Dermal Medical Needling. Everything You Need to Know Before Your Treatment

What is medical needling & how does it work?

Dermal Medical Needling (DMN) is a professional in-clinic treatment designed to repair and rejuvenate the skin, introduced to Doctors, Nurses, and Advanced Dermal Skin Therapists by Dr Des Fernandes, the pioneer of Medical Needling.

Also known as Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), this process helps tighten and firm the skin by stimulating the release of your body’s natural growth factors.

By activating the release of growth factors without unnecessary trauma, this treatment encourages collagen and elastin production. It can help smooth rough texture, soften fine lines and wrinkles, plump and strengthen thin skin—even skin that has been laser resurfaced—and reduce the appearance of surgical and acne scars, stretch marks, pigmentation, and uneven skin tone.

Dr Des says, “Nobody can grow better skin in a lab. Nobody can grow better skin than you can yourself!”

What needling device do we use?

At 360 Skin Studio, we use the SkinPen Medical Needling Device for skin rejuvenation and remodelling. SkinPen was the first micro-needling device system to receive FDA clearance – making it the gold standard for treating the previously mentioned skin conditions.

Hygiene is paramount. A sterile, disposable needle cartridge is used each time to ensure client safety. Each cartridge contains 14 ultra-fine stainless-steel needles that glide over the skin, creating micro-channels.  As the device passes over the skin, the needle depth can be adjusted for different areas of the face and body, creating precise micro-channels. Needle depths can range from 0.25 mm to treat delicate areas, such as around the eye, to 1 mm for thicker areas, such as the cheeks. Needling can be used over the body and is often set to needle more deeply, to a maximum depth of 2.5mm.  

Who can have a medical needling treatment done?

Because all skins are different and needle depth can be adjusted to allow the skin to trigger its natural healing cascade, it allows us to completely tailor-make a bespoke treatment for every client. Unlike many other rejuvenating modalities, no heat is involved; therefore, DMN is safe to treat all skin types and tones (Fitzpatrick types 1-6)

Is a consultation necessary?

A thorough consultation is required before DMN treatment to confirm that it is suitable for you. Certain conditions, such as bleeding disorders, autoimmune conditions, keloid scarring, and some medications, may be contraindications.

What to expect immediately after your needling treatment?

It is completely normal for skin to appear flushed or rosy after treatment. This redness, known as erythema, indicates that the body’s healing process has been activated to repair and rejuvenate the skin, and it may last for a couple of days.

The SkinPen needling procedure takes approximately 45-minutes and includes a soothing, sterile SkinPen After Treatment Masque. Applied immediately after needling, it cools, soothes, calms and hydrates.

Once the masque is removed, SkinPen After-Care serum and Environ RAD Active SPF20 are applied.

Following every SkinPen treatment, you will receive a specially created SkinPen after-care take-home pack to support your skin's recovery and optimise results.

The pack contains two products designed specifically for use on freshly needled skin over the following 48 hours to calm, soothe and hydrate:

Lift Gel (Day 1)
During the first 24 hours, apply the specialised Lift Gel, which provides immediate cooling, hydration, and comfort to the skin while supporting the healing process.

Rescue Complex (Day 2 onwards)
Rescue Complex is applied until finished. Formulated with magnesium, zinc, and copper, the soothing balm helps calm the skin, strengthen its natural defence systems, and support ongoing recovery.

Is there any downtime?

There’s really no downtime! The next day, a touch of Jane Iredale Pure Mineral Skincare make-up lightly covers any redness and evens out the complexion without disrupting the skin barrier.

Over the next week, expect the skin to feel a little dry and tight in the needled area, with some flaking or peeling. By Day 5, skin feels more comfortable and starts to look brighter and smoother. Everyone’s bodies and skin are different, so results to see a visible difference in a certain timeframe can vary.

What results should I see?

Expect around the 3–4-week mark, skin starting to look firmer, with pores and texture more refined. Over the next 6 months, you will continue to see more noticeable improvement – especially if you are having regular monthly treatments. For optimal results, I recommend a course of 3-6 Dermal Medical Needling treatments.

Experience and qualifications matter!

Your skin is precious, and I want you to know that you’re in safe hands at 360 Skin Studio.  In 2015, I had the absolute honour and privilege to be one of a select few beauty therapists to be trained by Professor Des Fernandes in NZ. Not only is Dr Des the pioneer of Micro-Needling, but he’s also the founder of Environ Skincare and is rated as one of the top 5 plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the world.

At that time, I was the Environ NZ Trainer/Educator, training many other beauty therapists and nurses in this incredible rejuvenation technique.  I’m a full member of the NZ Association of Registered Beauty Professionals – the leading body of beauty professionals. We have industry-verified qualifications, are fully insured and follow strict health, hygiene and safety standards to safeguard consumers and the future of the industry.

When should I begin my dermal needling journey?

It is never too late to start your DMN journey; we begin losing collagen and elastin production in our mid-20s, at approximately 1–1.5% each year. By age 40, our skin has probably lost around 25% of its collagen. For females, menopause occurs around 50 years of age, and there is an abrupt drop of 30% of the remaining collagen.

Do I need to have a specific home-care regime after DMN?

To maintain and enhance results, I advise using the Environ Cosmetic Roller - a painless home-needling device. Rolling on clean skin nightly in a star-type pattern, the tiny surgical steel needles, which are 0.1mm or 0.2 mm, create tiny micro-punctures in the skin. 100% of the active ingredients in the Environ Vitamin A skincare penetrates more deeply to optimise results further.

Now is the perfect time to let your body’s own rejuvenation process do the job of giving your skin the youthful boost it deserves by booking in for a course of SkinPen Treatments to create effective skin rejuvenation from the inside and to show beautiful, radiant, and healthy skin on the outside.