Resurfacing
Microneedling
Controlled micro-injury that prompts the skin to rebuild its own collagen.
Request a consultationComplimentary · no obligation to treat
Appointment
60–75 minutes
Social downtime
24–48 hours
Course
3–6 sessions
Spacing
2–6 weeks apart
In detail
Why microneedling?
What the needles actually do
Microneedling creates thousands of very small, controlled channels in the skin using fine sterile needles at a set depth. Each is a tiny, deliberate injury. The skin responds the way skin responds to any injury — by mounting a repair process that lays down new collagen and elastin.
What changes over a course
The result, over a course of treatments, is skin that is firmer, more even in texture, with refined pore appearance and softened superficial scarring. It works in the dermis rather than only on the surface, which is what separates it from a facial or a superficial peel. Lasers and other energy devices work at that level too, and are alternatives worth discussing.
Depth is the whole variable
Depth is the main variable, though not the only one — the number of passes, the device and how your skin responds all matter, and a setting is not the same as the depth actually reached. Shallow settings address surface texture and tone with minimal downtime. Deeper settings reach the level where scar tissue is remodeled, with correspondingly more redness and more days of recovery. The depth is chosen for your skin, your concern, and your tolerance for downtime — and it is not the same depth across the whole face.
Not only the face
It is also used on the neck and décolletage. Those areas age early, are almost never protected properly, and are where a treated face against an untreated neck becomes obvious. These treatment areas are discussed and consented to separately.
Two things to be clear about
Two things to be clear about. Microneedling is a course, not an appointment — three to six sessions are normal, and one session will underwhelm you. It is also genuinely better than a home dermaroller: sterile single-use cartridges, controlled and adjustable depth, a vertical stamping motion rather than dragging, and topicals that do not tear the skin.
Two ways to book it
Standard, or paired with topical PDGF and a healing mask
Standard microneedling
The treatment described above, finished with a bland barrier product. This is the right choice for texture, pores, superficial scarring and general skin quality.
Microneedling with topical PDGF and a healing mask
The same microneedling treatment, followed by two additional topical steps applied to the surface of the skin:
- Ariessence Pure PDGF+, a topical serum produced by Cellese Regenerative Therapeutics, applied immediately after microneedling. It is not injected. There is no blood draw.
- A manufacturer post-treatment healing mask, applied on top — a hydrating, soothing mask designed by the device manufacturer to be used after microneedling. It is applied to the surface, left on for the manufacturer's recommended time, and removed before you leave.
Both steps are topical. Nothing is injected in this pairing. It is offered as one option for anyone who wants to add a supportive finish to the treatment. Individual results vary and no specific outcome is promised beyond what microneedling itself does.
Which one is right for you
Neither is better in every case. The standard version is often the honest answer, and adding steps for the sake of adding steps is not the practice here. The pairing is discussed at consultation once the skin is assessed.
Who it suits
The concern this answers
- Rough or uneven textureThe single most reliable thing microneedling improves.
- Enlarged poresAppearance refined as the surrounding dermis thickens and supports them.
- Acne scarringRolling and boxcar scars respond best. Deep ice-pick scarring responds least and needs honest expectations.
- Fine linesSuperficial crepey lines, particularly around the eyes and mouth.
- Neck and décolletageWhere aging shows first and is treated last.
- Stretch marksTreated on the body over a longer course. The evidence here is thinner than for facial texture and scarring, and improvement is modest where it comes at all.
Not the right treatment if
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- You have active acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea flare or any infection in the treatment area.
- You have a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring.
- You have taken oral isotretinoin within the last six months.
- You have an active cold sore outbreak.
- You have had recent sunburn, or a fresh tan, on the area to be treated.
The appointment
What actually happens
- 01
Medical history and assessment
Your medical history is reviewed and your in-person assessment is performed at the appointment. Isotretinoin history, keloid tendency, active skin disease and cold sores all change the plan or rule it out.
- 02
Skin typing and depth planning
Your Fitzpatrick type guides the settings. Richer skin tones carry a higher risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, so depth and aggression are moderated and a pre-treatment regimen may be advised for several weeks first.
- 03
Numbing
Topical anesthetic on request, given a full twenty to thirty minutes to work. Rushing this is the main reason microneedling is described as painful.
- 04
Cleansing and sterile field
The area is thoroughly cleansed and a clean field established. A fresh, sealed, single-use cartridge is opened in front of you.
- 05
Treatment
Worked over the area in sections, depth adjusted by region — shallower around the eyes and over bone, deeper over scarred or thicker skin. Endpoint is uniform pinpoint redness, not bleeding.
