By: Alexis Yeager
As a Colorado girl, born and raised, I felt like I had a pretty solid grasp on what mountain skincare should look like. But then, I moved to Steamboat Springs from a lower elevation town and suddenly it felt like I couldn’t do enough to keep my skin looking healthy. I would slather on SPF, drink water constantly, and get facials to compliment my skincare routine but it still felt like the elements and elevation was taking a toll.
I kept hearing about microneedling— often also called microchanneling— and wanted to give it a shot. But, I was hesitant. I don’t love needles, so discomfort was my first concern. And, with a packed summer schedule— camping, Riverfest, hiking— I needed something that didn’t have the same downtime as a peel. Finally, the biggest question— is it worth the money? I’d tried enough snake oil and snail mucin from TikTok that I wanted to make sure that my investment would be worth it.
After doing lots of research into what skin treatment might fit my needs, lifestyle, and budget, I booked one service, loved it, and ended up scheduling a series of ProCell Microchanneling services at Waterside Day Spa. Here’s everything I learned and everything you should know if you’re considering trying one of the best skincare treatment options for anti-aging in Steamboat Springs.
With microchanneling and microneedling, the goal is to encourage your skin to do what it does best: repair itself. During a microneedling treatment at Waterside Day Spa in Steamboat, a device creates thousands of tiny, controlled microchannels in the skin with precision depth of either .25 or .5 millimeters. (Since they are a day spa, and not a med-spa, they don’t offer any deeper treatment depths beyond .5mm).
You likely have heard about collagen and elastin as new skincare research zeroes in on the importance of these two proteins. When you get a microchanneling treatment, the stamping signals your skin to increase cellular production right away. These proteins keep your skin firm, smooth, and resilient.
Since collagen and elastin naturally decline as we age, this causes the skin to look less firm, develop fine lines, or lose some of its glow over time. It’s estimated by the time we hit our 30’s that collagen production has already slowed by 30-40% and then continues to drop by 1-1.5% each year! This is one of the very few treatments that actually reactivates your body's natural collagen production.
By increasing elastin and collagen production, you're promoting more plump skin, softer fine lines, less visible acne or acne scarring, a brighter complexion, and smoother texture- to name a few! So rather than sitting on the surface of the skin, it’s a treatment that is designed to encourage cellular renewal deeper within the skin.
This is what they offer at Waterside Day Spa! Procell Microchanneling is an advanced, minimally invasive form of collagen induction therapy. Using a specialized stamping device with ultra-fine filaments, it creates hundreds of thousands of microscopic channels in the skin to trigger your body’s natural healing response. By creating uniform channels with a controlled stamping motion, the esthetician can create the cellular response you're looking for while minimizing unnecessary trauma to the skin.
My appointment started with a consultation discussing my skin goals. For me, I wanted to work on reducing fine lines, improving my overall texture, and targeting a little bit of pigmentation. My esthetician talked through this with me and helped me realize that overall, I was wanting my skin to look healthier, brighter, and more even over time.
After discussing goals and creating a treatment plan, my skin was thoroughly cleansed and a numbing cream was applied. I was nervous, of course, that this would hurt. After all, my face was about to be stamped with tiny needles! I was pleasantly surprised. I could definitely feel the treatment happening, but it wasn't painful. Certain areas felt more sensitive than others, but overall I would describe it as completely manageable.
During the treatment, a special serum loaded with peptides and growth factors were applied while the microchanneling was performed. This allows the product to get pushed into the deeper layers of the skin. Not only was it not as painful as I thought, but the entire process was surprisingly quick. She followed this treatment with a cooling hyaluronic acid mask that felt immediately calm and soothing, while she massaged my scalp, which reminded my mind and body that this was a therapeutic, but also a relaxing spa experience. Immediately afterward, my skin looked pink and slightly flushed—similar to a little sunburn - warm, but not painful.
Overall, it was so much better than I expected. No blood, crazy tomato face, or skin peeling off in sheets!
For me, having minimal downtime was a priority. And, luckily, this did not disappoint! Procell educators say that most people experience about 90 minutes of downtime afterwards! Day one was mostly redness and warmth. My skin felt a little tight and definitely reminded me that something had happened, but it wasn't uncomfortable in the way that I had experienced with more intensive skin treatments. I used the take-home kit from Waterside to keep my skin moisturized and avoided sun exposure and using cosmetics.
By day two, most of the redness had subsided. My skin looked calmer, although I was still following all of my post-care instructions and focusing heavily on hydration and sun protection. Although I could have started using some cosmetics, I wanted to keep my skin as clear from products as possible so I could maximize my results.
Day three was when I started noticing a shift. The redness was gone and my skin felt smoother and brighter. I felt like skincare products were being absorbed more easily into my skin, and when I did apply makeup, I felt like the result was more polished than before.
The biggest takeaway? The pain was minimal, and for having such an impactful result, the recovery process felt very manageable!
One thing I appreciate about microchanneling is that it offers both immediate and long-term benefits. The immediate results were what most people would describe as a glow: skin that felt brighter, healthier, more hydrated, and even.
The longer-term benefits are increased collagen production. One treatment can absolutely provide visible improvement, but my esthetician taught me that it's important to be realistic. If I was looking for significant skin transformations, they’d happen through a series of treatments rather than a single appointment. That's true for most preventative skincare treatments available!
According to the microchanneling specialist at Waterside, every 6 weeks is ideal for skin care treatments. Since we are using peptides and stem cells, we want to do between 3-6 Microchanneling treatments, and then give the skin a break for a couple months (and this usually pairs perfectly with timing for either chemical peels or the luxurious massage focused facials they also offer. Waterside Day Spa also offers Microchanneling for hair loss which I didn’t try, but it is recommended 2-3 weeks apart in treatments to restore hair health.
As with anything related to skincare, consistency and commitment matters. If you're looking for a single treatment that will completely transform your skin overnight, this will feel similarly impactful to any other facial treatment.
If you're looking for a treatment that builds in effectiveness and supports healthier skin over time, then you’ll love this facial. It encourages natural collagen production, improves texture, and fits into an active Steamboat lifestyle.
I recommend consulting with one of the estheticians at Waterside Day Spa about what your goals are. Ask questions. Talk through your goals. Your future skin will thank you!
