By Kindra Ellsworth of Esthetics by Kindra
Have you ever looked at your skin and envisioned it as a visual map of the many fits of laughter you’ve experienced, or the seasons of stress, or that time you ate an entire tub of ice cream?
Okay, perhaps you haven’t thought about it in that much detail, but, it benefits you to start looking at your skin through this lens because as you’ll learn in the paragraphs that follow, your skin is like a story.
Everyday your skin is absorbing the surrounding outside world — sunlight, water, skincare products, human touch — it’s the body’s largest and most sensitive organ, but if the underlying storyline of your overall health and wellbeing is one of neglect or lack, your skin will visibly share that story.
Maybe you went tanning with baby oil too much in your 20’s, and you have the sunspots to show for it.
Or maybe you were a “picker” and relentlessly picked at a breakout, leaving you with pigmentation as a non-friendly reminder.
Or maybe you’re sporting those battle scars your babies blessed you with, and as much as you love those babies, you could personally do without the stretch marks.
Thankfully, there are treatments, such as microneedling, that we can do to correct and improve the visible effects of our stories that we’d rather not see on a daily basis, however, there are some important caveats.
But first, what is microneedling?
If we had to pick one treatment to significantly improve your skin by feeding it and giving it the tools to repair itself, that treatment would be microneedling.
Microneedling, or Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), uses extremely fine point needles to penetrate into the skin and create micro channels that spur a controlled injury response to the skin.
This response then triggers the wound healing response that stimulates the deeper layers of your skin and signals for the release of growth factors that produce collagen and elastin, which can improve fine lines and wrinkles, even out skin texture and tone, reduce pigmentation, and reawaken tired and dull skin.
The results from these powerful healing responses peak at around two weeks after your initial treatment, and will continue to cumulatively build and grow with multiple treatments.
When you choose to go the route of CIT treatments, you’re making the choice of progression and long-term satisfaction over short-term instant gratification.
Clinical studies have proven CIT treatments to be more effective than ablative laser therapy treatments, and that’s not just because of the results from CIT, but also because CIT builds new skin and encourages your skin to heal itself, rather than thinning it out over time compared to other treatments.
So, back to the story of your skin…where does that come into play?
Well, if you’re looking to improve some of those visible signs of your skin’s past, it critical to understand that healing the skin from within starts on a cellular level and requires a whole-istic approach starting with these two critical recommendations from your esthetician:
1 - Proper Skincare - Drugstore skin care doesn’t accomplish or perform the same job as professional grade skincare.
Whether it’s the formulation of ingredients, potency of ingredients, or ensuring that you’re using the right products for your skin, prior to microneedling, you’ll want to review your product regimen with your esthetician.
They will be able to provide you a customized regimen with the proper professional products that not only prime your skin for your CIT/microneedling treatments, but help to topically boost your results and help your skin heal after treatment.
2 - Overall Health and Well-Being - Think of your skin as a garden, and CIT as planting the seeds of you want to grow in your garden.
If you don’t provide the proper nutrients to the soil prior to planting, water and tend to your plants consistently, and have patience for your plants to grow, then you’re likely not going to reap any returns.
As we’ve already mentioned, part of providing the right nutrients and tending is through professional grade skincare, however, it’s also crucial to eat a clean diet with whole foods, low sugar intake, little to no processed foods, and a lot of water to achieve the results you ultimately want for your skin both short-term and long-term.
Additionally, mental and physical wellness (i.e. - low stress levels, consistent exercise to invite better circulation and boost immunity) work to lower and keep inflammation in the body at bay and accelerate the body’s healing response, which is beneficial for seeing optimal results from your microneedling treatments.
When you take care of your overall well-being and invest in your health, the benefits are exponential, but if we’re looking at improving some of the visible stories on your skin, wellness is worth the work for the optimal results you’ll experience post-CIT/microneedling treatment.
All this to say, the story of your skin, and how you want to share it is totally up to you.
You may look at your laugh lines and smile as they reflect years of happiness and joy, and your scars might provide a powerful symbol reminding you of your strength.
Just because micro-needling can reduce the visibility of these chapters of your story doesn’t mean you should erase them, the story of your skin is yours to tell however you wish, but if it's holding you back from feeling self-confident or letting your inner glow shine forth, know that you’ve got options to re-write your story.
To find a certified CIT/microneedling esthetic professional near you, visit the CIT Pen Provider map.
About Kindra
Kindra is the founder of Esthetics by Kindra where she offers services including Lash Extensions, Facials, CIT, Waxing, and Lash Lift and Tints to help her clients not only feel great, but provide the safe space for them to relax and renew.
Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.