Microneedling in Warrington
Controlled healing, over a course of sessions
- Carried out by Dr Corcoran, never a technician
- £180 per session, quoted at a free consultation
- For scarring, texture and fine lines, improving gradually over a course
5.0 on Google Dr James Corcoran, GMC 4229209 BDS, FDSRCS, MBChB, FRCS, FRCA, PgDip, MSc (Cos Med)
What microneedling treats
Microneedling improves the texture and quality of the skin itself. It is a course treatment, and the result builds with each session rather than arriving after the first.
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Acne scarring
Scarred skin remodels gradually over a course. The realistic outcome is scarring that is softer and catches the light less, not scarring that has gone.
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Uneven texture
Rough, uneven skin, smoothing progressively as new collagen forms beneath the surface.
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Enlarged pores
Pores that look less prominent as the skin around them firms. A gradual change over the course.
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Fine lines
Softening of fine lines and a general firming. Deeper lines and folds need a different approach.
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Stretch marks
Improvement in the texture and appearance of stretch marks on the body. Newer marks with colour still in them tend to respond better than old, silvery ones.
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Dull skin
A brighter, more even surface, which is often the first change people notice after a session.
Whether microneedling is right for your skin, and at what depth, is a clinical judgement made in person. If something else would suit you better, Dr Corcoran will say so.
How microneedling works
A medical device makes thousands of tiny, controlled channels in the skin, to a depth chosen for the area and the concern. The skin treats them as it treats any small wound, and repairs them by producing new collagen, new elastin and new skin cells.
Because the repair is the treatment, the result is gradual. Each session prompts another round of it, which is why microneedling is run as a course and why the fuller change comes months later rather than on the day.
The depth is the decision that matters. Too shallow and little happens. Too deep, too much pressure, or the device dragged across bone, and the skin can mark in the lines the needles made. That is a question of technique, not of the device.
The difference between this and a home microneedling roller is set out in home microneedling against the professional kind.
The treatment
Microneedling compared with home rollers, PRP and NeoGen
| What we are comparing | Professional microneedling | Home roller | PRP | NeoGen plasma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Controlled channels to a chosen depth | Shallow punctures, depth fixed | Your own platelets, returned to the skin | Nitrogen plasma on the surface |
| Depth control | Set for each area and concern | None beyond the roller | Not applicable | Energy chosen for the skin |
| Usually chosen for | Scarring, texture and pores | Very mild surface refresh | Radiance and gradual renewal | Texture, tone, lines and pigment |
| Recovery | Redness a day or two | Minimal | A few days of soreness | Depends on the energy chosen |
| Price at the clinic | £180 | Not offered | From £210 | From £960 |
A home roller and a professional device are not the same treatment at different prices. The depth a medical device reaches, and the control over it, is the whole difference, and it is also where the risk sits.
Microneedling and PRP are often used together, with the PRP applied during the treatment. NeoGen works on the surface in a different way and reaches pigmentation that microneedling does less for. Which suits you is decided against your skin at consultation.
The longer versions
- Home microneedling against the professional kind
- PRP
- NeoGen plasma skin regeneration
- Scarring and skin texture
Dr Corcoran offers microneedling, PRP and NeoGen, and does not sell home rollers. That column is there because people ask about them, not because they are for sale here.
What it costs, and what happens
Microneedling is priced per session and run as a course. You are quoted precisely at consultation, once Dr Corcoran has seen your skin and knows how many sessions it needs.
Per session. A typical course is three to six sessions, depending on what is being treated. Adding PRP changes the figure, and the consultation that produces the quote is free.
Who it suits, and the risks
Microneedling suits people who want a genuine improvement in skin texture and scarring, and who are prepared to commit to a course for it.
A good fit if
- Your concern is texture, scarring, pores or fine lines
- You are happy to commit to a course of sessions
- You can allow a day or two of redness after each one
- You want a gradual change that looks like your own skin, improved
Not the right answer if
- You have active acne, an infection or broken skin in the area
- The concern is loose skin or lost volume. Microneedling improves texture, not shape
- You want a visible change after a single visit
- You have a tendency to form keloid scars
A history of cold sores, and a tendency for skin to darken after injury, do not rule you out, but they change how the treatment is planned.
The recognised risks
Microneedling is a safe treatment for most people, and the common effects are mild and short lived. It is not risk free, and the rarer problems mostly come down to how it is done.
