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03
Jun
2014

Will MCA Micro Needling Bring New Life to Damaged Skin?

Lisa Henning of Beautiful Ink Heaton Mersey, South Manchester is a Fully qualified and technician in Cosmetic Micropigmentation.

Dry tattooing (also known as MCA Micro Needling) is an alternative treatment that works directly on damaged skin, and smoothing , also .

Any essentially brings new life into damaged skin, and using a tattoo machine is a very quick way and precise way of making this happen. No is tattooed into the skin, however, begins to as a result.  

Dry is not a new to the market, but it’s not widely heard of outside of hospitals where it’s better known as MCA Micro-Needling. MCA is an advanced course available to those specialising in and . Clients generally hear about this treatment by from a doctor or consultant.

At my clinic, Skin in Brighton, I’ve decided to call this dry .

It’s a term more easily understood by the public whom I’m aiming my at. Dry tattooing the from other micro-needling, skin such as the or .  

Using the same principles of causing the growth of new collagen as a derma roller, works on the areas of affected skin only i.e. each mark and only the scar. Areas that are not affected are not treated.

The digital tattoo causes blood to come into the area, without the top layers of skin. Over the weeks and months, new is formed i.e. healthy new skin rather than poor quality scar tissue, or skin.

A 20-50% improvement can be seen in just one session, with a course of 3 for best results

Dry can be used on all colours of skin, with only dark skins prone to over pigmentation and keloid not to go ahead.

Once for treatment, scarring, hypo or hyperpigmentation are unlikely risks, as no heat is used and the surface of the skin is not .

Before (above left) - Stretch mark reduction for fine silvery stretch marks on skin area with good elasticity. Duplicate area on other side, total area size 3 hands. £600 for a course of 3 or £250 per session

After (above right) - These results are after one and a small trial patch. A second treatment was carried out and my client was I still found stretch marks, as she could not see them.  

Normal pigmentation has almost completely to the areas. Dry tattooing uses no pigment, this happens naturally in most cases. The stretch marks are still there and will and blur over the coming months. Results are very individual

Before (Above left) - Fine silvery stretch marks on inner thigh, skin area is elasticity. area size 4 hands, £300 per session or course of 3 sessions £700

After (Above right) - 3 sessions and 3 months of healing.  Stretch marks have and the thin skin is filling up.

The area will still be developing over the coming months and any further would use a Derma Roller to as we did not do a combined treatment.

Expected results for stretch marks

If skin lacks or is loose, like on the bust or tummy, whilst dry tattooing will firm any marks, the rest of the skin will still look loose, and the marks less likely to blur away.  

A Derma Roller/Dry Tattooing treatment would be suggested to any loose skin, this can be carried out in the same .

If the skin has good elasticity, fine, stretch marks are likely to disappear after 2 or 3 treatments.

Colour begins to naturally return, the shine of thin skin and the stretch marks thicken and and blur into normal skin.

Medium and wide stretch marks are more difficult to treat and a client’s expectations need to be well managed.  

If the skin is tighter, and the marks looking and feeling firmer can be accepted as a result, then all is well as any result more than this would be very individual and medium to wide stretch marks disappearing is unlikely.  

Medium to wide marks needs to be treated while they are fresh, still very pink or red, to get any result and this would be with creams rather than any .

Finally, if stretch marks are already normal skin colour and not shiny or striated, it's harder to see any of skin thickening, until they blur into normal skin.

It's how much this will happen for medium and wide marks.

Natural re-pigmentation of scars and stretch marks

After dry tattooing, with new life brought into damaged tissue, pigmentation starts to return.

This can be helped by gentle sun exposure.  

This means white and shiny scars and marks blend away, and shades of pink and brown scars begin to normalise, often turning white before normalising.  

A pilot control trial of scar Re-pigmentation with UV light and dry Tattooing -

Objective: This study the utility of scar injury with an tattooing technique combined with UV light for the of facial scars.

Conclusions: Dry-tattooing followed by UV light exposure may a safe and effective means for the of hypo-pigmented scars.

Michael G. Brandt, Corey C. Moore, Anne E. Conlin, John D. Stein, and Philip C. Doyle

Before (Above left) - Stretch mark for fine silvery stretch marks on skin area with good elasticity.  Duplicate area on other side, total area size 3 hands.  £600 for a course of 3 or £250 per session.

After (above right) - Result after one visit.  Area in front of ear almost returned to normal, area behind ear is less .  Treatment area size 1 hand. £150 per session or £400 for course of 3. Pain factor, none reported

Before (Above left) - Treatment area size 1 hand. £150 per session or £400 for a course of 3. Pain factor, during the treatment my client found this area a bit twitchy, but not really painful. She reported her arm was a little painful the next day, and was very itchy.  Itchy is good, new life into the area.

