Microneedling For Pores —
Firming The Rim, Not Closing It

Every pore is a follicle mouth whose width you are born with. How large it looks depends on three things: how much oil fills it, whether a dark plug sits in it, and how well the collar of collagen around it holds the opening taut.

RF microneedling works on the collagen alone. Insulated needles enter the upper and mid dermis and release radiofrequency at their tips, heating the tissue around the follicles while the surface is largely spared. New collagen and elastin form over the following weeks, the rim firms, and the opening reads smaller. The wider plan is on pore reduction treatment.

Shape and site show which factor dominates.

1. Dr SY checks the skin again; a new breakout or cold sore in the area means the date moves.
2. Numbing cream goes on for around half an hour, then is removed and the skin cleaned.
3. Depths are set for each zone, shallower than for scars, with the cheeks mapped and the nose treated gently if at all.
4. The handpiece rests flat, the needles enter, radiofrequency is released at their tips, and the needles withdraw, zone by zone.
5. Pinpoint bleeding is blotted as he works. A bland moisturiser goes on and you receive written aftercare.

The visit takes forty to sixty minutes; see what to expect.

In the first days, swelling, redness and pinpoint marks can make pores look more obvious, not less. That is expected; the result is judged after the collagen has remodelled. Day-by-day timing is on RF microneedling downtime, and home care on RF microneedling aftercare.

Daily sunscreen protects the new collagen, and oil care continues after the course.

Expected: redness, mild swelling, pinpoint marks and small scabs that settle. Less common: redness that lasts longer, an acne flare in congested skin, and darkening after inflammation, which is the main concern in Asian skin. Rarely, a cold sore outbreak or infection.

Contact the clinic the same day if redness, pain or swelling gets worse instead of better, or the skin starts to weep.