Going Under The Needle

When my name was called I made my way to a room full of beds and nice shiny green silk-like bedding and the nurse gave me an injection (maybe for the swelling???) in the butt then proceeded to slather my face in white "numbing cream."  When she had finished, she sealed my face in plastic wrap and sent me back to the lobby to wait with the other masked monsters waiting for their various treatments.  Once you are all creamed and sealed, you must wait about 40 minutes for the cream to numb the epidermis.  I felt like some type of human casserole, set to bake at 350.

After what seemed like a lot more than 40 minutes, the nurses removed the numbing cream and escorted me to a tiny room in the back of the clinic with a single bed and various machines that beeped and clicked.  I laid down, covered myself in a protective blanket and waited for the dermatologist.  When he arrived, he said that the deepest scars were on my upper cheeks and that they would have to further freeze those areas which would require much more invasive laser work.  I was injected yet again in both cheeks and finally I couldn't feel my face at all.

The first treatment was the INTRAcel micro needling.  It consists of many tiny insulated needles on a small square head that penetrate the epidermis and deliver energy to the point of penetration.  This is supposed to stimulate collagen regrowth without damaging the epidermis (for a more in depth explanation, click here:   http://www.askinclinic.co.uk/index.php?page=78&area=ie&treatment=20).  The entire procedure only took about 5-6 minutes as he poked my face full of holes, but thanks to the anesthetic I felt next to nothing but a slight pressure every time the needles penetrated.