Stingy or Smart? Why I Refuse to Add Boosters to Your Skin Needling Session

If you've had microneedling done at a few different clinics, chances are your therapist has offered you the lot: skin boosters, Vitamin A or C solutions, exosomes, you name it, the more the merrier.

Then you come to ReSKN Studio and Silvia (me) won't put a thing on your skin during or even more important, AT THE END of the treatment.

Rude? Stingy? Hardly.

Here's the truth: I choose not to apply any products during or at the end of microneedling because I actually care about the health of your skin, and because nobody's ever mentioned the word "Granuloma" to you.

What actually is a granuloma?

A granuloma is a cluster of cells your body produces as a natural defence when it detects an intruder.

Here's the key thing to understand: the epidermis (the most superficial layer of your skin) sheds on its own, so whatever ends up there won't stay forever, it gets expelled naturally over time.

The dermis (the layer straight underneath) works completely differently. It doesn't shed. So whatever makes its way into this deeper layer stays there. If your body doesn't recognise it as something safe, it will start building a wall of cells around that foreign substance to trap it and stop it from spreading.

That wall of cells is the granuloma.

Said that, what's actually safe to use during microneedling?

Anything that's TGA approved, meaning it's cleared for safe use at that depth, like sodium chloride, which is inert and matches your body's own natural fluids, so there's nothing for your immune system to react to.

Then there's PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), which sits in a category of its own. It isn't a premade solution, it has to be taken directly from your own blood, processed, and reapplied to your skin. Because it comes straight from you, your body will always recognise it as its own, no reaction, no risk.

So why are other people selling these "add on" boosters or vitamin solutions as apparently safe for microneedling?

Here's the thing. When you look into skincare brands, most of them also have a professional side, where they sell these solutions in vials specifically made for use during treatments. Many of these are designed for chemical peels, where the product sits on the surface of the skin and stays there, and in that context, they're genuinely fine and safe.

Are they worth the money? That's a separate question, I'm not convinced.

But when a distributor markets these same solutions as "safe" for microneedling, it's because they've been tested by the company itself, and the studies that come out show results and percentages generated by that same company.

Here's what I think: these studies are conducted by the company selling the product, not by a government health department. To me, that means the product hasn't been independently verified as safe, and I'm not willing to be the person responsible for causing your granuloma.

And let's be honest, the improvements these products claim are often so minimal that, once again, I don't think they're worth the price, and definitely not worth the risk.

And what about exosomes? Those viral, super hyped exosomes that so many people are willing to pay $400 on top of their skin needling treatment for?

They're marketed as human-derived cells that will speed up your healing process and boost collagen and elastin. Sounds impressive, right?

Here's the thing, my dear: your body already produces exosomes. So why pay to have someone else's exosomes infused into your skin, at that price?

And let's not forget, these exosomes are made in a lab, mixed with other ingredients. Probably safe, sure. But again, is it worth it?

For that same price, you could easily afford PRP instead, and that means your own blood, your own plasma, and most importantly, your own exosomes.

If you've already been to ReSKN Studio, or you're thinking about coming in, the only product I use during skin needling treatments is the glide gel from SkinPen.

It's essentially a hydrogel wound dressing, free from drugs and biologics, used purely to protect your skin against abrasion and friction during the skin needling procedure. Alternatively, I use sodium chloride, the same solution used for medical infusions.

At the end of the treatment, if I'm performing an Advanced Skin Needling session, what do I apply?A TCA peel.

Why is the peel fine, but everything else isn't?

As I mentioned, the TCA peels I use are self-neutralising. After four minutes, it disappears from your skin, so it never sits in the deeper layers. It gets in, do the job, and leave. No risk of granuloma, just a focused boost to speed up the results we're after.

What about aftercare post-needling?

Nothing goes on the skin for 24 hours, including SPF.

My focus is to be the skin therapist who recommends the same thing I'd recommend to someone in my own family.

The safety of my clients always comes first, before bloody trends. I'll always be the person who cuts off the bullshit and tells you what's actually good for your skin, without ripping you off or selling you dream products and dream add-ons for the sake of it.

The beauty industry out there is huge, and also pretty nasty. It's all about marketing and most of the time, very good marketing.

But I can assure you, the results that skin needling on its own, or combined with a peel, can give you are so amazing that you simply don't need to add any booster on top. That means you can invest your money in a much better way.

At ReSKN, it's just about healthy skin. No hype, no upsells, no gambling with your skin's health for the sake of a trend.

If this has made you think twice about what's actually going onto your skin during treatment, that's exactly the point. Ask questions, know what you're paying for, and choose a therapist who's upfront with you about the risks, not just the results.

If you'd like to experience the ReSKN approach for yourself, you can book a Skin Needling session through the website.