• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Cocktails
    • Vodka Recipes
    • Wine Cocktails
    • Moscow Mule Recipes and Variations
    • Wine
  • Dessert
    • Dump Cake Recipes
    • Alcohol Infused Cupcakes
    • Cake Mix Desserts
  • Easy Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
  • Mom Life and Style
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Blog

Cupcakes and Cutlery logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Cocktails
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Mom Life » Microneedling Facial Treatment with PRP – Before and After

    Published: Mar 4, 2022 · Updated: Mar 4, 2022 by Sharon Garofalow | This post may contain affiliate links. See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Microneedling Facial Treatment with PRP – Before and After

    Photos of a woman having microneedling done on her face and right after the treatment with text in the middle.

    If you’re looking for a treatment to help smooth out the texture of your skin and fine lines, you might want to consider a Microneedling facial treatment with PRP.

    It’s a fairly quick procedure with 3-5 days of downtime. I really loved my first treatment and want to share all the details to help you decide if it’s right for you.

    Woman laying on an exam table getting a microneedling facial treatment.

    As an ambassador for CosmetiCare, I was super lucky that I get to try out some of their treatments for free and share the process with you. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

    Some links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I also participate in affiliate programs for other retailers. 

    This post was originally posted in 2017 but has been updated to include more thoughts and details of the procedure.

    Getting PRP with Microneedling for my Acne Scarring

    I’ve always hated the texture of my skin. My cheeks and area around my chin are my real problem areas.

    The acne that I had in college has left my skin scarred and not smooth. And I knew the marks were too deep for any at home treatment.

    After looking into a few different procedures, I decided that microneedling was a great start!

    And when they add the PRP facial with it, it’s even more effective!

    Related Post: What is microneedling?

    Women's face showing her acne scarred skin before a microneedling treatment.

    I’m sharing the whole procedure, as well as before and after pictures, so you can see if you think this treatment might be right for you too. 

    I thought I’d ease you into this post with a non-gross photo. I want to warn you, the photos in this post are not super pleasant – so just be warned! 

    I also want to start off by sharing what my skin started out like before the treatment. I had it done when I was 40 years old.

    I had acne, mostly in my college years, and it left me with scarred skin with terrible texture. 

    As I started aging, I felt like the uneven texture was even more pronounced and decided it was time to do something about it.

    I found some harsh light to take a before photo in so you can really see the texture I’m talking about.

    Sometimes, in photos, my skin doesn’t look that bad.

    But I have always been self-conscious about it.

    Woman's photo showing her skin before microneedling with PRP.

    Not only do I have acne scarring, but I have large pores and, ugh, fine lines and wrinkles.

    Microneedling helps with all of these things which is why I thought it was a good first skin treatment to do with CosmetiCare.

    Book a consultation

    I had a consultation with the team at CosmetiCare and we decided that a series of microneedling appointments would be a great start for helping with my acne scarring.

    The team at your med spa are the experts and know all the options and your goals. While you might have an idea of what you want to try, be open to their suggestions.

    I loved getting Botox, but knew that to really make a difference with my skin, I’d need to do something a little stronger to help me look a little younger overall and smoother.

     
    Lobby of CosmetiCare in Newport Beach where I got my microneedling treatment.

    Day of treatment

    I was pretty nervous when I arrived for my appointment.

    There really isn’t too much prep work that needs to be done before you arrive at your appointment.

    I stopped using any retinol creams about a week prior but they weren’t a regular part of my routine anyway so not much changed.

    It’s a pretty non-invasive procedure which means you aren’t given any heavy drugs and can drive yourself to and from the appointment.

    TV showing Real Housewives of OC in the lobby of Cosmeticare in Newport Beach.

    And who doesn’t love an office that plays Real Housewives of OC?!

    CosmetiCare is the go-to office for plastic surgeries and skin treatments for some of your favorite local housewives.

    But that’s just a fun side note. I also fully trust the staff, nurses and doctors.

    before photo of woman's skin before microneedling treatment at Costmeticare

    This is the before photo taken right before my treatment started. I came with freshly washed skin without makeup.

