Plasma pen therapy has become quite popular in the aesthetic world for plasma skin tightening. But what is it, how does it work, what are the pros and cons of this treatment, and is it a treatment modality that you should offer in your beauty location?
What Is Plasma Pen Therapy?
Plasma pens are handheld devices used to tighten mildly sagging skin, improve acne scars, and reduce the overall appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is often referred to as "fibroblasting" since the treatment increases fibroblast cells, which are responsible for producing collagen.
Similar to laser skin resurfacing or microneedling, plasma pen treatments create microscopic wounds in the skin that trigger the body’s natural healing process resulting in the production of new collagen and elastin that improve the skin’s appearance from the inside out.
How Do Plasma Pens Work?
Plasma pen treatments utilizes a microneedle to burn tiny holes in the skin. The plasma pen causes the skin in the treatment area to shrink and regenerate by stimulating new collagen and elastin production. The result is plasma skin tightening.
Plasma pen therapy uses plasma, which is the fourth state of matter along with solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is a hot, gas-like substance that stimulates fibroblast cells in the deeper layer of the skin to repair the outer skin layers. A fibroblast is a type of skin cell that secretes collagen proteins in the dermis, which is the layer of skin just below the outer layer of the skin, known as the epidermis. These cells play a vital role in wound healing in addition to maintaining the skin’s firmness and tightness.
The concept behind this non-invasive treatment modality is that the plasma pen device discharges an ionized gas in the air to create a small electrical arc that improves the appearance of the skin without heating the surrounding tissue. While plasma pen treatments can be used on many parts of the body, most technicians treat smaller areas as it requires a more precise dot-by-dot application suited to the fibroblast plasma pen.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Plasma Pen Skin Tightening?
Pros:
- Practitioners can treat small areas like the eyelids, crow’s feet, lip lines, forehead lines, nasolabial folds (aka. marionette lines), and mild sagging around the jawline.
- The plasma pen treatment also improves the appearance of stretch marks, skin tags, and seborrheic keratosis.
- This non-invasive treatment option is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to cosmetic surgery with most individuals not needing more than three treatments to address their aesthetic concerns. While costs will depend on what parts of the face and body are treated and who performs the treatment, the average cost per treatment is around $800. Several treatments may be required to achieve the desired results.
- The new collagen that is produced as a result of the plasma pen treatment lasts around 1-2 years depending on the healing response generated.
Cons:
- When performed by a skilled practitioner, plasma pen treatments can cause peeling, swelling, scabbing, and post-treatment bruising, so it requires downtime—typically a few weeks to heal before these side effects subside. Numbing cream may be used prior to the aesthetic service due to the pain associated with the treatment.
- Full results of collagen production in the skin may take months to see visibly.
- This treatment is not appropriate for darker skin types. So individuals with olive or brown skin are not suitable candidates for plasma pen therapy due to the risks of hyperpigmentation.
- Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or individuals who have sensitive skin or suffer from an autoimmune condition should not have plasma pen therapy.
- While plasma pen therapy helps to address mild skin sagging, clients who have moderate or severe skin laxity issues typically will not see noticeable results. At this point in time, the only treatment for more extreme cases of loose skin is plastic surgery.
- Plasma pen therapy can cause hyperpigmentation and scarring if it isn’t done correctly. So it is crucial that a well-trained practitioner provides the treatment otherwise side effects can be extreme with recovery taking 2 weeks or more.
- Not all plasma pens have been FDA-approved for aesthetic use. In fact, some places in the world have warned that the treatment could pose health risks, so they are not available. You will need to do your due diligence to find a device that meets your aesthetic practice’s standards.
Should You Offer Plasma Pen Therapy At Your Aesthetic Clinic?
Only you can determine if offering plasma pen therapy is right for your beauty location since you know your customer base and how you help them manage their recovery times from treatments, what aesthetic concerns they want to address, and how you manage risk factors with your business…But, if you are unfamiliar with this treatment modality, hopefully this post will give you a little more insight into this trendy non-invasive treatment.
For more detailed information checkout our free ebook, PRP vs. Plasma Therapy: How Do They Compare?
