Microneedling about 20 minutes from St Ives, at our Upper Cambourne clinic. The depth is set for each area of the face in quarter millimetre steps and written down, so the next session starts from what the last one actually did. More on Microneedling Cambridge.
Thin skin over bone and thick scarred cheek tissue are not the same job, which is why the depth is changed as the treatment moves across the face rather than left at one setting.
- NVQ Level 3 Beauty Therapy
- VTCT Level 4 Award in Skin Blemish Removal, qualification 500/8888/9
- Carried out by Shannon Dry Aesthetics using SkinPen Precision
- Upper Cambourne CB23 6EP, free parking on site
Getting here from St Ives
Door to door
- Drive time
- 20 min
- Distance
- 8.5 miles
- Parking
- Free, on site
- Route
- West on the A1096, then the A1198
Times and distances are approximate.
How microneedling works
A sterile single-use cartridge holding fourteen surgical stainless needles is driven straight in and out of the skin at a depth locked in the cartridge head. The injuries are small and deliberate, and the skin responds by laying down new collagen over the following weeks.
Depth is changed as the treatment moves across the face: shallower over bone and thin skin, deeper across the cheeks and areas carrying scarring. The depths used are recorded, so the next session builds on the last rather than starting again.
Who it is 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 what the device was specifically cleared for, and 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.
What it costs
| Session | Price |
|---|---|
| Consultation and skin assessment | Part of the first appointment |
| Single treatment | Confirmed at consultation |
| Course of three | Confirmed at consultation |
Your first appointment
The first visit is a consultation and, in most cases, the first treatment. Your skin is assessed and your history and current products are gone through, including the things that postpone treatment: active breakouts, a current cold sore, recent isotretinoin, a history of keloid scarring, or pregnancy. If it goes ahead, numbing cream is applied and left for around half an hour, the treatment itself runs about half an hour, and a hydrogel layer goes on afterwards. Allow around ninety minutes.
Questions
Do people really travel from St Ives?
Yes. It is roughly 8.5 miles, west on the A1096, then the A1198, then follow signs for Upper Cambourne. Most clients are here in about 20 minutes.
How is the drive from St Ives at rush hour?
The A14 queues around Girton and Bar Hill at peak. Heading south west towards Cambourne you are going against the worst of it, and late morning is the easiest slot.
Does it 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 rather than painful.
How many sessions will I need?
The studied protocol is three treatments a month apart. Scarring usually needs more, 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.
How much downtime is there?
Day one is red and tight, days two and three fade to a flush, and there is usually light flaking from day four to seven. Makeup is normally fine again from day two.
Also serving nearby
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.
Get in touchOr read more about how a course of treatments is planned