I’m vain. There. I said it. I’m vain. There are lots of things that I can’t control (like my grandmother’s overly curvy body and Mom’s fly-away hair – gotta love those genes), but I can control my skin. I spend lots of money on face creams and facials, use retinols in the winter and religiously slather on the sunscreen. Like I said, I’m vain.

So when I saw pictures of a radiant Kim Kardashian after she had her “Vampire Facial,” I knew that I wanted to look like that. She had such a healthy glow! Vain, remember? It didn’t take a lot of digging to find out that the “Vampire” part of the facial was referring to microneedling. I was intrigued.

What is microneedling? Microneedling involves using fine needles to create hundreds of tiny, invisible puncture wounds in the top layer of skin. These teeny punctures stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, which result in cell turnover and an increase in both collagen and elastin production. Collagen and elastin help reverse and prevent the signs of aging.

Microneedling is done with hyaluronic acid or growth factors. Hyaluronic acid increases skin moisture, while grown factors are made by skin cells to maintain skin health. Growth factors are also responsible for repairing damaged skin. To me, both of these were reasonable options.

Enter Monica. I was having my monthly facial at West Seattle Skin Care and I mentioned my Kim Kardashian wish to Monica. Imagine my delight when she told me that she performs microneedling with either hyaluronic acid or growth factors! Get out of here. I could have my glowing skin done at a place where I was comfortable, and by a friend, no less. Sign me up!

Microneedling works best when it is done in a series of treatments, spaced 4-6 weeks apart. Monica offers both single and package options. I elected to have a series of three microneedling sessions with growth factors.

I was nervous. Monica asked me to arrive about half an hour early so that she could apply lidocaine to my face. The lidocaine just felt like a thick skin cream. I relaxed in the studio for a while to give the lidocaine time to work. It was pleasant, and gave me a chance to collect my thoughts while I still had time to run!

It was time to begin (I didn’t run!). First Monica did some test spots to see if I was in pain. I wasn’t, but it was nice to know that if I was she could adjust the needle depth to accommodate me. She began with my forehead and worked her way down both sides of my face, and across my upper lip. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it wasn’t completely comfortable either. I didn’t mind. Vain. Remember?.

Monica gave me serum and cream to apply to my face at home. My face felt like it had sunburn for a couple of hours after I left the studio. The serum and cream both helped soothe my skin. After a day the sunburn feeling abated, but my skin was dry. I used the serum and cream until they were gone and then switched to my regular moisturizer.

It’s been two weeks since my first treatment and my skin looks great! My friends have commented on my skin and said things like “You look fantastic; what are you doing differently?” I’m quick to tell them about my experience and recommend that they book their own appointment with Monica so that they can also look fantastic! I’m looking forward to seeing the results after my next treatments.

~Andrea Turner
Client since 2004