Can Dermapen really make your skin look younger and brighter?
Tink Brinsley shares her Dermapen experience with Harmony Spa.
There are so many skin treatments around these days which claim to rejuvenate your skin, brighten your complexion and reduce those pesky fine lines and wrinkles that seem to appear out of nowhere (and are especially obvious the morning after a big night out!).
But will any of them actually get me one step closer to that insta-filter, celeb-worthy skin? I’ll admit I’ve been sceptical, but also so intrigued…
I was so excited to have the opportunity to try Dermapen microneedling with Harmony Spa here in Queenstown recently. I’d been thinking about trying it for a couple years, especially since reading that Gwyneth, Kim K and Jennifer Anniston are all fans. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me!
What is Dermapen Microneedling?
If you don’t know much about it, Dermapen skin needling is one of the most popular advanced anti-ageing treatments, mainly because (unlike injectables) it achieves natural skin rejuvenation. Basically, it’s a mini facial followed by a brief session of controlled, microscopic trauma to the skin.
How does this happen? A trained therapist uses a pen-like device with tiny needles moving extremely fast in a stamping motion, generating 1920 tiny channels per second! I know it sounds daunting, but they’re too tiny to see and only go a couple of millimetres deep into the top layers of the skin.
At the same time, clean and active solutions containing vitamins, antioxidants and all that other good stuff is applied for your skin to absorb.
So how does this actually benefit the skin? Your skin heals these micro-traumas with fresh, new collagen and elastin over the next few weeks, and the result is rejuvenated, plumper, brighter skin. This means a more even skin tone, reduced sun damage and a complexion that looks younger. Yes please!
Before my Dermapen treatments
After 3 Dermapen treatments
My Dermapen Experience
I had a skin consultation with Harmony before my treatment, and I was so excited to try my first “advanced” skin session, as up until now I’ve only really done facials. My main skin concerns have been redness and preventing signs of ageing. I made sure I booked my Dermapen appointment on a weekday evening, so I could go straight home, as I’d been told I won’t be able to wear makeup until the next day.
The treatment started with a super relaxing face cleanse and exfoliation (and the products my therapist used felt incredibly luxe), as well as having my skin sanitised. I had a few serums for my skin type applied, and then came all the action. I was a little bit nervous, not knowing if it would hurt or not with the needles, but it was only slightly sensitive on some areas of my face, and this part was over so quickly.
After the needling, I had a soothing face mask applied, which had an immediate cooling effect and contained hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid. Once this was done, my therapist applied O Cosmedics Mineral Pro, which is a repairing formula containing nourishing ingredients, a bit of tinted coverage, plus mineral sunscreen to protect my skin. This also felt so cooling and soothing, and I’m now so tempted to buy it to wear every day. I thought I’d look red, but my skin was only slightly pink, and this product covered this – so I could have actually gone straight back to work.
It’s worth noting that Harmony is a Dermapen Gold Authorised Treatment Provider, which means Dermapen has recognised them as following all treatment protocols. This means they follow all safety standards, are trained practitioners and only use the protocol Dp Dermaceuticals skin products, for safe infusion into the skin.
They also use the most advanced Dermapen device, the Dermapen4 (and it’s the original microneedling brand, based in Australia). This helped to ease my mind, as I’d seen a lot of cheap needling treatments around on offer – but they’re not something I want near my face!
My Results
Straight after the Dermapen treatment, my skin did feel a little sensitive for about 24 hours, so I just applied my mineral tinted sunscreen the next day rather than full foundation and powder. Definitely not a treatment you want the day before a big event for this reason, but by day two it was back to normal, and my skin was plump and glowing.
I already knew the best results were meant to come around four to six weeks later, after my skin had rejuvenated with fresh collagen, and I definitely noticed this. I’ve booked in a few more treatments, as I’ve learned that a course of three to four will achieve the best results. On top of this, I’ve been using the active Dp Dermaceuticals skincare products in my home routine, which I think have helped improve my results even more.
My final verdict?
My skin is definitely more “glowy” without makeup, I’ve noticed less redness and sun damage, and I definitely think I’ve wound back the clock a couple years in terms of my overall complexion. It’s a yes from me, and I know I’ll be back for round two very soon!
Want to learn more?
Click below to find out everything you need to know about the incredible Dermapen microneedling skin treatment at Harmony.