What microneedling actually is
Microneedling uses a medical device with very fine needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin. Each one is a tiny, deliberate injury — too small to see, but enough to trigger the skin’s own repair response. In healing, the skin lays down new collagen and elastin. Over weeks, that shows up as firmer, smoother, more even skin.
The important word is controlled. Depth is chosen for the area and for your skin, not applied uniformly across the face. Under the eyes needs a different setting to the cheeks; a thick acne scar needs a different approach again. That judgement is most of the treatment.
What it helps with — and what it doesn’t
Microneedling responds well to:
- Texture — rough, uneven or grainy skin
- Enlarged pores — softened, though never erased
- Acne scarring — particularly rolling and boxcar scars, over a course
- Fine lines — the crepey texture around the eyes and mouth
- Dullness — skin that has stopped reflecting light well
- Pigmentation — some types, cautiously, and not in every skin type
It will not lift sagging skin, replace lost volume, or soften a line caused by muscle movement — that is what anti-wrinkle injections are for. Ice-pick scars often need something else. If your concern is one of those, we will tell you at consultation rather than sell you a course that cannot deliver.
Microneedling with mesotherapy
The micro-channels close within hours, and while they are open the skin absorbs far more than it normally would. Mesotherapy uses that window: a tailored blend of vitamins, amino acids and hyaluronic acid is applied so it reaches deeper than a serum ever could. It costs €250 rather than €180, and it is worth it where hydration and radiance are the goal as much as texture.
Your appointment, step by step
- Consultation. We look at your skin, discuss your history, medications and any tendency to pigment or scar, and agree whether microneedling is the right treatment at all.
- Cleansing and numbing. The skin is cleansed and topical anaesthetic sits for around 20–30 minutes.
- Treatment. Twenty to thirty minutes, working across the face in sections at depths chosen per area. Most patients describe a warm, prickling sensation rather than pain.
- Finishing. A calming serum and SPF. You will leave looking like you have caught the sun.
- Aftercare. Written instructions, and we are at the end of the phone if anything concerns you.
The first 48 hours, honestly
- Day 0: pink to red, warm and tight, like moderate sunburn. This is the point — it is the repair response starting.
- Day 1–2: redness fades to a flush. Skin feels dry and may look slightly bronzed.
- Day 3–5: light flaking as the surface renews. Do not pick it.
- Week 1: back to normal, often with an early glow.
Do not book microneedling in the week before an event. Two weeks is comfortable.
Aftercare that actually matters
- No makeup for 24 hours — the channels are still closing and infection risk is real
- No exercise, saunas or steam for 48 hours
- No retinoids, acids or exfoliants for a week
- SPF 50 daily, without exception, for at least two weeks — freshly treated skin pigments easily
- Gentle cleanser, bland moisturiser, nothing active
- Drink water and let it heal; resist the urge to help it along
How many sessions, and when you’ll see it
Collagen does not appear overnight. Most people notice better texture and glow after a single session, but the structural change — scarring, deeper texture — builds over a course of three treatments spaced four to six weeks apart, with the full result visible around three months after the last one. A course of three is €600 rather than €540, and for scarring it is the honest recommendation rather than an upsell.
Maintenance afterwards is typically one session every six to twelve months, depending on your skin and what you are managing.
When we will say no
We will not treat active acne, an active cold sore or any skin infection, or skin that has had isotretinoin (Roaccutane) within the last six months. We will also hold off during pregnancy, with certain autoimmune conditions, with a history of keloid scarring, or where you have had recent sunburn or a fresh tan. Darker skin types can be treated safely, but need a more conservative approach because of the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation — that is a conversation, not a refusal.
Risks, plainly
Expected: redness, tightness, mild swelling, flaking. Less common: bruising, prolonged redness, a triggered cold sore in those prone to them, small breakouts as the skin settles. Uncommon but real: infection where aftercare is not followed, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is the reason SPF is non-negotiable and the reason depth is chosen carefully rather than maximised.
Why doctor-led matters for skin
Microneedling is widely offered, and the device is only part of it. What changes the outcome is the assessment beforehand — recognising which scar type you actually have, whether your pigmentation will respond or worsen, whether a medication you take makes you a poor candidate, and what depth is appropriate for your skin. Dr Tafadzwa assesses and performs every treatment personally.
A private clinic, not a salon floor
Lumina is deliberately small — a boutique, doctor-led clinic in a private, intimate setting. You leave pink, and most people would rather not walk out through a shop floor. Appointments are spaced so the place is yours while you are in it.
Easy to reach from Limerick City and beyond
Our clinic in Pallaskenry is around 25 minutes from Limerick City, 15 from Adare and 10 from Askeaton. Patients come to us for microneedling from across Co. Limerick, Clare and North Kerry. We also run a fortnightly clinic at Urban Angels Hair Salon in Moyvane, Co. Kerry (V31 PN47), serving Listowel, Abbeyfeale and Tarbert — a calm, private alternative to a city-centre clinic.