Microneedling

Precision Microneedling Treatments

Microneedling

Designed to Rebuild Skin From the Inside Out

You catch your reflection in daylight and it stops you. The texture along your cheeks. Pores that seem to have opened up without warning. Acne scars you assumed you had outgrown years ago, still there, still catching every bit of light. You have spent real money on products that promised to change this, and your skin looks the same as it did a year ago. The products were never the problem. They simply cannot reach where the problem lives.

Revive Clinic & IV Therapy treats microneedling as a clinical procedure rather than a spa service. Needle depth is set by your provider based on your skin thickness, the concern being treated, and the area being worked on, because the depth that improves texture on a cheek is not the depth that suits the skin under an eye. Treatment is planned as a series, spaced to match how your skin actually rebuilds collagen.

Our Middleburg office serves patients from across western Loudoun County and the surrounding hunt country, including Aldie, Upperville, The Plains, Philomont, Purcellville, Marshall, and Leesburg. Revive is a fee-for-service practice offering both clinical care and aesthetic medicine, which means your skin is evaluated by a provider who reads your full medical history rather than an intake form.

Your first appointment is a conversation, not a procedure. Your provider looks at what your skin is actually doing, asks what has and has not worked for you before, and tells you plainly whether microneedling is the right instrument for the result you want. Sometimes the answer is a series. Sometimes it is that a peel or a resurfacing treatment would get you there faster. You will hear the real answer.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

Your consultation is complimentary for new patients, and it carries no obligation to treat.

What Is Microneedling?

Microneedling uses very fine needles to create thousands of microscopic channels in the skin. Each channel is a controlled, precisely limited injury. Your body responds to injury the way it always has, by producing collagen and elastin to repair the area. The treatment is essentially a way of asking the skin to rebuild its own structure, in a pattern controlled tightly enough that you get the repair without meaningful damage.

Collagen is what gives skin its firmness, thickness, and smooth light reflection. Production begins declining in the mid-twenties and keeps declining. Sun exposure accelerates it. As collagen thins, pores appear larger, texture roughens, fine lines settle in, and scars that were once shallow become more visible because the skin around them has lost support. Microneedling works on that underlying structure rather than on the surface.

Revive uses the CytoPen® S2, an automated microneedling device with adjustable needle depth and a controlled, consistent stamping speed. Automated devices differ from rolling instruments in a way that matters: needles enter and exit at the same angle, which produces cleaner channels and less surface trauma. Adjustable depth means your provider can treat the thin skin near the eyes and the thicker skin of the cheeks in the same session at different settings.

The goal is not to resurface your face or strip it back. It is to prompt your skin to rebuild the structure it has been losing, gradually, in a way that looks like your skin got better rather than like you had something done.

Treatment Options

Microneedling at Revive can be performed on its own, combined with additional topical applications, or delivered with radiofrequency energy. Which version suits you is decided during your consultation based on your skin and your goals.

The CytoPen® S2 alone, with depth adjusted by area and concern. This is the standard treatment and is appropriate for most patients addressing texture, pore appearance, fine lines, and scarring.

PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. A small sample of your blood is drawn and separated in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelet portion, which is then applied topically to your skin across the freshly created channels. At Revive, PRP is applied to the surface of the skin only and is not injected. Because it is derived from your own blood, there is no risk of allergic reaction to a foreign substance. PRP is used in aesthetic practice on the basis of clinical experience and a developing body of research, and it is not approved by the FDA for cosmetic use. Your provider will explain what is and is not established before you decide.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that carry signaling molecules between cells. Preparations containing them are used topically in aesthetic practice following treatment. At Revive, exosome preparations are applied to the surface of the skin only and are never injected. These preparations are not approved by the FDA for injection or for treating any condition, and this application is elective. Your provider will describe exactly what it is and what is not known about it, and you are free to decline it without affecting your treatment.

Radiofrequency energy is delivered through the needles as the channels are created, heating the deeper layers of the skin. That adds a tightening effect to the collagen stimulation, which makes it the better choice when skin laxity is part of what is bothering you rather than texture alone. RF microneedling has its own contraindications, its own recovery expectations, and its own set of considerations around treatment depth and energy settings. Because it is a meaningfully different procedure rather than an add-on to this one, Revive covers it in full on a separate page. See our RF Microneedling page for details, or ask your provider at your consultation which of the two fits what you are trying to change.

Your provider will recommend one of these based on your skin, your medical history, and what you are trying to achieve, rather than presenting them as a menu of upgrades.

What Concerns Can Microneedling Address?

