Microneedling in Toronto

Both treatments use fine needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin, triggering a collagen response. RF microneedling adds radiofrequency energy delivered through the needles at a precise depth in the dermis. The thermal effect amplifies the collagen response and reaches deeper than the needles alone, which makes RF microneedling significantly more effective for deeper concerns: atrophic acne scars, stretch marks, established skin laxity, and texture changes that surface microneedling barely affects. Classic microneedling is gentler and works well for surface skin quality, glow, and fine texture. RF is more intensive, requires slightly longer recovery, and produces stronger results per session.

Most clients need three to six sessions spaced four to six weeks apart. The exact count depends on what's being treated. Surface texture and overall skin quality improvements can show meaningfully after three sessions. Acne scarring usually needs five to eight sessions for significant change. Stretch marks often need six to ten sessions. Deeper skin tightening with RF microneedling typically responds to four to six. Sessions are spaced to allow each round of collagen remodelling to complete before the next is triggered. Treating closer together than four weeks doesn't speed results; it just adds inflammation without giving the skin time to respond.

Topical anaesthetic cream is applied for 30 to 45 minutes before treatment, which numbs the skin significantly. Most clients describe the sensation during classic microneedling as buzzing or vibration with brief moments of tenderness, particularly along the jaw and over bone. RF microneedling adds a warm pulsing sensation as the energy is delivered. Discomfort varies by area: cheeks and forehead are typically easy; the upper lip, around the nose, and over the orbital bone are more sensitive. The full treatment is generally manageable without further numbing, but if the consultation flagged sensitivity, additional numbing options can be arranged.

Larger area treatments (full face plus neck, full face plus chest, or body areas like the abdomen for stretch marks) cost more. Course packages of three to six sessions usually offer a 10 to 20 per cent discount versus per-session pricing. At Lucie Mé, the specific cost for the areas and type of microneedling appropriate for your skin is discussed at the complimentary consultation. The same session price range applies across both clinics. There is.

Classic microneedling produces redness similar to a mild sunburn for 24 to 48 hours, sometimes with very light pinpoint dryness or flaking around days three to five. Most clients return to normal social activity within two days. RF microneedling produces slightly more redness initially and may show small visible dots at the injection sites for two to four days, particularly on first treatment. Heavier moisturiser, sunscreen, and avoiding active skincare ingredients (retinoids, exfoliants, acids) for five to seven days after is standard. Avoid direct sun exposure for the first week to ten days; the skin is in a heightened healing state and over-sun exposure can cause pigmentation.

Microneedling significantly improves most acne scarring but rarely erases it completely. The realistic outcome is a 50 to 80 per cent improvement in scar visibility after a full course of five to eight RF microneedling sessions. Rolling and boxcar scars respond best because the scar tissue can be broken down and rebuilt. Very deep ice-pick scars sometimes need additional approaches like TCA CROSS or punch excision combined with microneedling. The consultation is where realistic expectations are set; photographs make the change much clearer than memory does, particularly across a course where each individual session's improvement is gradual.

Yes, particularly with RF microneedling. Stretch marks are essentially scars in the dermis, and RF microneedling can break down the scar tissue while stimulating new collagen in the treated area. Newer (red or purple) stretch marks respond better than older (white) ones because the active tissue is still being remodelled by the body. Most clients need six to ten sessions for significant improvement on stretch marks; the area determines how much can be treated per session. Abdomen, thighs, and breasts are the most common areas. As with scarring, the realistic outcome is significant fading and texture improvement, not complete erasure.

Active inflammatory acne is usually a reason to wait or to treat the acne first. Microneedling can spread bacteria and trigger flares in skin that's currently active. Clients with moderate active acne are typically advised to address the inflammation first with appropriate skincare or medication, and then begin microneedling once the skin has stabilised, often three to six months later. Clients with occasional spots or one or two active lesions can usually proceed; the clinician will avoid treating directly over active blemishes. The honest assessment of whether your skin is ready for microneedling happens at the consultation.

Yes, microneedling is one of the few collagen-stimulating treatments considered safe across the full range of skin tones. Unlike laser-based treatments that can cause pigmentation changes in darker skin, microneedling doesn't involve heat or light at the surface, just mechanical micro-injury and (in RF microneedling) energy delivered below the surface. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is still possible but uncommon when post-treatment skincare is followed properly. For clients with melanin-rich skin, the standard advice is strict sun avoidance for two weeks after treatment and tyrosinase-inhibitor skincare ingredients (vitamin C, niacinamide, kojic acid, occasionally hydroquinone) as preventative care.

Results from a full course of microneedling last one to two years on average, with maintenance sessions extending them indefinitely. The reason microneedling results are durable is that they're your own collagen; the new collagen built in response to treatment behaves like any other collagen in your body and breaks down over time. The skin doesn't reset to where it was before treatment; the baseline is generally better. Most clients book maintenance sessions every six to twelve months after the initial course, particularly for ongoing concerns like acne-scarring or stretch marks where multiple rounds of remodelling produce the best long-term result.

Initial "glow" from microneedling is visible within a few days of the first session as the skin's surface refreshes. Texture and tone improvements develop over four to six weeks per session as new collagen builds. Significant changes in deeper concerns (scarring, stretch marks, established texture) typically require a full course of three to six sessions before the result is fully visible. Collagen remodelling continues for up to a year after the final session, so the result you see at three months is not the final result; the result at twelve months is. Photographs at consultation and at intervals make the gradual change much clearer than memory does.

Yes, microneedling combines well with most other skincare treatments. Common combinations: microneedling plus PRP (the platelet-rich plasma is applied to the freshly-channelled skin for enhanced healing and collagen response, sometimes called a "vampire facial"); microneedling plus serum infusion (hyaluronic acid, growth factors, or other actives delivered through the channels for deeper penetration); microneedling between rounds of laser or chemical peel treatment for cumulative results. Some combinations are best done in the same session; others are sequenced weeks apart. The consultation is where the right combination and sequence for your skin is decided.