It’s not that deep.
You’ve heard of Botox, you’ve heard of filler, you’ve heard of lasers… but what about microinjections? These procedures are low-downtime and high-reward, but we wanted to know more. So we tapped Eric Nietzel–Leone, RN, BSN and Dafna Gershoony, CEO and co-founder of CONTŌR, to tell us more about what they do, who they’re for, and how to find a reputable provider.
It’s no secret that celebs and influencers swear by laser facials in the fall and winter months, but the risk of these goes way up during the spring and summer months when the sun is less avoidable. Nietzel-Leone explained it this way, “When you have a laser treatment, your skin enters a healing phase that involves controlled inflammation (what triggers collagen remodeling and the results we want), but it’s also exactly what puts you at risk for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation if it’s exposed to UV.” And that’s not all, “With a more aggressive ablative laser, you’re essentially left with open, healing skin for several days. We protect that skin with occlusive ointments (think Aquaphor) to keep it from drying out and scarring. Now picture that in July: sweat, humidity, SPF, sunscreen residue, and bacteria all sitting on top of an open wound. That’s a recipe for infection, breakouts, and complications you don’t want.”
So, what do we do when we want glowy skin but also don’t want to sacrifice weeks of beach season? According to Gershoony, this is a hot topic at CONTŌR, where they typically schedule more aggressive treatments in the fall or winter and steer patients toward things like Aquagold (also known as microtox or microinjections) in the spring or summer. “Aquagold is an FDA-cleared microinjector that uses 24k gold-plated needles to stamp active ingredients directly into the skin,” she explained, “For spring and summer months, it's a no-brainer because there's virtually no downtime and it's sun-safe.” At Nietzel-Leone’s studio, he has a similar approach, though he cautions that it’s a good idea to lie low for about 24 hours and still wear sunscreen (as always).
For those who already receive traditional Botox, fillers, or PRP injections, the benefits of microinjections vary. Some patients who don’t want to pull the trigger on deeper injectables will start with these. About those patients, Gershoony said, “Aquagold delivers these ingredients into the skin, resulting in improvement of skin quality. Botox in a superficial layer will not paralyze muscle activity; instead, it reduces oil production, refines pores, and causes a glow. A lot of our younger patients actually come to us wanting to focus on skin quality before committing to injectables, and Aquagold is a wonderful place to start.”
That being said, both Nietzel-Leone and Gershoony see traditional injections and microinjections as synergistic treatments, and many of their patients opt to do both. Nietzel-Leone put it simply: “Botox handles the long game on wrinkle prevention; microtox is the finishing touch that makes the skin itself look better.”
The two also emphasized the importance of finding a safe provider, with Gershoony stressing that this is the “most important” part of this conversation. Nietzel suggests watching out for these green flags when discussing treatments with a potential provider:
They ask about your recent sun exposure and upcoming travel before booking
They customize treatment depth based on the season and your skin type
They provide clear written post-care instructions, including SPF requirements
They’re willing to push a treatment to the fall if it’s not safe to do now
They offer a consultation before committing to a treatment plan
