Everything you need to know about Dermapen at Skin Renewal
Everything you need to know about Dermapen at Skin Renewal
My decision to have a series of Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatments at Skin Renewal has attracted some criticism, scepticism, and even some ‘envyism’, but one positive aspect that emerged during my journey is the awareness it has raised for people who suffer from debilitating skin conditions that can be treated with a series of Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatments.
My reasons for trying the Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatments were purely cosmetic, but I’ve subsequently discovered that they can address, and possibly correct, more serious conditions. I’m not qualified to advise people if the treatments are appropriate for their medical issues, but I can answer some of the most popular questions people have asked me. I’ve summarised them into the 5 Ps of Dermapen Skin Needling.
Dermapen Skin Needling at a Glance
The Dermapen uses multiple needles that pierce the skin vertically with minimal pain compared to traditional Dermaroller rejuvenation. The Dermapen skin rejuvenation treatment has great results and there appears to be much less epidermal damage. The automatic, high-speed vibrating function of the Dermapen increases the effectiveness of the treatment by rapidly creating multiple insertions, quickly and clinically, dramatically reducing pain and discomfort for the patient.
www.skinrenewal.co.za
The 5 Ps of Dermapen Skin Needling
~ Pain
~ Price
~ Procedure
~ Products
~ Pleasure
The procedure may sound gruesome and look graphic, but it truly is painless. It feels more like a gentle vibration than a stabbing penetration. I found it quite pleasant.
Pre-treatment: your skin is cleansed, disinfected, and massaged for twenty minutes with an anesthetic cream. It feels like a pampering facial that numbs your skin and calms your mind. If you’re feeling anxious beforehand it also helps you to relax and unwind.
Post-treatment: after the anesthetic has worn off – and it wears off fast, your skin will feel hot and sensitive. It feels like an extreme sunburn in that it’s not pleasant but it is not unbearable either.
~ Price
The Dermapen skin needling with Skin Renewal’s Hyaluronic Acid and Peptides is R1,650 for face and neck . If ladies want to add the décolleté, the additional price is R1,950. It is advised that you have six to eight treatments for maximum effect. It is a financial consideration but the results speak for themselves – and are totally worth it.
If you are accustomed to spending several hundred on your skincare a month, consider budgeting for fewer facials and cheaper skincare products because the Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatments will deliver results beyond expectation.
Obviously great skincare products and a consistent regime will enhance your results but the process is so effective in it’s own right that you can afford to let your products take a backseat for a while.
I did have a moment of skepticism about a month after my first treatment if it was really working – I was looking at my skin in the mirror and trying to establish if I was satisfied with the results. I still had noticeable pores, some lines around my eyes, but I realized that my skin’s overall tone and texture was as if I had just had a facial: fresher, tighter & brighter. I was ready to write out my next cheque.
I think it is important to mention this to everyone because it can be very frustrating for you (and your doctor) if you have unrealistic expectations – it is a non-surgical treatment, not a face-lift. Nobody notices the subtle changes in their hair, skin or body over time, but be aware of your skin’s progress. The changes are neither dramatic or overnight but subtle and profound. I did notice a significant improvement after the second treatment, and an even greater improvement after the third treatment.
~ Procedure
The procedure obviously begins with a consultation, but before you book a consultation, do your research. I googled (always a wealth of authoritative opinion, said no one ever!) every positive and negative review that I could find before I decided I wanted to take the next step by consulting a professional.
Skin Renewal was always my destination of choice; I’ve interviewed Skin Renewal’s CEO, Victor Snyders, so was very familiar with their work and their website, so when I found myself referencing their website for additional information it became an automatic decision to contact them for a consultation. They also feature all their doctors so you can make an appointment who you feel comfortable with.
My doctor really impressed me during our consultation because he was confident about what results he could achieve without sounding like a sales pitch. It was more like an open discussion about all my options without any pressure to commit. I also liked the fact that we shared similar opinions about skincare, rejuvenation procedures for men, and lifestyle in general.
I only had one reservation: I’m a 45 year old man – and I still want to look like a 45 year old man … only better. I did not want to look like a drag queen, a soap opera star, or my worst nightmare, someone who looks like they’ve been scarred by obsessive plastic surgery. My doctor was quick to re-assure me that Skin Renewal appreciates the different expectations that men and women have when it comes to skin rejuvenation – and that I won’t be left with a face rendered immovable or unrecognizable. I will look like myself, only better.
My doctor was equally upfront about why I was so determined to pursue such an extreme treatment considering he’d recommended milder topical applications (again, not another sales pitch!), and I responded that I intend to blog about it. Everyone blogs about facials, but I wanted to blog about something … extreme. Skin Renewal said they’d rather I blog about them.
The Actual Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy Procedure (Step by step)
The Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatment begins with Lamelle’s Correctives RA Cream. This anti-aging cream gives Dermapen Skin Needling and Transdermal Mesotherapy treatments a head-start.
RA cream is a unique blend of modern emollients, sage extract, L-serine amino acids, hyaluronic acid and a patented retinoic acid analog indicated for the preparation of remodelling and restoring photo-damaged and intrinsically aged skin as a nightly application. For an individual who has clinical signs of photo-aged or intrinsically aged skin, we can talk about the key changes that RA cream can bring about in both the epidermis and dermis. RA cream will ‘Clean Out” the damage to make way for the powerful re-building of Dermaheal skin speciἀc growth factors. RA cream gets the skin back in shape and ‘prepared’ to be fixed.
www.lamelle.co.za
I used Lamelle’s Correctives RA Cream as a night cream because retinoids have been associated with photosensitivity. It is a pleasure to use because it absorbs effortlessly without leaving your skin feeling greasy. I was relieved to discover that it didn’t cause to my skin to peel or flake, but rather boosted density and clarity. It’s a very good product to consider even if you’re not contemplating Dermapen. Don’t underestimate the efficacy of Lamelle’s Correctives RA Cream. It is a powerful product, despite it’s apparent gentleness, so using a broad-spectrum sunblock is not only recommended, it’s mandatory.
