Microchanneling: What You Need to Know

Microchanneling has several benefits, and your provider can customize your serum to:

• Smooth fine lines and wrinkles

• Reduce unwanted pigmentation 

• Boost radiance

• Refine pore size

• Tighten skin

• Minimize acne scars and stretch marks

Pros

• Microchanneling is a quick treatment that creates healthier skin and overall skin rejuvenation. Applying anti-aging products directly into the skin allows them to be absorbed much more effectively.It can address a wide range of concerns, including uneven skin tone (like sunspots), the appearance of fine lines, the appearance of wrinkles, enlarged pores, dullness, and scarring. "An ideal candidate for microchanneling is someone who has signs of premature aging, sun damage, enlarged pores, mild to moderate wrinkles around the eyes, and acne scarring," says Dr. Green.
• Once skin is numbed, the treatment is painless.
• Healing is fast, so downtime is minimal.
• "Even a single treatment a day or more before an important event will give wonderful results," says Dr. Ho. The benefits will build over 6–8 weeks, as new collagen production kicks in. 
• The treatment is versatile. It's mostly used on the face, but microchanneling can also be used on the hands, neck, decolletage, or anywhere else on the body.
• Microchanneling is considered very safe, in the hands of an experienced provider. "The risks are very low—a little redness or puffiness," says Dr. Ho.
• It can be performed with other injectable, laser, or light-based skin rejuvenation treatments. Some providers report that the PRP that's often used as part of the microchanneling cocktail can help repair skin after laser resurfacing.

Cons

• A series of treatments is recommended for best results, followed by regular maintenance sessions.
• The treatment doesn’t deliver dramatic results—after all, it only delivers microdoses of injectables, like fillers and neuromodulators. If you want to smooth wrinkles or replace significant volume loss, injectables will be far more effective.
• Microchanneling isn't a good option for people with active acne.

"Just about anyone is a candidate for microchanneling," says Dr. Ho. The treatment is practically goof-proof. "You'd almost have to be trying to hurt someone to do any damage," he says.

It's an especially good option for young people who want to keep their skin looking great. "It's a great entry point for people interested in taking care of their skin," says Dr. Ho. 

A common scenario is someone wants their skin to look better without any downtime, he says. "It's the perfect treatment for something like that—skin will look plumper and have more of a glow without any bruising or long-term redness." 

Some contraindications include an active skin infection or open wounds. People with active acne should avoid microchanneling, which can further irritate already inflamed skin and potentially propagate bacterial spread.

The terms are often used interchangeably, and both treatments involve piercing the skin with needles, but "microchanneling and microneedling are two distinctly different treatments," says Dr. Ho. (Two help avoid confusion, Aquagold specifically states on its website that it's a microinjection device, not a microneedling device.) 

First of all, microchanneling is a gentler treatment than microneedling (aka collagen-induction therapy). "Mirochanneling is done manually at a fixed depth, and it only penetrates the epidermis, the top layer of the skin," Dr. Ho explains. "Microneedling depth can be varied and the mechanical nature results in a more aggressive treatment with longer downtime—one day for microchanneling versus 2–3 days for microneedling." 

Microneedling, he says, is better for tackling acne scarring, or for someone who has more advanced aging textural changes that need improvement. "Microchanneling is ideal for someone who's young, who just needs a little maintenance or a pick-me-up before an event," he says. "Microneedling goes in deeper and is more aggressive, so you'll be pretty red and beat up for longer," says Dr. Ho. "But you'll get more results in the long run." 

Because the provider can customize the solution to the patient's needs, "microchanneling allows you to be more creative than microneedling," which typically only includes topical application of PRP (aka the Vampire Facial), says Dr. Ho. It's also more of a surefire way to deliver what the skin needs, where it can best use it.

Your dermatologist or aesthetician will evaluate your skin-care needs and goals and create a personalized mix for your infusion serum. 

