Our bodies are constantly renewing themselves through the destruction of old tissue and construction of new tissue. As we age, however, our body can’t construct new tissue as well as it once did. Our skin is one visible example of this age-related decline in construction and renewal.
When we’re young, our skin renews itself approximately every month. The deepest layer of the epidermis — the stratum basale — is mostly comprised of keratinocytes and is responsible for renewing the skin. Keratinocytes produce keratin, the protein that protects your skin from chemical products and bacteria. Keratinocytes slowly migrate from the basal layer up toward your skin’s surface, dividing and changing as they go.
At the outermost layer of the epidermis — the stratum corneum — the dead skin cells are constantly being shed as new cells replace them. The movement of skin cells from the basal layer up to the top layer takes about 28 days, so your skin cells replace themselves monthly. As you age, skin cell turnover slows. As a result, dead skin cells build up on the skin’s surface, making skin look duller.
When you age, collagen production decreases and your skin’s ability to repair collagen and elastin decreases, resulting in wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Young skin has thick bundles of tightly packed collagen while older skin has thin, loose bundles of collagen.
As you get older, there’s decreased blood flow through the dermal capillaries. Fewer nutrients reach the epidermis, leading to thinning of the epidermis, slower cell turnover rate and a reduction in the barrier function of the epidermis. These changes lead to increased water loss and dry skin. Skin cells have 30 percent less natural moisture.
Although your body doesn’t produce as much collagen as you age, it will increase production in response to damage. This is one of the key differences between young and old skin. If your body detects damage and leakage of plasma due to an injury, it will initiate the wound healing process to repair the tissue. That’s where the SkinPen micro-needling device enters the picture.
Micro-needling is a minimally invasive skin rejuvenation procedure that helps minimize the signs of aging. The SkinPen micro-needling device causes controlled micro-injuries that stimulate your body’s natural wound healing process. The micro-injuries trigger the release of cytokines and growth factors that lead to remodeling of collagen and elastin. SkinPen creates hundreds of tiny micro-channels in the skin with minimal damage to the epidermis. SkinPen disrupts the junctions between the skin cells, temporarily interfering with the skin’s barrier function.
This brief, mechanical disruption doesn’t cause the melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) in the epidermis to react by increasing pigment production and darkening the skin in a process called hyperpigmentation. Therefore, SkinPen is appropriate for darker skin. Because SkinPen doesn’t remove or damage the epidermis and doesn’t trigger the inflammatory pathway, infections and scarring are unlikely.
Your SkinPen provider will usually apply a topical anesthetic before the micro-needling procedure, making it comfortable for most people. In one study of micro-needling used to treat acne scars, the patients’ average pain rating was 1.08 out of 10. For most people, that’s probably less painful than having your eyebrows waxed.
SkinPen has minimal side effects and downtime. You may experience some slight swelling, tenderness and redness/pinkness (like a mild sunburn) lasting a few days after your SkinPen procedure. Most people can return to their normal activities and conceal any side effects with makeup one day after micro-needling.
Skinfuse was created to maximize benefits from your SkinPen procedure. An easy-to-use skin care regimen, Skinfuse is specifically formulated to provide the nutrients your skin needs to optimize the results of the SkinPen procedure. Skinfuse products contain nutrients that support the skin after micro-needling and don’t contain ingredients that hinder the skin rejuvenation process.
Contact your SkinPen provider to learn how SkinPen and Skinfuse work together to help reverse the signs of aging, revive skin health and reveal beautiful skin.