them. Microneedling is mechanical — it is the best value for texture, pores, and shallow scarring, and it works on all skin tones with a low risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

LaseMD is thermal and fractional at $750 ($675 for members). It outperforms microneedling on pigmentation, sun damage, and overall clarity, and produces a faster visible glow. If your primary complaint is tone rather than texture, start there.

BioRePeel at $450 ($350 for members) is the lowest-commitment option: chemical, no visible peeling, no downtime, and good for brightness and maintenance between more substantial treatments. It is not a replacement for a collagen-building series.

Many patients alternate. A common plan is a microneedling series for texture, then LaseMD once or twice a year for clarity, with BioRePeel in between for events.

Expect redness resembling a mild sunburn for 12-24 hours, occasionally with light flaking on day two or three. Most patients are presentable the next morning and comfortable in makeup after 24 hours.

For the first 24 hours: no makeup, no exercise, no saunas, and no active skincare — no retinoids, acids, or vitamin C. Use a bland moisturizer and mineral sunscreen. Sun protection for the following week is not optional; new collagen forming under unprotected skin is how you end up with pigment.

We postpone treatment for active acne cystic flares, any active infection or cold sore, recent isotretinoin use, and during pregnancy. A history of keloid scarring warrants a conversation before we proceed.