Q: What’s the Difference Between Microneedling and Microchanneling?
Both use tiny needles to stimulate collagen in the skin, but they’re not exactly the same.
Rachel Lozina, master esthetician and owner of Blue Water Spa in Oyster Bay was recently named the top Esthetician on Long Island at the Long Island Beauty Awards.
A: Microneedling has long been an aesthetics staple for improving skin texture and tone and softening the look of fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, pigmentation, and acne scars. Typically done with rollers or pens, the technique uses tiny needles to puncture the skin, creating a wound response and stimulating collagen through the healing process (formally known as collagen induction therapy). Lately, the term “microchanneling” has been popping up in the aesthetics world, but is it any different from microneedling?
While you may hear the terms used interchangeably, Rachel Lozina, master esthetician and owner of Blue Water Spa in Oyster Bay and Southampton, NY, says, “There’s a marked difference between microchanneling and microneedling.” In fact, microchanneling has become her preferred method of needling.
“When you have a needle that’s going into the skin via a microneedling roller or with a pen using circular motions, you’re going to get tears as the tool lifts,” she says. “Microchanneling is done using a stamping method, so there’s no tearing or scratching of the skin's surface.” Plus, you can get results without going deep into the skin. (Editor’s note: My first treatment was done with a 0.25-millimeter needle, which falls into the cosmetic microneedling category, not medical.)
“When you pierce the skin deeply, you get what’s called transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the process by which water evaporates from the skin barrier,” says Lozina. That can lead to dryness and irritation. “With microchanneling, I find you have less skin barrier impairment because you aren’t going so deep, but you’re still creating trauma and that wound-healing response.” The microchannel device Lozina uses vibrates, which makes it more aggressive without increasing the depth of the needle. That also means less downtime — just 90 minutes for microchanneling versus at least 24 hours for traditional microneedling.
Immediately after microchanneling the face and neck, Lozina applies growth factors to accelerate the collagen-stimulating process. “Your skin is waterproof; its job is to prohibit things from getting through,” she says. “We’re trying to outsmart it by creating microchannels that let ingredients get into your skin.” The combo of the wound response from the needles and the topical growth factors should yield smoother, tighter, more even-toned skin over the next few months.
Lozina suggests a series of at least three treatments spaced one month apart for best results. Microchanneling treatments at Blue Water Spa are $300.
To see microchanneling live in action, check out the reel with Rachel Lozina on @prettylocal.li on Instagram!
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