Aquagold Facial Benefits
I’m pretty careful to stay away from fads in skincare and stick to research-backed treatments and ingredients with proven results. As a general rule, I don’t care what Kim Kardashian is going with her skin (although to be fair she has really good skin).
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about Aquagold Facials and I was intrigued by the long list of benefits. At first glance, it seems to offer the results of microneedling plus the added bonus of infusing ingredients right into your skin, where they can work the best.
So I took a deep dive into Aquagold to find out exactly what it was and if it really worked. Overall the results are pretty impressive! However, It’s not cheap, so read on to find out if the benefits will be worth it for you.
Aquagold Facial benefits include the improved appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, faded acne scars and hyperpigmentation, improved skin tone and texture, and reduced redness and pore size. On average, results last three to six months.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know to decide if an Aquagold facial is the right treatment for you and how to get the best results.
What is an Aquagold Facial?
Aquagold is similar to a microneedling treatment, in that very thin needles are used to create small wounds in the skin. The natural healing process of the skin stimulates collagen production.
The main difference with an Aquagold Facial is that various serums (plus platelet-rich plasma is an option) are actually injected into the skin during the facial. Additionally, the Aquagold device uses shorter needles, so they don’t penetrate as deeply into the skin, and may not be as effective for stimulating collagen.
The serums are absorbed effectively because of the needle puncturing the skin and bypassing the top layer. The idea behind Aquagold is that you get the benefits of microneedling plus the additional benefit of the serums infused deeply and more efficiently than they would if they were just applied to the top of the skin.
Aquagold is the brand name for the company that makes the device to infuse the serum during microneedling. The name comes from the fact that the needles are actually made of 24-karat gold. As a bonus they are super small, thinner than a strand of human hair, so they don’t hurt.
I researched to see if I could find any competing companies making similar equipment but didn’t find any at this time. It’s possible that a competitor could emerge and salons could offer a very similar treatment for less without the Aquagold brand name.
Benefits of Aquagold Facial
Benefits of Aquagold include:
- Improve fine lines and wrinkles
- Fade acne scars
- Reduce hyperpigmentation
- Improve skin tone and texture
- Reduce redness and pore size
Improve Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Microneedling alone can be helpful for fine lines and wrinkles because it stimulates collagen production. Collagen serves as one of the main building blocks of our skin. Sadly, collagen production starts to decrease in our 30’s and our skin slowly loses the scaffolding of those building blocks. The end result is sagging skin and increased wrinkles as we age.
With Aquagold you get the added benefit of infusing a serum that can target this concern specifically. Peptides, growth factors, and even hyaluronic acid would be good choices in a serum to reduce the appearance of fine lines. There is a specific Aquagold anti-aging serum that is probably your best choice if fine lines and wrinkles are your primary concern.
One thing to note is that Aquagold isn’t going to give you dramatic results like Botox injections, laser treatment, or dermal fillers would, so you want to have realistic expectations. Botox targets the facial muscles to drastically reduce wrinkles and laser treatments penetrate deep into the skin.
Aquagold is targeting the superficial layers of the skin, so it will reduce the appearance of fine lines and give skin a healthy glow, but it will be a natural result.
You may see one of the options to include neurotoxins like Botox in the serum that’s infused.
The neurotoxins are just going to be infused into the skin and won’t reach the muscle so they are actually much better for reducing oil production and improving skin tone than wrinkles. I’ll discuss why down below in the skin tone and texture section.
If one of your main skin goals is reducing deep wrinkles, discuss with your skincare professional if injections or hyaluronic acid fillers may be a better choice for you (and cheaper depending on how much you need).
✅ You may find this article on Botox injections helpful if wrinkles are your main concern.
Fade Acne Scars
Like microneedling, Aquagold is an effective treatment for acne scars. It’s suitable for depressed acne scars, but not necessarily for raised ones often called keloid scars. That’s because the increased collagen production could lift up keloid scars further.
For an Aquagold treatment, you could choose a serum with anti-inflammatory ingredients like antioxidants such as niacinamide to help reduce redness.
Reduce Hyperpigmentation
Aquagold offers custom solutions for serums that contain tranexamic acid and Vitamin C, which are great ingredients for fading hyperpigmentation. Both of these will inhibit the production of melanin, which is what causes dark spots. Vitamin C also has the added benefits of offering amazing protection from sun damage as well as increasing collagen production.
Improve Skin Tone and Texture (Redness and Pore Size)
Ok here is where the neurotoxins like botox come into play. Since they are infused into the skin and not injected into the muscle, they won’t “freeze” the muscle like botox injections will.
When used on the skin, botox actually has the effect of improving skin texture and reducing pore size. Many people report that botox effectively shrinks their large pores for between 2 and 4 months and gives their skin a youthful appearance.
Aquagold Facial Side Effects
Side effects are few for Aquagold since the device uses such fine needles. You can expect some redness in the treatment area immediately afterward. Generally, because the needles are so thin and shorter than what is commonly used for microneedling, there are fewer side effects and a numbing cream is not needed.
However, if you have very sensitive skin I wouldn’t schedule this over a lunch break, because you could see redness and may not want to go back to work. But, in general, you can go back to normal activities quickly.
Of course, with any skincare ingredients, allergic reactions are possible. So it’s worthwhile to discuss with your skincare professional if you’ve had any reactions previously so they can avoid those ingredients.
Aquagold Facial Cost
According to RealSelf, the average cost of an Aquagold Facial is $575. This is more expensive than comparable skin treatments such as microneedling and microdermabrasion. If wrinkles are your main concern, you will most likely pay less for Botox injections.
However, the results of Aquagold are particularly long-lasting, often up to 3 to 6 months. Depending on your budget, having a glowing complexion for 6 months could definitely be worth the money, particularly if you have any special occasions you want to look your best for.
Is Aquagold microneedling?
The main difference between Aquagold and microneedling is that Aquagold uses shorter needles and infuses serum into the skin. Microneedling needles tend to penetrate deeper to stimulate collagen production and a serum can be applied to the surface of the skin after the treatment but isn’t injected with the needles.
Which is the better choice for you will depend on your budget and skin concerns. If you want amazing skin for a big event then Aquagold may be the better choice since it causes less redness and the infused serum can really make skin glow.
If you are looking for long-term collagen production or to fade acne scarring, it’s possible microneedling would be the better choice since the longer needles may be more effective for that purpose.
✅ If you’re interested in microneedling, check out this article to see if it may be a better choice for you.
Final Thoughts on Aquagold Facial Benefits
An Aquagold Facial gives really long-lasting results compared to other facials and it’s suitable for any skin type, from oily to dry. Because such tiny needles are used even those with sensitive skin can still be a good candidate.
While it has a long list of beneficial effects, it’s also significantly more expensive than a regular facial. If it’s in your budget it may be a great choice for you to get radiant skin with a smooth texture for months.
