A With microneedling, you are not able to break down collagen, as it’s only a mechanical process. This can be an effective starting point to treat acne scarring for a very mild effect. At Dermablue, we use RF microneedling for acne scarring. With RF microneedling, you add ‘heat/energy’ to the needles to enhance the effectiveness of neocolagenesis, ie collagen formation (volumization, ie mild filling of scarring) along with the ‘mechanical’ or physical breaking up scar tissue with the microneedles.
Yes, you need to be careful with the depth of treatment with RF microneedling. If you treat ‘too deep’ you can theoretically break down fat. With advanced machines/technology, this effect is minimized, as the machine is ‘smart’ enough to know the difference between scar tissue/dermal tissue and fat based on the different water content of the tissues. Not all machines are created equally; at Dermablue we use the ‘Genius’ system by Lutronic. It’s been a game changer for us.
Often with severe scarring, you need to fill the scarring with fillers. CO2 laser works well to smooth and tighten the top layer of skin. For significant scarring, I recommend a variety of treatments to use together to get an optimal outcome.