Uneven or rough skin texture
Enlarged or prominent pore appearance
Fine lines, particularly on the cheeks and around the mouth
Acne scarring, especially rolling and boxcar types
Other atrophic or depressed scarring
Crepey or thinning skin quality
Dull skin that has lost its light reflection
Early skin laxity
Stretch marks on the body
Overall skin firmness and thickness

Microneedling is generally appropriate across a broad range of skin tones because it does not depend on light being absorbed by surface pigment, which is what limits some laser treatments in deeper complexions. Your provider will confirm suitability during your consultation.

Treatment Areas

Full face The most commonly treated area, addressing texture, pores, fine lines, and scarring together.
Under the eyes Treated at reduced depth for the thinner skin here, targeting crepey texture and fine lines.
Neck Responds to treatment but requires conservative depth, as the skin is thinner and has fewer oil glands than the face.
Chest Addresses the crepey texture and sun-related changes common in this area.
Hands Improves skin thickness and texture where age shows early.
Scalp Used in combination with hair restoration approaches.
Body Stretch marks and areas of scarring on the abdomen, thighs, arms, and elsewhere.

Depth, needle configuration, and number of passes are adjusted for each area within the same session.

Benefits of Microneedling

Stimulates your own collagen production rather than adding a foreign material
Improves skin texture, firmness, and thickness over a series of treatments
Appropriate for a wide range of skin tones
No incisions, no general anesthesia, no surgical recovery
Can be performed on the face and on the body
Sessions generally take 30 to 60 minutes including numbing time
Most patients return to normal activity within a day or two
Combines well with other treatments as part of a longer plan
Improvements continue developing for months after the final session

What Patients Often Notice

Results vary considerably. Age, skin thickness, sun history, smoking, nutrition, the depth and type of scarring, and your individual capacity to produce collagen all affect the outcome. Deep or ice-pick acne scarring typically improves rather than resolves and may need a combination of approaches. Some patients see substantial change across a series. Some see modest change. A single session produces a temporary brightening that is not the same thing as the structural improvement a series is meant to build, and patients who stop after one treatment often conclude it did not work when in fact it had not yet started.

Treatment Timeline

Most appointments run 30 to 60 minutes including time for topical numbing to take effect.

Skin looks pink to red, similar to a moderate sunburn, usually for 24 to 72 hours. Mild swelling is common on the first day.

Collagen remodeling takes time. Meaningful texture and firmness improvement generally begins around 4 to 6 weeks after a session and continues developing for several months.

Most treatment plans involve 3 to 6 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, which matches the skin’s remodeling cycle. Scarring often requires the higher end of that range and sometimes more.

Results keep developing for 3 to 6 months after your final session.

Periodic sessions, commonly every 6 to 12 months, help hold the improvement as collagen continues to decline with age.

What Happens During Your Visit

Your provider examines your skin under good light, assessing thickness, texture, scarring type and depth, pigmentation, and current condition. They review your medical history, medications and supplements, allergies, skincare routine, recent treatments, sun exposure, and any history of scarring or pigmentation problems after injury or previous procedures.

Not every patient is a candidate, and certain conditions, medications, and circumstances make treatment inadvisable. Your provider will review all of them with you before anything is scheduled. Bring a complete list of your medications and supplements, and tell your provider if you have ever developed a raised scar or a dark mark after a cut, burn, or cosmetic procedure. If you are not a candidate, you will be told why, and your provider will discuss what else may help.

You will also agree on a plan. Microneedling is a series, and knowing at the outset how many sessions are anticipated and roughly what they will cost matters more here than with single-session treatments.

Your skin is cleansed thoroughly. A topical numbing cream is applied and left in place for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Most patients find the treatment comfortable once it has taken effect.

Your provider then confirms depth settings by area. If PRP is part of your plan, your blood is drawn and processed while the numbing takes effect. If a topical exosome preparation is part of your plan, it is prepared at this stage.

Your provider moves the CytoPen® S2 across the treatment area in a systematic pattern, adjusting depth as they move between regions. Most patients describe a vibrating or prickling sensation rather than pain. Bonier areas such as the forehead and jawline are usually the most noticeable.

Pinpoint bleeding is normal and expected, particularly at deeper settings used for scarring. It indicates the needles have reached the layer where collagen remodeling occurs.

If PRP or a topical exosome preparation is part of your plan, it is applied to the skin during and immediately after the passes, while the channels are open. A soothing serum or mask may follow.

Technique matters. Depth that is too shallow will not reach the layer where collagen is built. Depth that is too aggressive for the area risks scarring and pigmentation change. Passing over the same area repeatedly causes unnecessary trauma without additional benefit.