- Redness, swelling and discomfort, usually settling within a day or two
- Pinpoint bleeding during treatment, and some bruising or peeling afterwards
- Darkening of the skin, which in one study affected about one person in fifteen
- Lines of marking from the needles, caused by poor technique
- Less commonly, infection, breakouts or an inflammatory reaction
The marking that people most worry about, lines left in the skin, is caused by too much pressure, the wrong depth, or dragging the device over bone. It is a question of technique rather than of the device.
Who carries out your treatment
BDS, FDSRCS, MBChB, FRCS, FRCA, PgDip, MSc (Cos Med)
A great deal of the lasering and injecting done in this industry is done by people who did a short course. Most clinicians qualify once. He qualified as a dentist, operated on faces and jaws in maxillofacial surgery, then went back to university and qualified again as a doctor, then in surgery, then in anaesthesia, then in cosmetic medicine. Thirty years of that was in the NHS, fourteen as a Consultant Anaesthetist and ten of those simultaneously as Clinical Director, accountable for clinical standards across departments.
There are no technicians here acting on his behalf. Your consultation, your treatment and your review are all with him.
On microneedling, the decision that separates a good result from a marked one is the depth, set area by area, and knowing where the skin sits thin over bone. That is facial anatomy, and the person deciding it here trained in maxillofacial surgery before qualifying again as a doctor.
An anaesthetist spends a career learning what can go wrong and being the person who notices first. That is a more useful habit to bring to this work than any device I could buy.
Dr James Corcoran
What patients say
The treatment was totally pain free and the results were beyond my expectations. Dr Corcoran is incredibly knowledgeable and I would absolutely recommend going to see for yourself.
The procedure was pain free and very reassuring. Knowing the practitioner is a practising NHS Consultant Anaesthetist gives you complete confidence.
The consultation alone was worth its weight in gold. Dr Corcoran was completely transparent about what could and could not be achieved. That level of honesty is genuinely rare in aesthetics.
Microneedling questions, answered
A numbing cream is applied for 30 to 45 minutes first, so most people feel pressure and a prickling sensation rather than pain. Afterwards the skin feels warm and tight, like mild sunburn.
Between 45 and 60 minutes of treatment, after the numbing cream has had 30 to 45 minutes to work.
Most people have redness and mild swelling for a day or two, similar to mild sunburn, and are back to normal activities the following day. Some see light peeling or small bruises for a few days.
Most people have a course of three to six sessions, spaced four to six weeks apart, depending on what is being treated. Dr Corcoran will set the course at consultation.
The surface often looks brighter after the first session. The fuller change to texture and scarring develops over three to six months as new collagen forms.
£180 per session, usually as a course. Adding PRP changes the figure, and you are quoted precisely at consultation.
Yes. A medical device reaches a chosen depth with control over it, which is both what makes it effective on scarring and where its risk sits. A home roller works at a fixed, shallow depth.
Redness, swelling and discomfort are common and usually settle within a day or two. Pinpoint bleeding, bruising, peeling and darkening of the skin can occur. Lines of marking from the needles are caused by poor technique. Infection, breakouts and inflammatory reactions are less common.
Yes, and it often is, particularly for scarring and texture. The PRP is applied to the skin during the treatment. Whether that is worth doing for you is decided at consultation.
69b Sankey Street, Warrington WA1 1SL, in the town centre. Treatments run Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 8pm, by appointment only. Reception takes calls Monday to Saturday from 8.30am.
Why have microneedling in Warrington
One doctor, from consultation to review
The person who sets the depth for your skin is the person who treats it and the person who sees you through the course.
Anatomy behind the depth
Where the skin sits thin over bone is where marking happens. Maxillofacial surgery and a surgical Fellowship are what decide that depth here.
A town centre clinic, reachable from three cities
69b Sankey Street, a five minute walk from Warrington Central, with direct trains from Manchester and Liverpool and parking considerably easier than either.
Find out whether microneedling suits your skin
Your consultation is free, in person with Dr Corcoran, and carries no obligation. Nobody will chase you afterwards. If you decide against it, or decide to wait, that is a perfectly good outcome of a consultation.
Request your free consultation
It takes about a minute. Only your name, phone number and email are required, and the rest just means Dr Corcoran can answer properly first time.
Prefer to talk? Reception takes calls Monday to Saturday from 8.30am on 01925 648 533.
Microneedling £180 a session
Treated by Dr Corcoran himself
