The look of Botox, but TOX- FREE

I have a simultaneous, and conflicting desire to stay youthful looking—which more and more commonly involves toxic chemicals like Botox and injectables—with being healthy and toxin-free. As I move into my 40’s, my desire to look youthful has intensified. After all, I still feel like I am 28, and would like the mirror to reflect that. But as I move closer to pregnancy, I also have a fierce desire to live a cleaner, healthier life, one which doesn’t allow substances on or in my body that could potentially hurt myself or my soon to be (fingers crossed & prayers sent) growing fetus. It is, after all, what’s on the inside that counts the most.

I already have a laundry list of amazing natural products I use and recommend from Lather (Pasadena), Beauty Counter (Santa Monica), The Victorian Garden (South Africa), and many others. My next quest was to find an alternative to Botox, injectables and lasers. I researched, I Googled, I read magazines, I asked everyone I knew. Finally, I settled on trying microneedling. And no, it’s not miniature acupuncture. ;-)

The verdict? Microneedling may be a miracle treatment! I have completed 5 of my 6 recommended treatments to date. I’ve seen improvements after each appointment, and have experienced ZERO downtime. Pain ranged from as low as 0 and as high as a 4, with a bikini wax being a 6 and a bikini laser hair removal being a 9 in my experience (ladies, who feels me?!).

So, what exactly IS microneedling? Why does it work?

Please do not get scared or turned off by the word I am about to use… NEEDLE. It is not a large needle like that used to draw blood or inject B12 shots. It is a MICRO needle, between .5MM and 1.0MM. At a .5MM I barely felt a thing. More like a needle tap then an actual prick. At a 1.0MM I did feel each prick but the pain was low to medium, depending on the area, and highly tolerable. Prior to every treatment, they cover the area with a numbing cream. My aesthetician gives a hand and arm massage while the cream kicks in, bonus! The entire treatment session is complete inside of an hour.

The process works because the micro holes- injuries- the needle makes to your skin, tells your skin to kick into healing mode, creating extra collagen to heal these wounds. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body and gives our skin it’s strength and elasticity. With time our body begins to produce less and less elasticity, creating sagging and less vibrant skin over time.

The most common place to do microneedling is the face. After 20 years of treating my face with care and trying to reverse the sun damage I had accrued in my teens, coating my white skin with baby oil for ultimate tanning effects, my facial skin was doing well but the signs of age, wrinkles and sun spots were surfacing on my neck and décolletage.

The results from microneedling begin to show up approximately 48-72 hours later, the results continue to improve over the next 4 weeks as new skin cells repair and grow. The result is fresh, glowy, younger looking skin. I am looking forward to getting back to Los Angeles for my final treatment. And if I’m carded afterward, it will be a happy inconvenience.