    Woman with numbing cream on her face before microneedling treatment at Cosmeticare

    Numbing cream

    They start off by applying a numbing cream that sits for about 45 minutes.

    You want this cream to work so don’t run late on the way to your appointment! 

    Be sure to watch the video or read on for more details! It’s a long post with lots of details!

    Woman getting her blood drawn for her microneedling treatment with prp facial.

    PRP is taken

    If you are doing the micro needling with PRP, they draw your blood while the numbing cream does its thing.

    They spin your blood to separate out the plasma so that it is ready for when your procedure starts.

    PRP stands for platelet rich plasma. It is also known as collagen induction therapy.

    I’m not going to get all science-y but basically, by using your own plasma, it helps generate new collagen to grow which helps to improve scars, etc.

    I’ll explain how that fits into this microneedling facial in a minute.

    *Sign up for my newsletter and get the 5 things I wish I knew before my treatments! Plus 5 easy treatments to do at home!

    Girl laying on a treatment bed getting a microneedling treatment for acne scars.

    The microneedling procedure

    I did my microneedling with a nurse, which means she is able to go a little bit deeper with her needling pen than an aesthetician can.

    This is better for those with deep scars.

    After wiping off all the numbing cream, Kat, my CosmetiCare RN, applied a serum to my face.

    The tip of the device holds micro needles and she runs it over your skin. The needles cause tiny wounds which helps to stimulate your collagen to grow as the wounds heal.

    The tiny holes also help to get the serum to sink in. The device does cause bleeding as you can see in the picture above.

    For the areas with deeper scarring, she pulses the device up and down, kind of like a tapping motion.

    But notice I’m smiling. It looks worse than it is!

    (Note: My first microneedling treatment was tolerable and not too painful. The second and third were very painful. You should check out my final microneedling results post).

    Your pain tolerance may fluctuate depending on your hormones. Y’all, it sucked. I love the final results but it did hurt! A lot!

    woman in the middle of a microneedling treatment for smoothing acne scars

    I felt the treatment a lot more than I thought I would. But it was tolerable.

    It hurt most when it was over an area with bone, but since she is moving the device, and not holding it one space specifically, the pain is very short.

    After the first pass, she wiped down my skin. The bleeding stopped immediately and there is no scabbing at all.

    Woman's face immedaitely following microneedling acne facial treatment for scarring.

    Then it was time to use the PRP.

    The plasma is put in a syringe, and its squeezed over the skin before the nurse does another pass with the needling device (watch the video to see all of that!).

    Essentially, for this round, they are using your plasma in place of a serum.

    The plasma is not “blood”-colored like people might think. It’s basically clear.

    When she was done going over my skin for the second round with the needling pen, she used a small needle to inject the leftover plasma back into my cheeks where the scarring is the worst.

    They call it liquid gold. It will not go to waste.

    Girl with towel wrapped around her face to soothe it after her microneedling treatment

    The whole procedure took about 45 minutes. Kat finished off by holding a cold compress on my face for about a minute.

    It was a nice way to end. I wasn’t in any pain but my skin felt really hot so this was really soothing.

    Woman with red face immediately after Microneedling facial treatment with PRP.

    This is how my skin looked right after the treatment. My skin continued to feel hot for the rest of the day.

    For the microneedling done with a nurse, the recovery is about 5 days (unlike 3 when done by an aesthetician, remember with an aesthetician they are limited to how deep they can go into the skin).

    I was given a balm to put on twice a day for the five days, to help with healing.

    I had made sure that my schedule for the week was open so I let it heal and didn’t wear makeup that whole week (although they told me I could wear makeup on day 2 and beyond if I wanted).

    And the recovery is not painful at all. That’s the best type of recovery! 

    Downloadable pages in an ad with some text
    Photo of woman heeling from Micro needling treatment for acne scarring.

    Recovery From PRP Microneedling

    This is a picture from day 3 but day 2 looked pretty similar, just a little bit redder. 

