About the treatment
What microneedling actually is
Every other treatment on this site works from the surface down. Microneedling works from the dermis up. A pen fitted with very fine needles makes thousands of controlled micro-channels, and the body treats them as injuries worth repairing — which means new collagen and elastin, laid down underneath.
That direction of travel is the whole point. An indented acne scar is a place where collagen was destroyed and never replaced. You cannot polish a dip out from above; you have to fill it from below. Microneedling is one of very few non-surgical treatments that does.
At our Pembina Highway clinic the needle depth is set per region of the face — shallow across the forehead and around the eyes, deeper over cheeks carrying scarring. Numbing cream goes on first and is left until the area is genuinely numb, so what clients describe is pressure and a buzzing vibration rather than pain.
How it works
What happens over the next twelve weeks
Almost none of the result happens in the room. Here is the actual timeline.
Day one — channels and serums
The micro-channels stay open for roughly an hour. Whatever we apply in that window reaches far deeper than a serum ever could through intact skin. The immediate flush and plumpness people notice is mostly this, plus circulation.
Days one to three — the repair response
Your skin reads the channels as damage and releases growth factors. Externally this looks like mild sunburn that settles within 24 to 72 hours, sometimes with light flaking around day three. Internally it is the cascade that everything else depends on.
Weeks two to eight — collagen is laid down
New collagen and elastin are built through the dermis. Nothing is visible day to day. This is the phase people abandon a course during, because the skin looks normal and nothing appears to be happening.
Months two to three — the structure changes
Scars lift, pores read smaller because the skin around them is firmer, and fine lines soften. This is when a course is actually judged — not at the end of the last appointment.
The difference
Microneedling or a chemical peel?
This is the question we field most often, and there is a simple test that answers it.
A peel, if the problem is colour
- Sun spots, melasma, uneven tone
- Flat marks left behind by old breakouts
- Dullness and rough surface texture
- Works on the outer layers, chemically
- Brightness immediately, tone over a course
Needling, if the problem has depth
- Indented or pitted acne scarring
- Skin that has lost firmness and bounce
- Texture you can feel with a fingertip
- Works in the dermis, by rebuilding
- Nothing for weeks, then a real change
Run a fingertip slowly over the area with your eyes shut. If you feel dips and ridges, that is structural and needling is the right tool. If the skin feels flat but looks patchy, that is pigment and an AFA peel will get further. Plenty of people need both, in that order — needling first for the structure, peels afterwards for the colour.
Indications
What is it good for?
Anywhere the skin has lost structure rather than just clarity.
Active breakouts, cold sores or a recent peel mean waiting rather than ruling it out. The full list is on our Winnipeg clinic page.
Why here
Running a course through a Winnipeg year
Three to six sessions a few weeks apart is a season-long commitment. When you start it changes how well it works.
Start in the autumn, finish before summer
Needled skin is markedly more sun-sensitive for weeks afterwards, and UV in that window is the main thing that spoils a result. A course begun in October or November lands you at the end of it in spring, with the least sun exposure across the whole run.
Dry indoor air slows the healing phase
Collagen repair needs a barrier that is holding water, and Winnipeg’s heated indoor air works directly against that. We build barrier support into the aftercare rather than assuming your usual routine covers it — a Hydro Facial between sessions is the simplest way to keep it topped up.
Post-treatment pink passes for windburn
The flush afterwards looks exactly like a walk between buildings in January. Most clients take a late-afternoon appointment and are unremarkable by the next morning.
Snow glare still burns
Fresh snow reflects a large share of UV straight back up at your face, and people reliably forget this. Daily SPF through the winter is not optional while you are running a course.
Getting ready
Pre & post treatment
The aftercare matters more here than with any other treatment we offer. It is what protects a three-month investment.
Before your appointment
- Stop actives: no retinoids, acids or strong exfoliants for three to five days.
- Stay out of the sun: no sunburn or tanning for a week beforehand.
- Arrive bare: no make-up, serums or oils on the skin.
- Pause other treatments: no peels or aggressive procedures in the run-up.
- Tell us: cold sores, active breakouts or any acne medication.
After your appointment
- Expect pink: warmth and tightness like mild sunburn, settling over 24 to 72 hours.
- Keep it bland: gentle cleanser, fragrance-free moisturiser, nothing else.
- Still no actives for three to five days.
- No heat: saunas, hot baths and hard workouts out for 24 to 48 hours.
- SPF every morning without exception — including on snow days.
Results
Microneedling before and after
A client treated for acne scarring at You Glow Aesthetics. Note that the change is in how the surface sits, not in its colour — that is collagen doing the work.
Individual results vary with skin type, how deep the scarring is and how many sessions are completed. Scar work is a course rather than a single visit.
Also at our Winnipeg clinic
Treatments that work well around this one
- Hydro Facial in Winnipeg — the usual choice between sessions, to keep the barrier holding water
- AFA Chemical Peel in Winnipeg — for the pigment left behind, which needling does not address
- Anti-Aging Red Light Therapy in Winnipeg — shortens the recovery and supports the collagen response
- Blue Light Therapy in Winnipeg — settle active breakouts before any needling starts
- Dermaplaning in Winnipeg — surface smoothing, on the weeks you are not needling
- Microneedling brand-wide — how the treatment works across all our clinics
