The Deets on Microneedling with PRP

Last updated: October 30, 2023

In an effort to rid my skin of winter dullness and get my summer glow on, I scheduled a microneedling treatment with PRP and decided to document the experience for you!

What is it and why do it?

Microneedling is a cosmetic procedure that uses fine needles to repeatedly pierce the skin to create hundreds to thousands of “micro” skin punctures per second to stimulate the skin’s natural wound healing process to prompt tissue remodeling without causing scaring to the face. It is proven to induce collagen and elastin which reduces the signs of aging; skin texture, fine lines and wrinkles. This procedure is also popular for removing acne scars.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

I opted to enhance my experience by adding PRP which means my blood was drawn and the plasma was isolated and used during the microneedling session. Plasma contains proteins that support cell growth. The idea is that using PRP at the same time as microneeding will stimulate the skin to grow new, healthy cells and promote healing.

My Experince

Ok, so I am no stranger to cosmetic procedures. I am down to try just about anything in the world of beauty. That said, I was not prepared for this. The esthetician I used is tried and true… I’ve been going to her for 5 years for most of my med-spa treatments. She’s an RN and is very knowledgeable. She drew my blood and put some numbing cream on my face and gave it 30 minutes to set while she went and spun my blood or whatever they do with it after they take it to separate the platelets. She came back, removed the numbing cream and got to work.

The device that was used was Skin Pen, which was the first FDA microneedling device in the world. It has 14 medical grade needles ranging from .25 mm – 2.25 mm. To give you an idea of the depth, a nickel is almost 2 mm.

She started on my forehead and made her way down, spending a few minutes in each area. Now, before I get into this experience, you should know that I said some silly things right before she got started, such as, “Put it to it!”, and “Let’s make sure I get the biggest bang for my buck!”. She told me she would be aggressive and to let her know if she needed to decrease it at anytime. So she started and boy oh boy, she definitely put it to it, just like I told her to. I don’t know what else to say except that it hurt. I asked her what depth she had it on my forehead and she told me it was at .75. I could feel her adding the PRP as she went, stamping it into my skin with the Skin Pen. She made her way down to under my eyes which just about brought me to tears and I was tempted to tell her to tone it down but it didn’t last too terribly long. I gritted through as she made her way around my nose and when she got to my jaw, I relaxed as this was not painful at all due to the skin being so thick there. I could have done that part all day. She worked her way down my neck and then it was done. The whole thing only lasted about 30 minutes. She used a medical grade cleanser to remove everything and gave me a treatment to use later that nigh. I was instructed not to wash my face until the next morning or wear makeup until day two. I was also told to just use gentle cleanser and moisturizer over the next five days while my skin healed… no exfoliants or vitamin A (retinol).

I made my way to the lounge/locker/shower area to get my things and let me tell you. My skin was on FIRE. I wanted to just plunge my face in ice cold water and was thinking I couldn’t wait to get in the car to blast the air conditioner on my face. When I looked in the mirror, I have to say that I was fully surprised. I had not expected such a dramatic reaction.

The good news is this did clear up quickly over the next coupes of days. I have some progress photos for you!

As you can see, the part that took the longest to heal was under the eyes which was not surprising for me given how much it hurt!

Now here I am one week later and completely healed. I have to say that my skin is noticeably more radiant. Kris told me my face looked “glowy”. It looks as though I have just washed my face and used an intense hydrating serum. These results are supposed to last around six months. For someone who is prone to dull and dry skin, this is a welcome change!

Would I do it again?

I would probably do this again. I am really loving how radiant my skin is… I would make sure to do this at a time I could kind of hide out for at least three days to give my face time to heal. I say probably because it’s not the cheapest treatment and I am not a rich person so I have to sparingly choose which treatments I do. If I had an unlimited budget, I would do this every 6-8 months. But because my budget is limited, I likely won’t do this one again for around 18 months or so. Maybe you’re thinking I’m crazy to do this again based on my experience, but keep in mind, I did specifically ask her to be aggressive! If you decide to do it, your skins reaction may not be as dramatic as mine, especially if you are going to someone who doesn’t know you as well as my esthetician knows me. I don’t consider myself someone who has sensitive skin, so I am fairly certain my reaction was due to the depth of the needles which can be adjusted significantly!

Hopefully this leaves you with more than you knew about microneedling with PRP before you started! Feel free to drop me a comment on you’re beauty treatments… happy beautifying!