If you’ve recently bought a home micro-needling device like a derma roller, derma stamp, or an electric needle, you’re probably wondering what to do after getting your face poked with a lot of tiny needles.
When it comes to aftercare, one of the first things people ask is, “Can I wash my face afterward?”
The answer is yes, you can.
However, you should wait a short while before applying makeup to allow your skin to heal fully.
This article is for you if you’re new to micro-needling! Today, we’ll discuss what to expect after micro-needling, how to care for your face afterward, what you should avoid after micro-needling, and when you can resume your typical face-cleansing routine.
Let’s take a look!
What To Expect After Microneedling
If you’ve never used a derma roller or had a professional micro-needling treatment before, you’re probably a little bit apprehensive. You’ve undoubtedly heard the claims that microneedles can make:
- Remove acne scars (derma planning and light therapy are both good for this as well).
- Get rid of stretch marks.
- Treat skin discoloration.
- Shrink pores.
- Stimulate beard growth.
- Reduce deep wrinkles and crow’s feet.
- Get rid of fine lines.
- Make your skin look younger. See our anti-aging devices for more ideas.
If you’re starting with a short 0.2 to 0.5-millimeter micro-needling treatment, you’ll probably feel a little discomfort. The needles won’t go deep enough to touch the nerves, and you’ll only notice a minor stinging.
However, you will almost certainly experience a little sting in the hours following micro-needling your face. It’s quite normal, so don’t be alarmed. After all, you’re making hundreds of tiny punctures in your face!
If you wish to prevent this, you may apply a topical numbing cream to your skin before micro-needling.
Redness
After 10 minutes of rolling your derma roller over your face, you’ll probably notice that your skin will turn bright crimson as if you’ve just been slapped!
Again, this is normal.
Your body sends out signals to your face when it recognizes an injury. To begin the healing process, your body increases collagen-rich blood flow to your face. There is no need for supplements or weight gain!
Puffiness
When you increase the quantity of blood flowing to your face, you may notice that it appears bigger or puffier than usual. It’s nothing to be concerned about; your face is just growing in size as a result of the increased blood vessels and fluid.
The puffiness should go down within about 5 hours.
Sensitivity
It’s possible that you may feel sensitivity to the touch on your skin for 24 to 48 hours after your micro-needling treatment, even if the redness and puffiness have faded. During this time, you should be particularly careful with your skin.
Dry Skin
Your dead and callous skin will start to emerge after 2 to 5 days of micro-needling. After your skin has replenished all of the old cell layers with new ones, it will begin to discard the old ones, resulting in a dry and cracked surface layer.
A mild, red, or brown rash will appear 1-3 weeks after your treatment and should fade with time. This is normal and may be exfoliated away as long as your skin is no longer sensitive to touch. For more information, see our article on dead skin following micro-needling.
Can I Wash My Face After Microneedling? Answered!
If you’re like most healthy individuals, you probably have a regular face-cleansing regimen. It’s likely enough to put you off washing your face every day for the rest of your life!
When you’re finished micro-needling, your skin will likely be red, swollen, and sensitive to the touch. It will generally stay this way for many hours until your skin has recovered fully.
Because the cooling sensation lasts only a few seconds, you should avoid washing your face during this sensitive period. The chemicals in your facewash may cause additional stinging and inflammation since they will be absorbed straight into the pores. Scrubbing your face with a towel or brush will just make things worse.
Instead, we suggest washing your face before you start micro-needling.
The most effective reason to clean your face before derma rolling is that it will remove all dirt and germs from your skin. The last thing you want to do while puncturing your face is causing bacteria to enter the pores. This might lead to pimples and localized infections.
However, if the sensitivity to the touch fades after your skin has been cleared of eczema, you should be able to wash it again without any problems!
What Should I NOT Do Immediately After Microneedling?
Aside from washing your face immediately after micro-needling, there are a few other things you should avoid in order to safeguard your face and get the most out of your micro-needling routine.
Exfoliation
Because exfoliation is harsh and gritty, you should avoid it for a few days after your micro-needling treatment. It’s critical to allow your skin to recover since excessively scraping away at it may irritate it.
During this time, your skin will begin to fill in the scars and heal itself. If you start exfoliating right away, you could slow down or worse yet, harm your skin’s regeneration.
Anti-Aging Products
Many of the well-known anti-aging treatments, for example, can be harsh on your skin. As we previously stated, when your skin is still raw and sensitive from derma rolling, you should avoid applying anything that includes chemical substances to it.
Allow 24 hours before you resume your usual beauty product usage.
Makeup
Makeup is the most crucial thing to avoid following micro-needling, in terms of all the things to stay away from right away. When you can, make sure that your makeup does not end up in your pores. A good makeup primer is generally used for this purpose.
How To Care For Your Face After Microneedling
Let’s take a look at some of the things you should apply to your face to help your skin heal rapidly and regenerate itself. Now that we’ve gone over some of the things that you should avoid after micro-needling, let’s look at some of the products you should use on your face to promote fast healing and regeneration.
Moisturizer
If you have a good moisturizer on hand, use it as soon after derma rolling as possible. This will aid in the reduction of irritation by allowing the moisturizer to sink deep into your skin since your pores are open.
Hyaluronic Acid
This is the only beauty product you should use after micro-needling. This anti-aging ingredient has been shown in studies to speed up cell regeneration and work together with derma rolling to help your skin heal even faster!
Exfoliation
As we said above, you should wait at least 24 hours after micro-needling to use it on your face. Exfoliation, on the other hand, is the finest method to eliminate any flaky or dead skin that may develop.
