Microneedling 101 – Building more collagen for my skin with Dermapen

Dermapen treatment gifted
by Kosmetologi Noora Kangasmaa

Dermapen Microneedling

 

For the longest of time, I was against microneedling. Making tiny holes in the skin just seemed like a scary idea. But then again, there’s the saying: “no pain, no gain”. Before I get more muscle, my muscles hurt a bit after a workout. Before the beautiful glowy skin, my facial might sting a little bit.

Besides, now that I’ve actually read about the treatment and started to see some results myself, I’m turned. You can consider me a microneedling fan. Microneedling done by a professional is safe and really effective. And by now, you probably know I’m all about effective facials (though I do enjoy the traditional facial with a long massage too).

Skin Before Microneedling
My bare skin before microneedling.

 

The what and how  – Microneedling in a nutshell

The idea behind microneedling is to help your skin to build more collagen. This is done by penetrating the skin with tiny needles. The sterile device makes tiny holes (also known as microchannels) to the skin and your skin reacts to that by repairing itself and that boosts the collagen production.

If you want a more in-depth explanation, I recommend reading this Dermapen article.

Dermapen microneedling is effective in treating different scars (such as from acne or stretch marks), pigmentation or wrinkles. Overall it results in healthier, more even-looking skin.

Microneedling dermapen
The Dermapen microneedling pen.

My skin personally has gone through a lot. I’ve dealt with acne and different medications, hormonal changes and just the fact that I live in Finland. I have acne scars, big pores and my skin tone could be smoother. So anything I can do to make my skin more even colored and textured – sign me up!

My experience with the Dermapen treatment

Dermapen treatment is one of the best and safest microneedling treatment there is. The device is pen shaped and makes the holes vertically, instead of a roll, which has more of a risk to hurt the skin. So the so called “trauma” to the skin is more controlled.

This is why Dermapen was my choice too. I’ve now had the treatment a few times and I’m in love.

The facial itself is quite quick, but so effective. It takes about an hour. Basically your skin is just cleansed, microneedled (hah, what a verb!) and masked. Before and during the microneedling, a serum chosen for your skintype, is used. The mask in the end soothes the skin and is very lovely.

Noora Kangasmaa Kosmetologi Dermapen

Now  – does microneedling hurt? Not really, in my opinion. I was very nervous the first time it was done, but Noora started the treatment very carefully and made sure I was okay. Turns out it just feels like some tingling or scratching on the face. It’s hard to describe it. To my surprise, it actually feels oddly satisfying. I even find it relaxing.

Afterwards my skin feels very tight and a bit hot. That’s where the soothing mask really helps. After that, after I leave the salon, I feel fine. Redness is normal, but in my case, it’s really quite mild. I can go on with my day without looking like a lobster. And at the end of the day basically all the redness is gone.

It’s normal a few days after the treatment for your skin to feel dry and peel off a bit. Your skin is renewing. It settles for in about a week. But again, in my opinion, this is nothing crazy either.

You can even wear makeup the next day after the treatment.

My skin after Dermapen

After now having the treatment three times, already I can see my skin looking better. It’s slightly more even, healthier looking and glowy. I can’t wait to share my full experience after being done with the series of the facials (we do it one more time to really battle some deep scarring I have). Before and after photos are coming!

 

I’m very excited to have found yet again another spectacular treatment that is an investment to my skin.
Truly! I’m telling you, you need to try microneedling.

A video of the treatment can be found here.

 

Using the code ‘Charlotta’, you’ll get your first microneedling treatment for 125€. Normal price is 150€, so quite a nice save. The discount is valid for the time being.  Book your visit here. You’ll also find her on timma.

At Noora’s beauty salon.

Have you tried Dermapen?

 

A timeout from the real world – Niki Newd Signature Facial

relaxing in Niki Newd Facial

Collaboration with Evergreen Salon / the facial was gifted to me

 

A while back when I wrote about Niki Newd and their basically edible products, I asked you this: Do you really know what you’re putting on your skin? As in: can you read the ingredient list and understand it.

Well, now I’m asking you this: do you really know what your beauty therapist is putting on your skin? And I can almost bet you don’t. Maybe you’re dreading of going to a facial, especially if your skin is sensitive. You’re nervous of your skin reacting to something. Because let’s face it: a lot of different products go onto the skin in a short period of time.

That is exactly why I wanted to try out the Niki Newd Signature facial. It’s a completely new take on facials. It’s not about some new fancy machine. It’s about the basics. You get the fresh natural ingredients, fresh natural scents and effective yet gentle results.

And at the same time, this facial offers the greatest luxury of all: relaxation.

Niki Newd Signature Facial Review

I went to my appointment on a Monday, after a particularly rough weekend (mentally). Time seemed to slow down, when I stepped into the salon. The atmosphere was calm and inviting. I almost started to do new decoration plans in my head while taking in the beautiful interior design. There were candles burning in the corners and a soothing music playing in the background.

At this point I pinched myself: do I really get to do this as a part of my job? (Well, rarely, so I made sure to really enjoy it!)

What does the Niki Newd Signature Facial include?

The Niki Newd Signature Facial contains gentle skin cleansing with oat and yogurt, honey-lemon exfoliation, fresh mask customized for your skintype, a long and possibly the best facial massage you’ll ever get and as a bonus, you get a hand massage while the mask is doing its magic. You’ll also get to experience refreshing cucumber water and coconut milk on your face. Spoiler alert: it all feels and smells amazing.

It’s also possible to get facial extractions included in the facial. I chose this option, since my skin had some clogged pores. Riikka also managed to treat some very deep pimples I have on my jaw, the very last remains of my acne. Extracting a pimple never feels good, but it hurt less than it usually does and my face didn’t get as red as it usually gets from that.

I’m not sure what I expected from the treatment, but I left floating with happiness and relaxation. All time stopped when I lay on the bed and took in the natural scents of the products.

That’s another thing about this facial: everything smells extra good, because it’s fresh. The scents are basically from food, so you’ll recognize them and there’s something very nice about that. I’m a bit sensitive to synthetic scents and here I didn’t have to worry about that.

What results did I get from the facial?

I left from the appointment with a soft, visibly clean and glowy skin. I actually felt beautiful, even though there were a few red spots, where Riikka extracted pimples. I got rid of some blackheads and pimples, which had been bothering me a while. It always feels so refreshing getting your skin really cleansed. And frankly: I do want to get those kind of results when going to a facial. And finally, as I’ve now mentioned several times (but I can’t say it enough), I felt lighter leaving the salon. I felt calm and happy. Ready for a new week. And okay, already a little addicted to this particular facial.

Being a beauty therapist myself, I could feel that Riikka has done this a long time and the way she applied the products and massaged my face was impeccable. There really was nothing for me to do, except relax and just enjoy.

As I lay there and wondered how I was gonna tell you about this treatment, all I thought was: everyone should try this at least once. I can guarantee you won’t regret it. And: I should book another appointment for the winter.

If you appreciate the fresh natural ingredients and you’d like to leave from your facial 100% relaxed and with a glowy skin – this treatment is for you.

Niki Newd Signature Facial 120-155€ | Evergreen Salon

Evergreen
Mechelininkatu 15
Helsinki 00100

phone 044 9714964
Online booking

If you’re interested about food grade ingredients and how they work in skincare, check out this post about Niki Newd products. I’m still to this day using the Oat soap, which is my secret to a balanced skin. There’s also a nice code for a gift, if you end up ordering something.

 

 

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