Depending on what specific issue is being treated, microchanneling can infuse the skin with microdoses of:

• Hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Restylane, Juvedérm, or Belotero. These fillers can hold up to 1,000 times their weight in water, to bring intense hydration to the skin and make it look smooth, supple, and plump.
• Neuromodulators like Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin. Delivered in small amounts more superficially in the skin, these can reduce large pores, decrease sebum production and redness (for instance, from the skin condition rosacea), and provide a gentle smoothing of the skin.
• Pigmentation-reducing ingredients 
• Peptides, to improve your skin’s texture and make it smoother and firmer 
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from a small amount of your own blood. PRP contains stem cells and growth factors to stimulate cell turnover and collagen production.
• Growth factors to enhance collagen production  
• Antioxidants such as vitamins B, C, and E, to prevent free-radical damage and brighten skin tone
• Hyaluronic acid serum to increase hydration and give plumpness and a dewy quality to the skin.

Once your skin is numb, it will be cleansed and sterilized.

After the customized mix is put into the microchanneling device, your provider will "stamp" it into the skin. The needles are often spring-loaded, so when pressed against the skin, they'll microinject the serum into your skin. (If they're not spring-loaded, the serum will be applied immediately after a treatment area is stamped.) 

A single pass will be made over the entire face in an overlapping pattern so that every square inch of skin is treated, then problem areas can be treated with additional passes. 

No area is off-limits. Even the lips—including the pink area and the surrounding skin—can also be treated to give the effect, not of having filler, but of wearing lip gloss. 

The entire treatment—including numbing—should take around 30 minutes.

More caution should be practiced for people with Fitzpatrick skin types V and VI, according to Dr. Ho. The more pigmentation in your skin, the more prone you are to hyperpigmentation. More conservative treatment means that skin is treated with a single pass and more gentle pressure is employed.

The needles used in microchanneling are tiny and fine (often thinner than a strand of human hair), but getting repeatedly poked by 12–50 needles can be painful—it's sometimes compared to getting a tattoo. 

To prevent discomfort, topical anesthesia is applied to the treatment area prior to the procedure. Many providers will also include a numbing solution as part of the cocktail that's being infused into the skin. All you'll likely feel during the treatment is a little bit of pressure, says Dr. Devgan.

Microchanneling is well-tolerated and requires little to no downtime. Most people return to work right after the treatment. 

Aftercare is minimal: you will likely be asked not to wash your face for four hours (to allow time for the serum to work), and then to gently wash your face. This allows any remnant serum that's on top of the skin to penetrate into the dermis, says Dr. Devgan. 

Avoid astringents or medically active products like retinoids or vitamin C for 1–3 days post-procedure to avoid irritation. Dr. Green recommends that you also maintain a "fresh face" (no makeup or sunscreen) for 24 hours after a microneedling session.

You may have a mild reaction that looks like a sunburn, but this usually lasts less than 24 hours, says Dr. Ho. Moisturizers with ingredients like hyaluronic acid can further hydrate dry skin. 

After your treatment, your provider may suggest a curated skincare regimen to maximize and prolong your results. Daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30+ will help maintain the benefits of microchanneling.

Your skin should appear and feel refreshed within 24 hours, but tone and texture will continue to improve as the effect of the neuromodulator (if one is used) kicks in and collagen production ramps up. 

For the best benefits, three to six microchanneling sessions spaced one month apart are often recommended. "Largely, it depends on the severity of the condition being treated," says Dr. Green. 

Continued ongoing treatments every three months or so can help maintain your results.

Most providers recommend microneedling to prevent hair loss and help stimulate new hair growth, and studies have shown a good response with a series of microneedling treatments to accelerate the action of minoxidil on the hair follicles. "Microneedling using minoxidil causes direct inoculation of minoxidil into the skin and therefore more powerful action," concluded the authors of one 2020 study.

However, the science hasn't yet shown whether microchanneling will provide the same hair restoration benefits. "Some providers use the treatment for that purpose, but it probably doesn't reach the level of the skin that you'd want to be effective," says Dr. Ho, who instead injects PRP into the scalp to trigger hair growth.

Be sure to consult with a provider who's experienced in treating hair loss to determine the best treatment plan for you.