Microchanneling vs Microneedling: What’s the Difference?

Did you know that people spend over $3 billion in a typical year on the cosmetic and beauty product manufacturing industry? In Canada alone, it takes over 9,000 people to make the products that help us look our best.

On the other hand, people might not have to spend so much on these products if they could find long-lasting ways to improve their skin health. Microchanneling and microneedling treatments both help people enjoy naturally healthier skin.

However, a lot of people mix up these two kinds of treatments. So what are they, and what is the difference between them? Read on to learn all about the most crucial things to understand about microchanneling and microneedling!

What Is Microchanneling?

In many ways, microchanneling treatments are similar to microneedling. During a microchanneling treatment, needles are used to create many tiny microchannels all across the surface of the skin.

Many people get microchanneling treatments for their face, but you can also get them on the scalp and all around the body. One of the main things to understand about microchanneling tools is that they only create shallow punctures, resulting in microchannels. Microchanneling needles never go deeper than 0.25 mm into the skin.

In fact, this is the defining difference between microchanneling and microneedling. If you receive a treatment that goes deeper than 0.25 mm, that counts as microneedling.

As microchanneling creates shallower micochannels in the skin, it is easier on the skin than microneedling. That means that the skin does not need any downtime to recover from the treatment.

Since it doesn’t create wounds, it’s also safe to do at home (with proper care).

So what is the purpose of creating these microchannels in the skin?

Doing so allows serums to penetrate farther and better into the skin. That can magnify their effects many times over. In other words, the results from microchanneling are largely influenced by what serum is used.

Many serums with antioxidants are great to go with microchanneling. However, it is highly advisable to avoid chemical acids such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic acids, and retinol. Microchanneling is gentle enough that you can use many of your normal skin products on the same day without irritating the skin.

What Is Microneedling?

People have been using microneedling options as part of their beauty routines for many years now. Some microneedling processes use rollers with needles to create tiny wounds on the surface of the skin. But most modern and professional treatments use tools that move needles straight in and out of the skin.

On the other hand, you may find microchanneling tools that use rollers more often. Rollers are fine for creating shallow microchannels.

You can get both shallow and deeper microneedling treatments between 0.25 mm and 1 mm. Some microneedling treatments even go as deep as 2 or 3 mm into the skin. However, that depth is absolutely unnecessary and in fact, can cause more harm than good.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that deeper treatments are better. The truth is that you will enjoy better skin benefits by getting a 0.5mm treatment than by getting a 1.5mm treatment.

On top of microchannels, microneedling treatments also create tiny wounds in the skin, unlike microchanneling. As a result, wound healing is the biggest functional difference between the two treatments.

These wounds require you to be more careful with your skin after a microneedling treatment. You will need to avoid using most skin care products until your skin has recovered for one or more days.

Active ingredients like Vitamin C, niacinamide, retinol, lactic, glycolic, mandelic, and salicilic acids should be avoided after microneedling. You may be able to use them again after 5 days or more of rest. However, high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and bone marrow growth factors can still be a viable option after a microneedling treatment.

Which Option Is Better for You?

So is microchanneling or microneedling better for your own skin care routine? Of course, the answer is that it depends on each person’s unique circumstances.

Whichever kind of treatment you decide on, make sure you get it from an experienced provider who understands both treatments.

You might want to get a microchanneling treatment if you have some medical contraindications to microneedling.  Microchanneling is milder as it doesn’t open the skin. Microchanneling can also be the right choice if you prefer to avoid any downtime.

If you want to get the most dramatic results you can, you might want to choose microneedling rather than microchanneling. A microneedling treatment can have extraordinary benefits on skin health and even help minimize scars.

To achieve similar results, microchanneling should be done 2-3 times a week for about a month. With proper instruction, you can safely incorporate microchanneling into your home regimen.

Benefits of Microneedling and Microchanneling

Both microneedling and microchanneling provide a long list of benefits to the skin.

By creating many tiny wounds in the skin, microneedling encourages the body to heal these wounds. During this wound-healing process, skin regeneration occurs. That creates a smoother texture and plumper skin while also evening out pigmentation.

As we get older, our collagen production will decline. Microneedling helps your skin to produce more collagen again.

Collagen will plump your skin and smooth out wrinkles and fine lines. It will also normalize melanin production, so microneedling can help you turn back the clock.

Both microneedling and microchanneling can help you get better effects out of the skin care products. Skin care products do the best they can to reach deeper into the skin to provide significant benefits. However, this is difficult because of the shield that the skin creates between its surface and deeper layers.

Microneedling and microchanneling can help your skin care products reach deeper into the skin. But you will need to know which products to avoid, too. That is why you want to go to knowledgeable and experienced skin care professionals for your procedures.

Depending on your situation, the right strategy might be to consider your medical conditions and lifestyle. For example, do you have any conditions, such as pregnancy, that prevent you from getting microneedling? If so, then microchanneling is the right option for you.

Can you afford downtime? Do you want to achieve the results with fewer treatments? If yes, microneedling would be the better option for you.

Understand Microneedling and Microchanneling

As the years go by, we are enjoying more and more effective ways to improve skin health, like microchanneling and microneedling. We hope that understanding both of these treatments will help you decide if one of them is the right choice for your skin health. You might want to try one of these treatments for yourself to see how significant the benefits can be for your unique skin.

To learn more about how you can find the best treatments for your skin health, contact us at any time!