Barbara Esler, Beauty Therapy Lecturer at the Northern Regional College, tried out our Dermapen Facial and gave us her thoughts in this honest review.

The Dermapen Facial is an advanced skincare treatment that uses micro-needling to achieve amazing results. But what is micro-needling?

It’s time for the science bit!

Micro-needling is one of the hottest skincare treatments right now.

Also known as Collagen Induction Therapy, it isn’t new, and it isn’t a fad. In fact, Dermatologists have been using the procedure for decades to treat scarring. It’s also an effective treatment to reduce the appearance of stretchmarks, pigmentation, and fine lines, as well as improving overall skin rejuvenation.

Micro-needling involves using tiny (micro) needles to puncture the skin and create tiny channels.

This stimulates your skin’s natural healing ability by tricking it into creating more collagen and elastin, which results in plumper skin and softened scars.

Initially, I wasn’t too excited about the prospect of having tiny needles puncture my skin, but having worked in the beauty industry for the last 30 years I understand the skin and how this could be beneficial, so when I was recently invited to Catherine’s Beauty Boutique in Ballymena to try out the procedure, I was happy to give it a go.

Unlike the traditional roller style tool that some salons use, Catherine explained that for her treatment she uses a Dermapen.

The benefit of the Dermapen over the roller is that it makes smaller and much more precise punctures into the skin, whereas the roller has a flick and tear affect that can cause bleeding and epidermal damage.

The Dermapen on the other hand is less painful and has virtually no down-time.

After Catherine carried out a thorough consultation and skin analysis, she selected the appropriate serum to use in conjunction with the Dermapen, explaining that the oscillating needle head creates two micro channels in the skin to achieve two outcomes:

1. To cause minor trauma to the skin to prompt its natural healing process and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, to improve the skin’s texture, health, and appearance.
2. The micro channels allow the Mesotherapy vitamin-rich serum to penetrate more deeply into the skin. Catherine’s Beauty Boutique use specially formulated and prescribed Hyaluronic Serum to hydrate and plump the skin, which is partnered with a vitamin infusion selected depending on your desired outcomes.

I had the Vitamin C and Green Tea infusion, but others are available based on the needs of your skin and Catherine’s recommendation. A collagen gel was also applied to my skin immediately after the treatment, which had a cooling, plumping, and tightening effect.

My Thoughts

Although I winced a couple of times when the treatment went over the bony area of my forehead, apparently this is the most painful area and the best bit to get out of the way first, I later relaxed and much to my surprise did not feel any real pain or discomfort when the other areas of my neck and face were done.

I expected my face to feel and look red raw after the treatment, but was surprised that it felt a little more like sunburn. Catherine had explained this to me during the consultation. It was a feeling of radiating heat and tightness. After a couple of hours though, it was only a little tender when I touched my face, and I wasn’t conscious of any pain at all.

I was also expecting my skin to look like a pin cushion, and have blood spots all over it, but again I was surprised to find that the micro-needle puncture marks were barely visible.

Over the next two or three days my skin felt a little gritty, tender to touch, and was a little red in some areas, but I followed Catherine’s aftercare advice and my skincare and makeup routine was totally manageable.

Within a couple of days after the treatment, and right up until now (2-3 weeks later):

My skin looks and feels noticeably fresher, brighter, and more youthful, and my makeup is applying better and staying on for longer too.

With this result after just one treatment of the recommended four, I will definitely be continuing the process. For me, I now know how my skin reacts, so I will book the treatment for when I don’t have any immediate plans, as I personally needed 4-5 days for my skin to calm down and for me to start seeing the benefits.

If you have any of the following skin concerns: fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring, pigmentation, or if you just want to give your skin a real boost, this treatment is worth trying.

I highly recommend Catherine’s Beauty Boutique and the Dermapen Facial.

Contact Us for more information on this treatment, or to book a consultation.