Microneedling vs Retinol for pores? (Photo)

Hello,
Microneedling would be more beneficial than Retinol to reduce pore size. Retinol would take much longer to see a difference and would not be as effective as Microneedling. Microneedling is a natural treatment that stimulates your own tissue. This treatment is great for reducing pore size and acne scars. For optimal results it is best to have these treatments as a series of 3 spaced one month apart.

Our office has many different treatments for acne scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Acne scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of acne scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic acne scars and indented acne scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your acne scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Retinol is a weak retinoid and depends upon its conversion to a more active form, tretinoin, in the skin. Only a small fraction typically gets converted, accounting for its generally mild to minimal benefits. So if one were to depend upon a retinoid, a more powerful one, adapalene gel is available OTC. Having said this, I need to say add that professional in-office microneedling would likely prove quite beneficial--especially if combined with the at-home retinoid regimen. Hope this helps.

Microneedling is a non-invasive skin rejuvenation technique that uses a mechanical device with fine needles to create controlled injury. This triggers the body to produce more collagen. It addresses fine lines and wrinkles, loose and sagging skin, acne and scarring, uneven texture, stretch marks, and pore size. Please contact a qualified provider or a board-certified physician with extensive experience in these procedures and get a complete assessment to see which are the best treatments for you. Each skin is unique that's why it is important to get a doctor's assessment.

Hi! Thanks for your question. Enlarged pores are a problem many of our patients are concerned with. Ideally, using a retinol product in combination with microneedling will give you optimal results. For out patients we always recommend stopping the use of retinol one week prior to treatment and one week after treatment to give the skin appropriate time to heal itself. Both the use of retinol and collagen induction therapy (microneedling) will likely help with pore size, but again it would be most beneficial to do both. Our patients have also seen great results with Hydrafacials and chemical peels to make pores appear smaller. Hydrafacials work by suctioning the debris out of the pores and removing dead skin which can clog pores when not properly exfoliated. We recommend seeing a trained Registered Nurse in a board certified plastic surgery practice who can assess your unique skin before treatment.