Your skin will be pink or red and may feel tight and warm, similar to a sunburn. This typically settles within 24 to 72 hours. Mild flaking around day three to five is common.

Keep the skin clean and leave it alone. Avoid makeup for 24 hours, and avoid active skincare ingredients including retinoids, acids, and vitamin C for several days. Avoid strenuous exercise, swimming pools, hot tubs, and saunas for 48 hours. Avoid direct sun exposure and use broad-spectrum sun protection daily once your provider clears you to apply it. Sun protection after microneedling is not optional. It is the single aftercare instruction that most affects both your result and your risk of pigmentation change.

You will receive written aftercare instructions at your appointment. Contact Revive Clinic & IV Therapy if anything concerns you in the days following treatment, or if you have questions about what you are seeing.

How Much Does Microneedling Cost?

Pricing depends on the area treated, the number of sessions in your plan, and whether PRP or a topical exosome preparation is included. A single session addressing texture on the face is a different proposition from a scarring protocol across multiple sessions.

Because microneedling is a series rather than a single event, Revive Clinic & IV Therapy discusses the full plan and its cost during your consultation, so you can decide with the whole picture in front of you rather than one session at a time. You will know what is recommended and what it costs before any treatment is performed, and you are free to decline.

Your first consultation is complimentary for new patients.

First Time Considering Microneedling?

The most common misunderstanding about microneedling is that it is a facial. It is not. It is a controlled clinical procedure that creates a real wound-healing response, which is exactly why it works on things a facial cannot touch, and exactly why depth, technique, sterility, and clinical judgment matter.

The second most common misunderstanding is that one session will do it. Devices sold for home use and single-session promotions have made this worse. One treatment gives you a few days of brightness. Structural change comes from a series, because collagen remodeling happens on a timeline your skin sets, not one a marketing calendar sets.

At your consultation your provider will assess your skin type, thickness, and condition, examine the specific concern you came in for, review your medical history and any history of scarring or pigmentation problems, and discuss what you have already tried. You will leave understanding how many sessions your concern is likely to need, what degree of change is realistic, how long the whole plan will take, whether something else would serve you better, and what it will cost from start to finish.

Maintaining Your Results

Collagen production continues to decline with age regardless of treatment. What microneedling builds, time slowly draws down again. Most patients maintain their results with periodic sessions every 6 to 12 months, though your provider may suggest a different interval based on your skin and how you responded.

What you do between sessions matters as much as the sessions. Daily broad-spectrum sun protection prevents the collagen breakdown you just spent months building. A considered skincare routine works better on skin that has been treated, since the channels created during a session temporarily improve how well products penetrate, and improved skin quality holds onto results longer.

Many patients pair microneedling maintenance with treatments that address what collagen stimulation alone does not reach, which your provider will discuss as part of a longer plan rather than as an upsell at checkout.

Why Choose Revive Clinic & IV Therapy?

Revive Clinic & IV Therapy is a nurse-practitioner-led practice. Dr. Gurpreet Bajwa, DNP, FNP-BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner who spent more than a decade in urgent care in Ashburn before founding Revive, and who has worked closely with dermatology, endocrinology, and internal medicine. Dr. Bajwa holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and practices under a collaborative practice agreement with a physician, as Virginia requires.

That background matters more for microneedling than patients tend to expect. This is a procedure that breaks the skin barrier thousands of times in a session. Sterile technique, correct depth for the area, recognition of who should not be treated, and knowing how skin that scars or pigments easily will respond are all clinical judgments, not cosmetic preferences.

Treatment here is planned as a course with a defined endpoint rather than sold as a standing appointment. Depth is set by your skin rather than by a protocol. And because Revive is a fee-for-service practice, there is no incentive structure pushing you toward more sessions than your skin needs.

We are not here to resurface you into someone else. We are here to rebuild what your skin has been quietly losing, at a pace your skin sets.

Enhance Your Experience

Microneedling builds collagen and improves texture. Patients working toward a broader change often combine it with treatments that address concerns it does not reach

Each recommendation is made individually during your consultation. Not every service is appropriate for every patient, most cannot be performed on the same day as microneedling, and results vary. Your provider will advise on sequencing and timing.

Let's Talk About the Result You Want

You probably know exactly what you want your skin to look like, even if you have never put it into words. Skin that looks smooth in daylight instead of only in flattering light. Pores that stop being the first thing you see in the mirror. Acne scars that stop telling a story you finished living years ago. Or simply skin that looks like it belongs to someone who feels as good as you do.

