Microneedling

Microneedling in Colombo generally runs from around LKR 8,000 to LKR 15,000 per session, depending on the depth used, the area treated and whether serums or PRP are added. At Luxskin the exact quote comes at your consultation, once Dr Dineli has examined your skin and confirmed how many sessions you genuinely need. We do not quote a package before seeing your skin, because the honest number depends on whether you are treating glow, texture or scarring.

A derma roller is a microneedling device, so technically yes, but the two are not equivalent in practice. A roller's needles enter and exit on an arc and drag a tear shaped wound, while a motorised pen stamps a clean vertical channel and holds a set depth. Rollers also reuse needles that bend and dull, and cannot be properly sterilised at home. Below 0.5mm the difference is small. Above 0.5mm the roller carries a real risk of tram track scarring and pigmentation, especially in brown skin.

Yes, when the depth is chosen correctly. Most Sri Lankan patients are Fitzpatrick type IV to V, where excess inflammation triggers post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Dr Dineli treats one step shallower than the depth charts written for Western skin, spaces sessions further apart and requires strict daily sunscreen between visits. Microneedling is actually one of the safer resurfacing options in darker skin, because it does not rely on heat or light energy that pigment can absorb.

Most acne scarring needs 6 or more sessions spaced 4 weeks apart, compared with 3 to 6 for general texture and glow. You will usually see the first clear change after the second or third session. Because collagen remodelling continues for 3 to 6 months after the final session, the full result of a course finished in January is properly visible around April.

Not significantly. A topical numbing cream is applied for 30 to 45 minutes beforehand, and most patients describe the sensation as light sandpaper or vibration. Bonier areas such as the forehead and jawline feel sharper than the cheeks. Deeper settings used on boxcar scars are more uncomfortable, which is one reason those areas are treated last.

For product absorption and mild glow at 0.25mm to 0.3mm, an at home roller used carefully on clean skin is low risk and reasonably useful. It will not treat acne scars, deep wrinkles or significant texture, because that needs depths above 0.5mm which are not safe to self administer. The two genuine dangers at home are infection from a roller that cannot be sterilised, and pigmentation from uncontrolled depth on brown skin.

Expect redness like mild sunburn for 24 to 48 hours, then light flaking around day 3 to 5. Most patients return to work the next day and can wear makeup after 24 hours. Deeper settings used for boxcar scarring can bruise and need 3 to 5 days of social downtime, which Dr Dineli will tell you before the session so you can plan around events.

No, and this is worth being direct about. Ice pick scars are narrow and deep, and the needle cannot reach the base of the scar to remodel it. They need TCA CROSS or punch excision. Microneedling works well on rolling and shallow boxcar scars, and many people have a mix of scar types, so a realistic plan often combines methods. If your scarring is mostly ice pick, we will tell you at consultation rather than sell you a course.

It can, but carefully. Microneedling improves pigmentation indirectly by accelerating turnover and by allowing better delivery of topicals such as tranexamic acid. The catch is that in Fitzpatrick IV and above, aggressive depth can trigger rebound hyperpigmentation and make melasma worse. Dr Dineli treats melasma at conservative depth, often pre treats with a tyrosinase inhibitor, and will sometimes recommend Pico Laser or a dedicated pigmentation protocol instead.

Not while you are taking it. The conservative standard is to wait 6 months after finishing isotretinoin, although newer data suggests a shorter gap may be adequate. Luxskin follows the conservative standard. Tell us at consultation if you have taken it in the past year, along with any blood thinners, as anticoagulants are also a contraindication.

Nothing that is not sterile and injectable grade. Vitamin C serums, hyaluronic acid with standard preservatives, fragranced products and most retail skincare can cause foreign body granulomas when driven into the dermis through open channels. This is the single most common serious mistake in the industry, and it is why we supply your post treatment products rather than letting you use your own. Avoid actives, exfoliants, swimming pools and direct sun for at least 5 days.

The published evidence shows a modest additional benefit for acne scarring, not a dramatic one. PRP uses your own platelet rich plasma applied after needling, and it is sterile by definition, which makes it a safe pairing. Whether it is worth the price difference depends on your goals and budget, and Dr Dineli will give you a straight answer at consultation rather than defaulting to the more expensive option.

Makeup after 24 hours, and most patients go back to work the next day with visible but manageable redness. If you have an event, book at least 7 days before it. For the deeper settings used on scarring, allow 5 to 7 days.

Anyone with active acne, an active skin infection, eczema or a cold sore outbreak in the treatment area, a history of keloid scarring, current isotretinoin use or recent completion, anticoagulant use, recent radiotherapy, or pregnancy. A cold sore history is not a bar to treatment, but it does require valacyclovir prophylaxis beforehand. All of this is screened at consultation.

Luxskin offers doctor led microneedling in Colombo, performed by Dr Dineli using a motorised pen with sterile single use cartridges rather than a derma roller. Consultations are free, and depths are set specifically for Sri Lankan skin tones. You can book a consultation through the site or by WhatsApp.