Microneedling vs Injectables in Galway – What’s the Difference?

Stepping Into Clinical Aesthetics

As I move more fully into clinical practice with aesthetic acupuncture and clinical microneedling, my work remains grounded in Chinese medicine and anchored in a health first philosophy. What has deepened is not a departure from my roots, but an expansion of them through clinical experience, precision, and an even greater respect for the skin as a living, intelligent organ. And with this evolution, I feel called to speak about something many women quietly consider, yet rarely voice aloud.

The Culture of “Baby Botox”

Injectables are everywhere. “Preventative.” “Just a little tweak.” “Tweakments.” “Everyone’s doing it.”

In Galway and beyond, cosmetic injections have been normalised to the point where not doing them can almost feel like the rebellious act. Let’s name it gently: there is peer pressure.

The term baby Botox makes it sound harmless. But let’s be clinically honest. Botox is derived from botulinum toxin. It is, biologically speaking, a toxin. That does not make it evil. It makes it powerful.

Some women choose it. Some love the results. That is their autonomy. For me? I do not.

And I want to be clear that this is not judgement. It is discernment.

Why I Do Not Offer Injectables

My reasoning is layered:

1. Muscle Physiology Matters

We know from neurology and rehabilitation that when muscles are not used, they weaken. We see it in orthopaedics, in stroke recovery, in general ageing.

Freezing a muscle repeatedly reduces activity. Reduced activity over time contributes to atrophy.

That is my clinical concern. The long term science is still evolving. For me, the mechanism does not sit comfortably.

2. Cumulative Toxic Load

Many women I work with are already navigating:

• Hormonal disruption
• Environmental endocrine disruptors
• Chronic stress
• Inflammatory load
• Perimenopause and menopause transitions

When toxic burden is already significant, I ask a simple question in my own life: Do I want to add to it for cosmetic reasons? My answer, personally and professionally, is no.

3. My Body, My Scrutiny

This is about sovereignty. I scrutinise what goes in and on my body. That is my choice. I am not anti medicine. I am not anti surgery. In fact, if one day I chose surgery for structural reasons, I could say yes to that. But I will not choose synthetic injectables or toxins for cosmetic use. That is my boundary.

So What Do I Offer Instead?

1. Clinical Aesthetic Acupuncture

Rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, aesthetic acupuncture:

• Improves circulation
• Stimulates collagen
• Supports lymphatic drainage
• Enhances muscle tone rather than freezing it
• Treats the root patterns beneath the face

It works with physiology, not against it. And in women navigating hormones, fertility and menopause, this matters. Skin changes are not separate from hormonal terrain.

2. Clinical Microneedling

Microneedling is different from injectables in one fundamental way: It stimulates the body’s own repair process. Controlled micro injury triggers:

• Collagen production
• Elastin formation
• Improved texture
• Reduction in scarring and pigmentation
• Enhanced product absorption

It is regenerative. Not paralytic.

Microneedling vs Injectables in Galway – What’s the Difference?

Microneedling Injectables (Botox / Fillers)

Stimulates collagen Temporarily paralyses muscle or fills volume

Works with tissue regeneration Alters muscle movement or adds synthetic material

Gradual, cumulative results Faster, visible change

Supports skin health long term Requires repeat treatments to maintain effect

Rooted in repair physiology Rooted in neuromodulation or volumisation

Neither is morally superior. But they are physiologically different.

The Bigger Conversation

Ageing is not pathology. Lines are not failure. Expression is not something to erase. I see beauty in vitality, not stillness. In movement. In circulation. In the glow that comes from nourishment, not numbness. Clinical aesthetics, in my practice, is about supporting tissue health, not masking it.

Moving Forward

My clinic is evolving. Into deeper clinical space. Into regenerative aesthetics. Into medicine that honours the body’s intelligence. If you are in Galway and curious about:

• Aesthetic acupuncture
• Clinical microneedling
• Skin changes
• A natural, evidence-informed alternative to injectables

This is the direction we are walking. Quietly. Confidently. Intentionally.

And always, always without judgement.