After (above right) – Results after one .  Scars look whiter as they are now firmer and smoother. Gentle sun exposure will help the new tissue to naturally over the coming months and the scar will blur into the skin. Second treatment was out

Before (Above left) - Operation scar, scar is pink and tissue . area size 1 hand. £150 per session or £400 for course of 3. Pain factor, my client found the ends of the scar very ticklish, no pain was reported.

After (Above right) – Result after one session. Scar is now totally smooth and redness has gone. Scar looks whiter as it is now firmer, gentle sun exposure over the coming months will return new tissue to normal colour. Second treatment was carried out

Expected results for scars

Loose scars just like stretch marks, dry tattooing causes new growth to the thin and stretched tissue, helping to create firmer skin.

As new tissue grows in response to dry tattooing, miscoloured scar tissue a more natural tone, and white scars return pigmentation.

No pigment is used, this is the bodies natural reaction to scar tissue being needled, and dry being the most and form of it.

Dry also the fibres of tight scar tissue, with restricted scars or burns softening, allowing a much larger range of movement.

Atrophic and scars are smoothed, with pitted acne scars being individually. The finest can be used, chosen on the scar to be treated.  

Active keloid scars cannot be treated. Inactive keloid scars can be with discretion, and not all raised scars are keloid.

Active keloid scars grow, cause pain, itching and numbness. Inactive keloid scars do not grow and their colour is or normal skin colour

Scar reduction - Managing expectations

There isn’t the same emotional attachment to stretch marks as there is to a scar one thinks .  

It takes some doing to mentally a scar and hope to improve it, especially if it was a traumatic experience.  

This is why on my website I have chosen to show the immediately after photos, so clients know exactly what to expect.  

I believe bodies have painful memories, and I see my clients, just before I start treatment, suddenly that it hurt to create, surely it’ll hurt to treat… forgetting that they’ve had numbing cream on the area for at least 30 minutes.  

How much a scar is very individual, and results can’t be promised, but we’re giving the body a chance to re-heal in a more controlled manner, rather than the rush of scar tissue that formed when the wound was healing.  

The emotion my clients generally feel is excitement, that they’re doing something that makes sense.  

Scar tissue is stuck; we’re gently and waking it up so it can heal again

Results don’t happen overnight, you’ll see I add dates to my photos, and one of the I’ll be adding more and more photos to my website is so can see there are no standardised before and after photos.

There is nothing to judge your result against, only seeing each person’s scar improving.

I 3 dry tattooing treatments, and then leave the area to settle and for about 4 months before considering having any more.

Some clients book these regularly; others wait to see a before . I’m of the view the 3 of regular will work best, as we want to stimulate the skin so it can re-heal.  

If you want to read more, the at Room really know what they're about and have put together some  , , , , and also or FAQs just for you. 

If you have more questions, you can use the , , , , ,  and also or feature to talk to our panel of trained medical . 

If you're keen to get started with any of these right away then you're in luck - those clever folks also have a list of trusted, , , , , , clinics, and also that in or products in your area.

Types of (medical skin needling) devices currently available in the UK: 

Smoothing uses micro-current in addition. The controlled trauma caused a healing reaction and the of new to minimise the imperfection.

The P.I.N. (Percutaneous Induction Needling) device is an automated micro-needling device. It is designed to treat a wide of issues, including fine lines and wrinkles, skin ageing, pigmentation, uneven skin tone, acne scars, and stretch marks.

Dermapen™ is used for a referred to as medical skin needling, induction therapy, induction, micro-needling or simply electronic dermarollering.

The eDermastamp™ or eDS™ Skin Rejuvenation is used for a referred to as skin needling, therapy, percutaneous collagen induction, or simply electronic dermarollering.

The Genuine Dermaroller™ device is marketed for the of Medical Skin Needling or Collagen .

The Therapy System or MTS-Roller™ is for the of Medical Skin Needling.

is used to treat the signs of ageing, scarring, burns, and uneven skin tone by activating cell and enhancing the of active serums and topical agents through induction therapy or medical skin needling.

Precision System can help improve the appearance of facial acne scars, reduce the signs of ageing and improve skin health through .

Thanks to the author of this blog from Beautiful Ink Heaton Mersey, South Manchester.

Lisa is a fully qualified and technician in Cosmetic Micropigmentation, Saline Tattoo Removal, and Advanced Skin Needling

Lisa has been in the since 2012, in eyebrow tattooing, removals, and . 

She has also Dry Tattooing, an advanced skin needling to scars and marks.

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