Microneedling.Texture, tone, scars.
Collagen-induction therapy. A course of three or four sessions where the change reads at the four-week mark, not in the chair.
- Session length
- 60 minutes
- Course
- 3–4 sessions
- Results read at
- 4–8 weeks
- Downtime
- 24–48 hrs redness
Microneedling at Skin Aesthetics by Krystian, Southampton. Collagen-induction therapy targeting skin texture, tone and post-acne scarring across a course of three to four sessions. Session takes 60 minutes. Results last 4–8 weeks per session with cumulative effect. Downtime 24–48 hours of redness. Suitable for adults 20+ with skin-quality concerns, contraindicated during active acne flares. By appointment in Bursledon.
Pricing and booking are on Fresha, kept in one place so it is always current.
A controlled injury. That asks the skin to rebuild.
Microneedling is collagen-induction therapy. A medical-grade device, the Dermapen or Dr Pen depending on the protocol, passes a small array of sterile needles through the surface of the skin at a controlled depth. The body reads each pass as a signal to remodel the tissue. The result, over four to eight weeks, is improved texture, smoother tone, and a measurable reduction in post-acne scarring and fine lines.
The work happens after the appointment, not during it. Almost everyone asks what the result looks like in the chair. The honest answer is that the in-clinic read is not the read that matters. The read that matters is at week four and week eight, when the new collagen has laid down and the texture has settled. We photograph at the same angles every session so the change can be measured rather than guessed at.
Microneedling is the single most underused treatment in the UK aesthetic menu. It does not produce a dramatic change on day one. It is not glamorous to photograph. It is, however, the treatment most likely to make the skin under any other work read better, and it is the only injectable-free intervention that produces measurable structural remodelling at this price point. We run it as a course of three or four, fortnightly to three weeks apart, and we read the result at the four-week mark after the final session.
The device we use is a medical-grade Dermapen-class precision pen, never a roller. Rollers tear the surface at unpredictable angles, do not reach a consistent depth, and produce inconsistent results. The pen we use enters and exits the skin perpendicular to the surface and at a setting Krystian adjusts area-by-area for the depth that the tissue is asking for. Forehead is thinner. Cheek is thicker. The settings reflect both.
For patients with post-acne scarring, microneedling is the first-line treatment we will almost always recommend before any other intervention. It is more effective than chemical peels for textural scarring and considerably safer at the dosing we use. A course of four is the standard protocol for moderate scarring, with a maintenance session every six months thereafter.
Three things we read first.
Before any pass, before any depth setting, before the device comes out of its case.
The textural map
Where the surface is uneven, where post-acne scarring lives, where pore-size is asking for help. We work to a written map per session and re-photograph the same angles every time so the change is measured, not estimated.
Skin thickness by area
The depth setting on the pen is adjusted area-by-area. Forehead is thinner than cheek. Around the eye is thinner still. The setting that gives a measurable response on the cheek would be inappropriate on the temple.
What the skin can handle
Active acne flare, recent isotretinoin, or compromised barrier function are all reasons to defer treatment. The treatment is only useful if the skin can mount a healthy remodelling response. Krystian will reschedule if the tissue isn't ready.
One quiet hour, end to end.
What to expect from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave the studio.
Arrival and consent
Tea, written form, the consent walkthrough. We re-photograph at the same angles every visit so the textural change between sessions can be read on file, not just felt.
Cleanse and prep
Double cleanse, surface decontamination, topical anaesthetic applied over the full treatment area. The numbing cream sits for twenty minutes while we re-walk the plan and the depth settings per area.
The treatment
Methodical passes across the face in a grid, depth adjusted per area. Most patients describe it as warm and rhythmic rather than painful. We work in quadrants and check in at the end of each one.
Serum and aftercare brief
A hydrating mask or mesotherapy serum applied while the channels are still open. No active skincare for five days. No sun for forty-eight hours. The next session is booked at the fortnightly or three-week mark.
The honest version.
The questions every patient is too polite to ask out loud. Read at your pace.
Does it hurt?
Most patients describe it as warm and rhythmic rather than painful, once the topical numbing cream has done its job. The cream sits for twenty minutes before any passes begin. Areas with thinner skin around the eye and forehead are read more carefully and the depth is adjusted to suit.
How long is the downtime?
Twenty-four to forty-eight hours of mild pink-red, similar to a wind-burn read. Most patients return to work the next morning with a hydrating moisturiser and SPF. We avoid active skincare for five days and direct sun for forty-eight hours.
When will I see the result?
The honest answer is that the in-clinic read is not the read that matters. The texture and tone change at the four-to-eight-week mark, after the new collagen has laid down. We photograph at the same angles every session so the change can be measured on file, not estimated from memory.
Is it better than a chemical peel for scarring?
For most patients, yes. Microneedling produces a measurable improvement in textural scarring and post-acne scarring at the dosing we use, with considerably less peeling and a more predictable recovery. We will still occasionally combine the two protocols where the scarring profile asks for it.
Where can I see the pricing?
Pricing and booking are on Fresha. The reserve-your-consultation button on this page takes you to the live pricing.
What we tell you before we begin.
- Redness and mild swellingTwenty-four to forty-eight hours of pink-red, comparable to mild sunburn. Resolves with a hydrating moisturiser and SPF.
- Pinpoint bleedingNormal during deeper passes on the cheek, particularly for textural scarring. Resolves within ten minutes of treatment.
- Tenderness on touchNormal for the first twenty-four hours. The skin barrier is briefly compromised and is rebuilding.
- Occasional asymmetryRare and almost always resolves with the next session in the course. We re-photograph to read the change against the file.
- ExclusionsPregnancy, breastfeeding, active acne flare, recent isotretinoin within six months, active facial infection, keloid history, autoimmune flare, or compromised barrier function.
Krystian will refuse a treatment if he reads any of these in your consultation. The complimentary thirty minutes will tell you honestly which route fits.
Reserve your consultation.
Thirty minutes, in person, in Bursledon. Krystian will tell you honestly whether a microneedling course is the right starting place, or whether something else is.