Ahh fall…, cozy layers, pumpkin spice lattes (not the one with ammonia), pumpkin patches, candles and micro-needling and lasers. Yes that’s right, pumpkin spice and microneedling and lasers go together like peanut butter and jelly, sunshine and spf, the beach and a mojito, Jay and Jennifer, tabasco and popcorn…, list goes on and on. I know this sounds silly but stick with me here… just like summer bodies are made in the winter, so is healthy glowy skin. Prep starts as soon as the clock strikes fall. The main reason for this is the reduced amount of sun exposure we naturally get during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

Even though skin health is a priority all year round, I want to focus on what, why and when to start, when it comes to microneedling and lasers as it pertains to the time of year. If you’re someone who’s been wanting to step up your skin maintenance regimen but haven’t known where to start, welcome, you’ve come to the right place. Skin care and skin maintenance is such a personal journey in which we are all at different stages at the same time and reach certain destinations (services) at different points in our life. Take me for example, I didn’t start paying attention to my skincare products, getting botox and filler until 6ish years ago, and consistently getting mirconeeding treatments and lasers until 2 years ago and I’m 40 years old! So please don’t feel rushed or lacking when it comes to these type of services because we all learn and move at different paces.

My Journey With Microneedling

I had my first microneedling session almost 10+ years ago. I had two sessions and never kept it up. To be honest it was due to the lack of education & interest on my part. I wasn’t as invested in my skin and maintaining it’s youthfulness like I am now. Fast forward to 2 years ago, I was getting a basic derma-plane facial and asking my aesthetician about lasers. She shared something very insightful with me, which was – a patient would see better results in their skin and save more money if they were consistent with microneedling sessions, once every 8 weeks, rather than spending a bunch of money once a year on a laser treatment. From that point on, I turned my focus on being consistent with microneedling treatments, aiming for one every other month or once a quarter as my facial treatment to maintain the top layer of my skin.

I share this not to discredit the benefits of laser treatments. If you’ve been here a while, you know I’ve shared the lasers I’ve done and I truly love my results. Depending on your skin concerns and goals, lasers are INCREDIBLE and sometimes necessary tools, to help maintain and treat at a deeper level, not just the top layer of the skin. You have to look at microneedling and lasers as a powerful duo working together, not one against the other.

Why Microneedling & Benefits I’ve Experienced

To avoid overwhelming or boring you and because I’m not a professional, here’s a great article explaining what microneedling is and its list of incredible benefits.

However, I WILL share and show you below, the benefits I’ve experienced from microneedling and why I recommend it. If you follow me on SM, you’ve seen how much I travel to tropical places. Even with being an avid SPF girlie and shielding my face 100% of the time I’m outside, I still experience sun damage. It’s minimal of course but if not addressed can and would add up. Microneedling has helped me stay on top of my skin and tackle irregularities from my travels, such as sun damage, discoloration on my lower cheek, texture from wearing makeup and the constant reapplication of mineral SPF, dullness from constantly flying and addresses any scaring from breakouts I still experience. Not to mention, microneedling is such a powerful anti-aging treatment, that stimulates collagen production, which as helped keep my skin strong and healthy.

As you can see below, there’s a significant difference between my first and second microneedling sessions. First being, the texture of my skin, all over redness and how much brighter and healthier it looks. These photos were taking 8 weeks apart, right before my first and second session. Like are you kidding me? Such incredible and visible results which explain my obsession with microneedling.

How I Justify Microneedling?

*I’m simply sharing what I do for skincare maintenance at home and how I justify getting regular MN sessions. This is not to be taken as professional help. I highly recommend reaching out to a professional if you have a skin specific issue for a tailored treatment plan.

I’m the type of girl who loves getting the most bang for her buck. I mean who doesn’t? When it comes to skincare treatments, microneeding is the “it girl” who delivers the most long term benefits considering its starting cost of $200-280 and up per session. I’ve reached a point in my skincare journey, where I’ve eliminated needing monthly facials because I’ve incorporated skin routines that help with exfoliating, brightening and anti-aging, such as skin cycling, derma-planing my face every 6-8 weeks and regularly using a red light mask.

Now, I’m not suggesting to stop all facials and do what I’m doing because having a professional pamper your skin is such a luxury every woman should experience. Remember, I’m simply sharing my strategy. I’ve always been a frugal “do it myself” type of gal AND I’m also a gal who LOATHES laying down for long periods of time. You will not catch me booking a massage, facial or getting my lashes done out of joy. By adding these routines to my at home skincare, I’m able to achieve the same benefits of a regular facial while also redirecting funds towards a bi-monthly or quarterly microneedling session. *Please understand I have pretty healthy skin with minimal issues so this is do-able for me. If you have skin that is acne prone, sensitive or deal with specific skin issues definitely proceed with caution and do your research before considering incorporating skin cycling or preforming a derma-plane at home. For the most part red light therapy masks are pretty safe but please do your research and proceed with caution. This is the one I use and love. Great for travel too!

Appropriate Time To Try Microneedling

Now that you’ve seen my results, and your sold on microneedling, you might be asking yourself “am I ready for this type of treatment?”. In my opinion, microneedling is the ideal “next step” treatment for anyone confident with their skin routine, who would like to focus on improving appearance and texture, dullness, discoloration, and address any issues from sun exposure over the summer. So if that’s you then, I think you’re ready but definitely no pressure!

If you’re local to Boise, Idaho check out my Idaho Guide for a list of aesthetician and spas I recommend. If you’re not local, I recommend researching aestheticians in your area and reading reviews. Below are a couple of tips to keep in mind.

Here are a few tips:

• book your treatment closer to the end of the day as opposed to the begining of the day, to avoid having to run errands in public looking like a tomato.
• Make sure to share with your aesthetician your skin concerns and goals. This will help her decide how deep to go, recommend any add on and/or whether she should do a second pass through in a specific area.
• If you have sensitive skin please make sure to share, especially if it’s your first session, so she doesn’t go deep the first time.
• If you know how to derma-plane at home and it’s been 4+ weeks since the last time you did, I would recommend doing so 2-3 days before so you remove that layer of dead skin cells and any facial hair. this is something I do to prep my skin and avoid paying for it as an add on.

As always, thank you for being here and let me know if you have any questions! Until next time!

XO,

Jennifer P