By Clementina Verge
When it comes to skin rejuvenation, many assume the need for invasive treatments or extended recovery time. Not so with microchanneling, a procedure increasingly in demand based on excellent outcomes and the ability to quickly resume activities post treatment.
Unlike microneedling, which uses a handheld roller covered in tiny needles that can tear the skin, microchanneling is a non-invasive experience that uses microneedles to tap into the dermis, stimulating the body’s natural ability to generate elastin, collagen, and other building blocks of dermatological health, explains Scott Bond, owner of Byrde + the b in Washington Depot.
The award-winning, full-service luxury salon now offers the procedure along with its impressive skincare lineup. Performed by aesthetician Danielle Occhialini, a former beauty advisor and resident artist at luxurious labels including Lancôme and Chantecaille, microchanneling is an excellent treatment for a variety of skin conditions, ranging from fine lines and wrinkles, to hyperpigmentation, rosacea, acne scars, and even hair loss.
“Starting with three treatments done two weeks apart to see results, we really look at before and after pictures to make sure we’re getting hair growth,” Bond explains.” If someone’s follicles are completely dead, there’s not much we can do, but If they are not, the hair will grow stronger and stronger.”
With minimal physical discomfort, most clients are able to undergo microchanneling without numbing cream or noticeable pain. Typical downtime after a treatment is only 60-90 minutes, with makeup application possible the next day.
“Some situations may require as many as five treatments with the typical four weeks between each to allow for optimal healing,” notes Bond, explaining that following the procedure, healing is expedited with the use of a human growth-factor serum derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, which are known to promote scarless healing with minimal inflammation. “ProCell Microchanneling can last anywhere from two to ten years, depending on a client’s age and lifestyle.”
Another treatment that enhances both health and beauty is acupuncture, performed by FonLin Nyeu, a doctor of Chinese medicine.
Used for thousands of years in traditional Eastern medicine, acupuncture is not just a beauty regimen that covers appearance, but an authentic medical procedure that promotes health and skin rehabilitation from within. By stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles, the body’s natural healing abilities promote physical and emotional well-being. Acupuncture also produces natural substances, such as pain-relieving endorphins, and helps even post-stroke patients with facial paralysis, she explains.
Its benefits are numerous, Nyeu notes, citing brighter tone, reduced sagging, restored muscles, decreased wrinkles, increased collagen and elastin, improved lymphatic drainage, and even balanced digestion.
“Eastern or Western, the needles have outstanding ability to heal and rejuvenate skin,” Bond states.