I was advised to discontinue using the product three days prior to my Dermapen treatment. I could resume it again three days after my Dermapen treatment.
Believe it or not, the Dermapen treatment is quite pleasant because it feels more like a facial than a medical procedure. A therapist will double cleanse your skin before using a disinfectant to minimise any possibility of infection. An anesthetizing cream is then massaged into your skin for 20 minutes – what bliss – to ensure that your treatment is as comfortable as possible. The cleansing and massaging left me feeling pampered and prepped for the Dermapen.
The Dermapen looks somewhat like a dentist’s drill and sounds like a sewing machine, so one can feel a bit anxious, but instead of feeling a piercing sensation, it felt more like a vibration. The settings can also be adjusted according to your comfort level and the thickness of your skin. I was completely relaxed throughout my treatment. The sensation is minimal over fleshier parts of your face, but the vibrations can feel amplified over the bonier areas of your face such as the forehead and bridge of your nose. I never expected that the Dermapen could be used around my eyes, but it was taken right under my lower eyelashes and under my brow-bone without any discomfort. My doctor and I bantered throughout the treatment.
Post-treatment: Your skin is treated to a post-recovery serum and slathered in sunblock.
The anesthetic wears off faster than what you would like – alarmingly fast – and you will have fantasies about blanching your face in a bucket of ice-water, but it feels no worse than a severe sunburn, and you will survive. Best thing to do is resign yourself to an afternoon nap and resist the urge to scratch – although, after two of my treatments I was required to attend last-minute meetings that I couldn’t excuse myself from.
Interestingly, your skin does acclimatize to the treatment very quickly.
My first treatment was the worst (if I can say that), by the second day I was quite sensitive, but by the 3rd day I was back at work as normal. I even shaved!
The second day, after my second treatment, my skin was barely sensitive, and back to normal by the third day.
I never experienced any sensitivity on the second day after my third treatment although there was some mild pinkness and dead skin build build-up.
After all treatments I was reminded not to wash my face on the same day – your skin is very vulnerable and you need to allow the post-treatment recovery serum to help aid recovery, and also to be extra vigiliant about avoiding sunlight.
I was also prescribed Lamelle’s Professional Barrier Repair Cream for post-treatment home care for three days after my Dermapen treatment. It is a highly soothing cream created to avoid irritating sensitive skin.
~ Products
Some people are concerned that they will have to change their lifestyle and skincare routine after a Dermapen treatment. Fortunately, you don’t have to because the treatment is a non-invasive surgical treatment, so downtime is minimal / optional.
With the exception of using Lamelle’s Correctives RA Cream and Professional Barrier Repair Cream, and using a stronger sunblock, I didn’t have to make any changes to my routine. I’m a self-confessed product junkie who has a wardrobe filled with products, and I’m always experimenting with new products, but I could use whatever I liked with the exception of the three days pre / post-treatment.
The real challenge was finding a sunblock that I liked. I have an oily T-panel, so sunblock is my worst nightmare, but using a moisturiser with built-in sunblock didn’t offer enough protection. My doctor recommended Heliocare’s 360 Gel Oil-Free because it is formulated with powerful antioxidants and actives which prevent and repair sun damage. I just liked it because it was matte.
You will notice three or four days after your Dermapen treatment that your skin feels tight and “crusted”, because your skin’s cellular turnover is super-charged and pushing dead skin cells to the surface. You will need (or want) to exfoliate. I used a mechanical exfoliant the first time, but was advised to use a chemical exfoliant to shift the dead skin cell. I liked Dermaquest’s Dermaclear BHA Cleanser because it doubles as a daily cleanser and an exfoliating mask.
My evening routine was simply to double cleanse and tone before applying Lamelle’s Correctives RA Cream as a night cream as prescribed.
~ Pleasure
Okay, the Dermapen treatment borders between being pleasant and unpleasant, but the results are phenomenal!
I mentioned that the results are subtle and profound, but the best part is that they are cumulative too. You’re probably not going to notice a change on a daily basis, but every now and again you’ll catch yourself off guard in the mirror and wonder what happened to your skin that it looks so great … and you’ll credit it to Dermapen.
Just in case you’re skeptical, Skin Renewal does take photographs of your skin before and after treatments to document your results. I don’t need to see those photographs because I can see the results for myself. In fact, one benefit that I noticed following my second Dermapen treatment is that my skin photographed better because tighter skin reflects light better. I’m not saying that I looked better, or different, just that my skin glowed. An additional (indirect) benefit of the Dermapen is that I’ve become better informed about how to look after my skin. I avoid harsh skincare products, always use sunblock, and have made some positive lifestyle changes.
The best compliment is when people you know ask you what you’re doing differently to your skin, because they can see a difference, but they don’t know what … I’ve been asked if I’ve had Botox, fillers, or a peel, but the truth is that I’ve done nothing stranger than Dermapen – which is not that strange when you consider that Dermapen is a non-invasive, medical procedure that delivers measurable results. It is suitable for all skin types but best to seek medical advice to ascertain your expectations and options.
Should you consider Dermapen?
Your Call.
Am I doing Dermapen again?
My secret!
