Before we really get into this, let me start by saying that I am not a beauty expert and am generally very timid about doing any kind of beauty treatments so this was a real stretch for me and I don’t have a lot of additional insight to share aside from my own personal experience.

Unfortunately, it was a choice that didn’t end well. As I mentioned, I am a procedure amater – I will try all the serums and creams at home but thus far have held off on any cosmetic procedures like botox, filler, etc. I will have a routine facial maybe once a year more for the experience than the treatment. 

Overall, I am generally happy with my skin but had recently felt the lines on my neck were becoming darker and darker. It began when I was pregnant with Zain and as many of you likely experienced, I started to have some hyperpigmentation. After giving birth almost all of my pigmentation went away – except on my neck. The same thing happened again when I was pregnant with Zahra so I personally felt that was something I should address and try to be proactive about. 

After chatting with friends about what had and hadn’t worked for them and asking my dermatologist I gathered the feedback and decided Microneedling would be the best option. Microneedling feels a lot like a facial with small pricks to me personally. It uses a device with very thin sharp needle tips to make punctures on your skin. I opted for the ‘Vampire Facial’ which was proven to have even better results since the technician uses your own PRP and injects it back into your skin during the procedure to promote healing. As your body heals those tiny cuts you should see fresh skin and hopefully the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines, including those on your neck. 

I did a ton of research and spoke with friends who had the procedure done as I wanted to be sure whoever I went to had previously worked on women with my complexion. After that, I made my appointment (this was back in June) and felt pretty good going in! I was a tad bit nervous but during my initial consultation but was reassured that the discomfort and redness would only last a few days and I would be glowing after. It just so happened that I had a trip with a brand coming up the following week so I had asked pretty detailed questions about healing! 

During the actual procedure I was comfortable for the majority of it. While on my face it felt like any other facial treatment I do at home but once we got to my neck I felt a bit more discomfort. However, since we had discussed that my neck lines were why I had come in I figured this was par for the course. 

I left that day red – partially from the procedure but partially from my own plasma that was on my face and was instructed to sleep that night without washing my face. I woke up the next morning and my face had calmed but my neck was puffy, had white milia, and still hurt like crazy. 

Honestly, the next few days were a blur. My neck reacted as expected and the redness faded quickly leaving me with a tiny bit of peeling. My neck however went from bad to worse and I spent most of my days icing my neck, applying aquaphor, and praying that I wouldn’t be permanently scarred. As a bit of background, my skin discolors with EVERYTHING. If I get a mosquito bite I will end up with a dark mark for weeks. My technician recommended a few prescription creams and a steroid which I started for a day but then eventually called a friend of ours who is a dermatologist when things continued to decline. 

I ended up stopping the steroid, sticking to just aquaphor and anti-itch cream because it itched like CRAZY, and staying out of any sun for weeks. I am telling you all I beat myself up so much for having this done in the first place. Having to drive around with a scarf over my neck for fear of sun exposure was a nice gentle reminder that this stuff doesn’t really matter! Who cares if I have neck lines if I can’t hang out with my kids or see the sun. 

After about a week or two of darkening and itchiness, the scabs eventually flaked off. It was disgusting but I was just hopeful there was new skin under that wasn’t completely ruined or scarred. What was left was dark areas and some of those have faded over time but I still have several remaining. 

Looking back now, I am just so grateful I don’t have any more severe permanent scarring. I do think the texture of my neck has changed and there are a few dark spots remaining but overall I don’t notice it in my day to day life and am just so grateful it wasn’t worse. 

I have friends ask me if I would do it again and my answer is absolutely not 😉 I may change my mind in the future but for now I am staying away from any kind of skin treatments. 

Just wanted to share my personal experience – so many of my friends have had great results just not me unfortunately! There are risks with any procedure and a part of me feels like these cosmetic medical procedures have become so normalized that we may all be forgetting the risk involved. I know I certainly didn’t expect it. 

So many of you had still been asking about my experience when I kind of disappeared after so I just wanted to share my perspective and hopefully be a reminder in a sea of beautiful before and afters that there are always risks and to make sure you do your research. I am all for everyone doing whatever makes them feel their best!