    Here’s how the 5 days of recovery went:

    • Day 1 – my face felt hot, a little bit like it was on fire but only mildly uncomfortable.
    • Day 2 – my face felt itchy and was starting to dry out.
    • Day 3 – I started peeling more in the areas where she went a little bit deeper (big peels on my chin).
    • Day 4 – the rest of my face started peeling, but small and kind of all over the place.

    Watch my video to get even more details on each day.

    Woman's photo of skin healing on day 5 after Micro needling before and after.

    By day 5 most of the redness was gone and I finally put makeup on.

    I would definitely plan on taking at least Day 1 – 4 off so that you don’t have to worry about makeup, but you totally could make it work if you had to.

    I’m lucky to work from home and have that flexibility.

    Multiple treatments work best

    Having completed my first microneedling treatment, I’m totally ready to do the next 2!

    They recommend several treatments, about 6 weeks apart to see the best results.

    Results are slow

    While I feel like my skin is a little bit smoother, the full results won’t be seen for about 6 months since you are waiting for your collagen to grow and repair your scars.

    I feel like initially, you see minor improvement the way you might after some deep exfoliation from a facial.

    It was a great way to get started on smoothing out my skin. New procedures are being developed all the time so be sure to book a consultation to make sure this is the best option for you.

    I know that depending on some skin pigments, there are better treatments than others.

    Other treatments I’ve done

    • What is Coolsculpting? It’s freezing your fat and it’s pretty great.
    • I Tried Under Eye Fillers! and didn’t know I would like the results so much!
    • I did a CO2 Laser Treatment and loved it!

    Pin This Info about Microneedling with PRP for Later!
    woman with red face as a result of microneedling with PRP with text on it

    If you aren’t happy with your uneven skin texture or acne scars, you definitely need to check out a microneedling facial treatment with PRP!

    I’m happy with my results and think you will be too! Have you done any skin treatments before?

    « Last-Minute Dinner Ideas
    Colomba Cake: The Italian Easter Cake »

    Click to share!

    • Share
    • Tweet

    About Sharon Garofalow

    Sharon lives in Southern California with her adorable family. She loves to share ideas to make mom life easier and encourage busy gals to make time for themselves too! Sharon's "me" time often includes watching Hallmark Channel movies, sipping sauvignon blanc, trying not to eat Salt and Pepper potato chips, and planning girlfriend getaways.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cate K says

      April 04, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      Why do you think the second and third treatments were so painful? I’m having my first this Friday and I’m worried about the pain. I’m wondering if anything can be done to alleviate it.

      Reply
    2. Laura says

      March 27, 2019 at 8:15 am

      Hi there,
      can I ask if you completed the three treatments? If so, what was the end result?
      Thanks!
      Laura

      Reply
      • Sharon Garofalow says

        March 27, 2019 at 9:39 am

        Hi Laura! Yes, I did get three treatments. Here is my post with the final results! Let me know if you have any questions! I’m happy to answer them. https://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/microneedling-for-acne-scars-final-results/

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Welcome!
    Based in Southern California, I am the mom to two amazing boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. Cupcakes and Cutlery is your resource for simple solutions to help you be an awesome wife and mother and not lose yourself in the process. Email me at cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com

    More about Sharon →

    Posts about wine, liquor and/or cocktail recipes are expressly for people 21 years of age and older. Drink responsibly.

    Seasonal Favorites

    • Best Ever Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake Recipe
    • Corner Bakery Overnight Oatmeal Recipe: No-Cook!
    • Best 3 Ingredient DIY Coffee Scrub for Cellulite
    • How to Rim a Glass: 3 Ways! {For Cocktails}

    Reader Favorites

    • 2-Ingredient Fireball and Ginger Ale Cocktail Recipe
    • Easy Strawberry, Jello and Angel Food Cake Dessert Recipe
    • The Best Quick and Easy Cool Whip Frosting Recipe
    • Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe For Your Next Party
    laptop with a photo on it and text around it to shop my amazon store.

    Affiliate Link Disclosure

    Cupcakes and Cutlery is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read my full disclosure policy.

    This site generates income via ads.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Accessibility Policy
    • CCPA
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    © 2008-2022 CUPCAKES & CUTLERY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.