The treatment ofB post-operative scars has been challenging for most practitioners.B I have been impressed with the results using the Micro-needling 3TM B in combination with other products since the device creates millions of micro-channels in the skin which allows for entry of products into the dermis for better results.B Sometimes silicone tapping and steroids with 5FU donb’t work so this offers another option.
The Micro-needling is the first automatic electric device created in Australia with Advanced Oscillating Vertical Needling (AOVNTM) technology.B B This allows the pen to glide over the skin with precise automation whereB speed and depth of penetration can be controlled.B There are a lot of copy-cat battery operated devices that donb’t have this technology and the power will run out over time, hence the treatment will be subpar.
The conditions that can be treated with the Micro-needling is growing and I have used it for a lot of these.
I want to talk about using the Micro-needling to treat post-operative scarring.
What is unique about micro-needling over other modalities is that certain growth factors are produced that are unique with this technique.
Aust in 2010 1 B did a complicated study and found what makes micro-needling unique from other treatments.B What he found was there are certain growth factors that are produced after micro-needling that are not produced with lasers, chemical peels and other procedures that produce heat in the skin.B The reason the Micro-needling does not injury the epidermis is because transforming growth factor -Beta 3 is increased after
8 weeks and this as been shown to be important in scar-free wound healing.
Collagen III is responsible for the thicken scars that we see after surgery.B Collagen I is present in youthful skin and increased production with micro-needling causes the skin to tighten and the scar to become finer and thinner.
Another great use of the Micro-needling and itb’s ability to deliver products into the dermis that would not be able to be absorbed.B I have been using fat that I harvest from patients to glide the pen.B Fat is an amazing substance that has stem cells that I think can be penetrated into the dermis with the pen.B I have been using fat to glide the Micro-needling when I treat the face and have also been using it on postoperative scars to improve the appearance of the scars.B Below is an example of a patient that developed a thickened scar on her left side after an abdominoplasty procedure. Similar results can be expected with Growth Factors if the patients donb’t have fat available.
References
Aust, MC et al.B Percutaneous collagen induction.B Scarless skin rejuvenation. fact or fiction?B Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2010, 35, 437-9.
Call the Fresno office at 559 440-9024 and schedule your Micro-needling treatment.
In Oakland call 510 891-1417.