Bring that to your consultation and describe it plainly. The clearer you are about the outcome you want, the more accurately your provider can build a plan for it, and the more honestly they can tell you what is realistic, how many sessions it will take, and where a different treatment would get you there faster. Microneedling rewards patients who commit to a course and let their skin do the work on its own timeline.

Your first consultation is complimentary. You will leave knowing what is achievable for your skin, how long it will take, and what it will cost, before you commit to anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is microneedling?

Microneedling uses very fine needles to create thousands of microscopic channels in the skin. Those controlled micro-injuries trigger your body’s natural repair response, which produces new collagen and elastin. Because it works on the deeper structure of the skin rather than the surface, it addresses texture, pore appearance, fine lines, and scarring in ways topical products generally cannot.

Does it hurt?

A topical numbing cream is applied about 20 to 30 minutes beforehand, and most patients find the treatment comfortable. The sensation is usually described as vibration and prickling. Areas over bone, such as the forehead and jawline, tend to be the most noticeable. Deeper settings used for scarring are felt more than lighter settings.

How many sessions will I need?

Most plans involve 3 to 6 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. Texture and general skin quality often respond at the lower end. Scarring usually requires more. Your provider will give you a specific estimate after examining your skin.

How long is the redness?

Typically 24 to 72 hours, resembling a moderate sunburn. Mild swelling is common on day one and light flaking around day three to five. Deeper treatments produce more visible redness for longer.

When will I see results?

Skin often looks brighter within a week, but that early change is not new collagen. Structural improvement generally begins around 4 to 6 weeks after a session and continues developing for months after the series is complete.

Is microneedling safe for darker skin tones?

Generally yes. Microneedling does not rely on light being absorbed by surface pigment, which is the mechanism that limits some laser treatments in deeper complexions. That said, any procedure that creates inflammation carries some risk of pigmentation change, and your provider will assess your individual history during consultation

Will it get rid of my acne scars?

It improves them. Rolling and shallow boxcar scars generally respond best. Deep or ice-pick scarring typically improves rather than resolves and often needs a combination of approaches. Your provider will tell you honestly what your particular scarring is likely to do.

Can I have microneedling if I am pregnant or breastfeeding?

No. Treatment is not performed during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

What is the difference between this and RF microneedling?

Standard microneedling creates channels to stimulate collagen. RF microneedling adds radiofrequency energy delivered through the needles, which heats the deeper tissue and targets skin laxity in addition to texture. They address related but different concerns, carry different risks and contraindications, and your provider will advise which fits your goals.

Can I wear makeup afterward?

Not for 24 hours. After that, mineral makeup is usually the gentlest option while the skin settles.

Am I a good candidate?

That depends on your skin type and condition, your medical history, any history of scarring or pigmentation changes, and what you are trying to achieve. Your consultation exists to answer this question honestly. Please review the medical disclaimer below for circumstances in which treatment is not appropriate.

Medical Disclaimer

The information on this page is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare provider.

Regulatory status. Microneedling devices are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Platelet-rich plasma is not approved by the FDA for cosmetic or aesthetic use, and its use in aesthetic practice is based on clinical experience and a developing body of evidence. Exosome preparations are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for injection or for the treatment, prevention, or cure of any disease or condition. At Revive Clinic & IV Therapy, exosome preparations are applied topically only and are never injected. Statements regarding exosome preparations have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Who is not a candidate. Microneedling is not appropriate for individuals with active acne, active skin infection, or an active cold sore outbreak in the treatment area. It is not appropriate with certain skin conditions, with recent isotretinoin use, with a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring, with bleeding disorders, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Where platelet-rich plasma is added, treatment is additionally not appropriate for individuals with blood or platelet disorders, anemia, active malignancy, or those taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications. A history of post-inflammatory pigmentation changes, recent significant sun exposure, and certain medications may also affect candidacy. Candidacy is determined only after individual evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider.

Risks. Microneedling is a medical procedure with associated risks. Expected effects include redness, swelling, tightness, dryness, flaking, and pinpoint bleeding. Additional risks include bruising, prolonged irritation or redness, visible tracking or grid marks, infection including reactivation of cold sores, allergic or irritant reaction to products applied during or after treatment, scarring, and changes in skin pigmentation which may be temporary or in rare cases prolonged. Where platelet-rich plasma is used, additional risks include bruising, bleeding, and discomfort at the blood draw site.

Results. Results are cumulative, develop over months, and vary between individuals. Scarring may improve without fully resolving. No specific outcome, degree of improvement, or number of sessions required can be guaranteed.

Revive Clinic & IV Therapy is a fee-for-service practice and does not accept insurance.