- 06
Immediate aftercare, and the optional pairing
Standard session: a bland barrier product is applied once treatment is complete. Paired session: Ariessence Pure PDGF+ is applied to the surface first, then the manufacturer post-treatment healing mask is placed on top and removed before you leave. Only preparations reviewed at your assessment are used. Written aftercare, and a plan for the next session in the course.
Afterwards
Two days, then quietly better
Immediately afterwards
Immediately afterwards your skin will look as though you have a moderate sunburn — flushed, warm and tight. That is the expected endpoint. It settles substantially within twenty-four hours and is generally coverable by day two, though flushing can persist a little longer after deeper settings.
Days three to five
Days three to five often bring dryness and light flaking as the surface turns over. Do not pick the flaking and do not exfoliate it away.
What to avoid, and for how long
For twenty-four hours: no makeup, no strenuous exercise, no swimming pools, no saunas, and lukewarm water only. For five to seven days: no retinoids, no acids, no scrubs, no other exfoliation. Mineral sunscreen every morning, without exception. Freshly remodeling skin darkens easily, and sun exposure in the two weeks afterwards is the most common cause of a disappointing result.
When you will see it
Visible improvement begins around four to six weeks as new collagen matures, and accumulates across the course. Scarring in particular is a slow, cumulative result — expect meaningful change after three to four sessions rather than after one. Maintenance is typically one to two sessions a year once the course is complete.
Investment
What it costs
$650–$850
Standard microneedling · per session
Face only at the lower end; face with neck, décolletage or the back of the hands at the upper. A course of three booked together is priced below three individual sessions.
$750–$950
Microneedling with topical PDGF and a healing mask · per session
Same session, with Ariessence Pure PDGF+ and the manufacturer post-treatment healing mask added as topical finishing steps. Nothing is injected. A course of three is quoted at consultation.
Every product used is sourced only from licensed United States suppliers, arrives sealed and in date, and is traceable to its manufacturer. Concierge appointments begin at $650. Treatments quoted below that figure are booked as part of a visit rather than on their own, because a single small booking cannot carry the travel, setup and sterile breakdown that a visit to you requires. Concierge visits within the service area — Fort Worth, Dallas, Highland Park, Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson, Cleburne, Alvarado and Keene — are included. Travel beyond it needs advance approval and may carry a fee, which covers travel, setup and sterile breakdown and is disclosed in writing before the appointment is confirmed — never added afterwards.
Stated plainly
Risks and honest limits
Microneedling is a low-risk procedure performed properly, and a genuinely damaging one performed badly or on the wrong skin.
- Redness, swelling and tightness for one to two days — expected rather than a complication.
- Dryness and flaking on days three to five.
- Pinpoint bleeding at deeper settings, brief and expected in scar work.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the principal risk in richer skin tones, mitigated by conservative depth, pre-treatment preparation and strict sun avoidance.
- Infection, including bacterial infection and cold sore reactivation, which is why sterile single-use cartridges and aftercare compliance are not negotiable.
- Tram-track marking or scarring from incorrect technique, excessive depth or dragging rather than stamping.
- Granulomatous reaction to products applied into open channels — the reason only preparations intended for that use are applied during treatment, and nothing else.
Questions
What people ask
Does it hurt?
With topical numbing, requested in advance and given a proper twenty to thirty minutes, most people describe it as a vibrating, prickly sensation rather than pain. Bony areas — forehead, jaw, around the nose — are the most uncomfortable. Deeper scar settings are more intense than surface work.
How many sessions will I actually need?
Three to six, commonly two to six weeks apart. There is no single standard protocol, so the spacing is set for your skin and your response. Texture and pores often respond after three. Acne scarring usually needs the full six and sometimes more. One session will not produce the results commonly shown online.
Can I wear makeup afterwards?
Not for twenty-four hours. Skin is open in the first hours and makeup risks both infection and a reaction to pigment. Most people find day two is fine.
Is it safe on darker skin?
It is often preferred over laser resurfacing in richer skin tones, and that preference is well founded. It is not risk-free. Post-inflammatory pigmentation is the principal complication reported in the literature, and some authorized devices were not studied in darker skin types. Settings are moderated, a preparatory regimen may be advised for several weeks beforehand, and sun protection afterwards is strict rather than optional.
Why not just use a dermaroller at home?
Home rollers drag rather than stamp, cannot be genuinely sterilized, blunt quickly, and cannot reach the depth where remodeling happens. Blunt needles dragged across skin tear it. This is one of the few areas where the professional version is not merely a better version of the same thing.
When should I book relative to an event?
At least two weeks before. Never the week of.
Begin with a conversation
Because this is a course rather than a single appointment, the consultation sets out how many sessions your concern realistically needs and what each one will cost before you commit to any of it.
Complimentary · no obligation to treat