Upper Cambourne, CB23 6EP
Microneedling in Cambridge
Depth is set for each area of the face in quarter millimetre steps, and recorded, so the next session starts from what the last one actually did. A course is three treatments a month apart, because that is the interval the collagen response needs.
- Depth set per area and written down
- SkinPen Precision, sterile single-use cartridge
- Free parking on site, Mon to Sat
Book a consultation
Treatments carried out by Shannon Dry Aesthetics · Upper Cambourne, CB23 6EP
Getting here
Every route ends in the same place
Find your town for the road in and an honest door-to-door drive time.
- Hardwick7minEast on the A428
- Papworth Everard8minSouth on the A1198
- Bar Hill11minSouth on the A14, then the A428
- Histon15minWest on the A14, then the A428
- Fenstanton15minSouth on the A14, then the A1198
- Impington15minWest on the A14, then the A428
- St Neots16minEast on the A428
- Godmanchester16minSouth on the A1198
- Huntingdon19minSouth on the A1198 through Papworth Everard
- St Ives20minWest on the A1096, then the A1198
- Royston21minNorth on the A1198
- Sawston21minWest on the A505, then the A10
- Sandy25minEast on the B1042, then the A428
No match. See every area we cover.
All routes end atUpper CambourneCB23 6EP
What microneedling actually does
Fine needles make controlled micro-injuries in the skin at a depth chosen for the area being treated. The injury itself is small and deliberate. The point of it is the repair: over the following weeks the skin lays down new collagen in response, and it is that repair, not the treatment, which changes how the skin looks.
That is why nothing much appears to happen for a fortnight and why a course is spaced a month apart. Anyone promising a visible result the week after has described a different treatment.
Depth, and why it changes across one face
Depth is set in the cartridge head rather than on the pen, and it is changed as the treatment moves across the face. Thin skin over bone and thick scarred cheek tissue are not the same job.
- 0.25 to 0.5 mm
- Thin skin and areas over bone. Treatment stays outside the orbital rim.
- 0.5 to 1.0 mm
- General texture, enlarged-looking pores and fine lines across the forehead and mid face.
- 1.0 to 1.5 mm
- Cheeks, and the areas carrying most of the scarring.
- 1.5 to 2.0 mm
- Deeper atrophic scarring only, where the skin has shown it will tolerate it.
What it is worth doing for
Microneedling earns its place where the problem is in the texture and structure of the skin. It is a poor choice for anything sitting on the surface, and it is the wrong treatment for active breakouts.
Acne scarring
Rolling and boxcar scarring left behind after the acne itself has settled. This is the use the device was specifically cleared for, and it is where a course does the most.
Texture and open pores
Skin that reads as rough or uneven in raking light, and pores that look larger than they used to. Improvement is gradual and cumulative rather than dramatic.
Early collagen loss
Fine lines and the general softening that starts in the thirties. Realistic as maintenance, not as a substitute for anything surgical.
When it gets postponed
Active acne or a current breakout in the treatment area, an active cold sore, isotretinoin within the standard waiting period, a history of keloid scarring, and pregnancy. Any of these means the consultation ends with a plan rather than a booking. Your full history is taken before anything is agreed.
What the fortnight after actually looks like
Microneedling has real downtime and the honest amount depends on the depth used. This is the usual course of it after a treatment in the 0.5mm to 1.5mm range. Deeper work on scarring runs a day or two longer at each stage.
- Day 0Bright red and warm, tight like strong sunburnA hydrogel layer goes on before you leave and stays on. Nothing else touches the skin that evening.
- Day 1Still pink, noticeably tightMost people work from home if they can. Mineral SPF only, no makeup, no actives.
- Day 2 to 3Pink fading to a flush, surface turning rough and paperyMakeup is usually fine again from day two. Keep cleansing bland.
- Day 4 to 7Light flaking and sheddingThis is the old surface leaving rather than damage. It stops sooner if you leave it alone.
- Week 2 to 4Even again, nothing obvious happeningThe remodelling is underway and is not visible yet. This is the part people mistake for it not working.
- Week 6 to 8Where change from the first session showsAssessed against the notes from your last visit before the next treatment is planned.
What happens at the first appointment
The first visit is a consultation and, in most cases, the first treatment. Your skin is assessed, your history and current products are gone through, and the contraindications above are checked properly rather than ticked off. If anything on that list applies, you will be told there and then.
If it goes ahead, numbing cream is applied and left to work for around half an hour. The treatment itself runs about half an hour, with the depth changed as it moves across the face. A hydrogel layer goes on afterwards and stays on. You leave with written aftercare and the depths used recorded, so the next session builds on it.
Allow around ninety minutes for a first appointment. Drive yourself; there is nothing about the treatment that stops you.
What it costs
Prices are confirmed at consultation, once the depth plan and the number of sessions are settled. Nothing is quoted before your skin has been assessed, and a course is not sold as a package before the first treatment has shown how your skin responds.
Who carries out the treatment
Every appointment is carried out by Shannon Dry Aesthetics at the Upper Cambourne clinic. These are the qualifications held, named in full so you can check what each one covers.
- NVQ Level 3 Beauty Therapy The standard UK professional qualification in beauty therapy, covering skin analysis, contraindications and client assessment.
- VTCT Level 4 Award in Skin Blemish Removal Qualification 500/8888/9, an advanced award regulated by Ofqual and awarded by VTCT. This award covers blemish removal rather than microneedling.
Common questions
- Does microneedling hurt?
- Numbing cream is used and needs about half an hour to work, so allow for that on top of the treatment time. Most people describe the deeper passes over the cheeks as scratchy and briefly uncomfortable rather than painful. The forehead and areas over bone are the sharpest.
- How many sessions will I need?
- The studied protocol is three treatments a month apart. Scarring usually needs more than that, and it is assessed against your notes as you go rather than sold as a fixed package up front.
- Is this the same as a dermaroller?
- No. A roller drags the needles in at an angle and cannot hold a set depth. A pen drives them straight in and out at a depth locked in the cartridge head, and the cartridge is sterile and single use.
- Can I have it if I have taken Roaccutane?
- Not straight away. There is a standard waiting period after finishing isotretinoin before needling, and it is confirmed at consultation along with the rest of your history.
- When can I wear makeup again?
- Usually from day two. Day one is mineral SPF only, and nothing active goes near the skin until the flaking has finished.
- Why is the clinic not in Cambridge itself?
- It is in Upper Cambourne, about twenty minutes west along the A428. Parking is free and on site, which is the part a central Cambridge clinic cannot offer.
Book a consultation
Tell us what you want changed and roughly where you are travelling from. You will get a straight answer on whether microneedling is the right treatment for it, including when it is not.
Upper Cambourne, CB23 6EP · 07729 680588
Monday to Saturday, by appointment
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