I think it’s important to write a disclaimer first: I wrote this originally for my friend because I wanted to share my recipe for successful microneedling treatments. I am not a doctor, but had sought care (professional care) to even out and reduce my pox scars (similar to the ice pick scars you see with acne).
The professional office I went to didn’t have the right needle depth to help me, and buying a micro needling pen quickly became the best option. I had to buy one not approved by the FDA since they do not make the depth I need for the regular consumer (professionals only). I am not advocating this treatment to be performed at home for anyone else, it was just best for me and I wanted to share my experience. Since I am not a doctor, I cannot advise you, only share my experience and strategy for best results.
Though most professionals will agree microneedling (and strong peels) should be done in-office for safety and consistent results, I have done these myself because I can keep on a consistent regimen with my busy schedule. It’s been very helpful during COVID-19 to do this at-home; even more, it’s been great not seeing anyone while my face is red as a tomato.
I cannot emphasize enough that these are typically in-office treatments for many reasons, including infection, risk of scarring/pain/bleeding/bruising, and expertise for best results.
My Skin type: Dry skin
Texture issues: Large pores, age spots, dull skin, chicken pox scars on forehead, 11 lines
My before and after with the Derminator 2, a device made in Europe. My skin texture, wrinkle between my brow, scar color/skin tone, and overall skin tone has dramatically evened out and improved. This is after 3 treatments. I’m still continuing to treat and am hoping to completely smooth out my scars and eliminate the discoloration.
Safety First
Infection — never reuse a needle. If you use a mild derma roller (I like this roller from Environ and this one from BioBeauty), I’ve seen people say it’s safe to use with proper storing and sanitizing up to 10x, but I have yet to see a professional back this up.
Scarring risks — My research has shown this to be a possibility because of going too deep, or reusing a needle that has become dull. Therefore, the micro-tears are much larger and no longer “micro.”
Expertise — I definitely recommend getting this done at least once professionally so you can ask questions, like how deep (needle length) they’re going on your face for your specific issues, how many sessions they think your skin will need, how your skin feels after a treatment so you can discuss with your professional, etc. Also, to make sure you’re an ideal candidate for this treatment.
After I scared you, why would you still want to put tiny needles into your skin??
Microneedling benefits
Fine lines and wrinkle improvement
Smaller pores
Smoother, less deep scar tissue
Lightened age spots caused by sun damage
Less noticeable stretch marks
More even skin tone
More elasticity
I have super sensitive skin. I don’t tolerate peels well and basically…my professionals tried to do peels on me and my skin is just too sensitive. I remember one time my doctor/esthetician said, “let’s do a patch test of a mild peel and see how it goes” and it left a burn patch on the side of my face for a year. Things happen even in a doctor’s office!
Microneedling is great because you aren’t using a bunch of acids to encourage collagen and elastin. Instead, you are creating micro injuries that your skin must repair by healing itself. Just touch the tip of the needles to your face and watch the magic happen.
Why a Pen
I use the Derminator 2 and absolutely love it! It’s so easy to use. This is an at-home pen that won’t create microtearing. Their site has lots of YouTube videos you can watch to see how other people do the procedure.
The biggest reasons I chose the Derminator was because I needed a needle depth that would reach beyond what they did in the office, and I only wanted a single (1-pin) needle cartridge for my narrow scar. I found this to be incredibly hard to find!
The 12-pin+ cartridges were too wide to reach inside the narrow crevice of scar tissue and the tissue around the scar was getting a deeper needle setting than it should have.
Some would consider this a dangerous choice to go as deep as I needed to, that’s why I had to buy a machine out of the USA (it’s not an approved device). My scars were that deeply inset that the usual depth didn’t even reach the canyon of scarred skin, just around it.
If you don’t have tiny deep scars, another, perhaps safer, choice is the Dr. Pen Ultima M8 device or the Dr. Pen Ultima A6 (which is wireless derma needling with 36 pins cartridges for a faster session and great if you don’t have tiny deep scars). I can’t tell you if this company’s pens work since I haven’t used them.
You do not need 1-pin needle cartridges unless you have narrow, deep scarring. More pins is generally safer, faster, and allows for more even coverage. I only use a 1-pin cartridge on my chicken pox scars. For the rest of my face I prefer 12-pins.
Before and after 3 treatments–real and true skin with no filters/edits! Great skincare and the right treatments allow skin to look its’ best! Still working on my dark spots and 11 lines, but I’m improving slowly by allowing my skin to heal itself. You can see my eye circles/dark spots/skin tone have improved as well as my scars! See my skin texture article to see how I’m improving using skincare.
Skin Prep
I found this great instructional page for this procedure here. Nothing like finding the right protocol for the best results!
Needle Cartridges
I use a 12 pins cartridge for my full face. This is efficient and allows for even pressure, but still allows me to really get in there for different areas of the face. When I’m working in small areas, I use 1 needle cartridges for my very deep scars with a 2.5mm depth. I’ve seen significant improvement compared to multiple pins–it just reaches deep areas better for me.
How Deep
I found an amazing chart I’ve been using when I do my pen sessions. What I love about the Derminator is the adjustable needle length since it’s a digital machine. I’ve also created my own little custom kit including a couple different needles, some silicon healing patches, etc.
Thank you mdneedlepen.com for this awesome chart!
Deep needles and pain
Numbing cream is essential. Applying a numbing cream ensures you can handle the needle depth without changing pressure. I put NumbSkin on my face for 45 minutes (to an hour) with seran wrap before taking a needle to my face. Obviously don’t cover your nose, mouth, and eyes with the seran wrap. While my face is numbing, I usually prep my area to make sure it’s very clean with a swipe of at least 60 alcohol, pull out my needles and my depth chart.
Once I start removing the numbing cream, I make sure my face is free from dirt, oil, stray hairs. I also swipe my skin with at least 60 alcohol and stick with purified water if I need it once I begin.
I do my face and body at the same time
This helps with my stretch marks too!
What Product I use to keep “slip”
I use pure hyaluronic acid while needling (helps the needle glide since you want light pressure) and THAT’S IT. Personally, I like the HA5 from Skinmedica, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. The Ordinary makes a great one as well. Food for thought: I’ve heard experts say HA isn’t an expensive ingredient to make.
This HA step is extremely important so you keep your pressure (and length of time in one spot) even.
Isn’t this a Vampire Facial?
When you do this procedure in office, many do microneedling with PRP, which means Platelet-rich plasma (PRP 😉 or stem cells is a more basic term). Basically, your blood gets spun into plasma, separates the prp, and then applied to your face to help you heal faster, hence, a Vampire (or blood) facial.
Microneedling devices themselves are considered a collagen induction therapy, but PRP is a great way to speed up collagen production to assist with the healing process, with a bonus of some extra anti aging benefits with minimal side effects; this is your own blood and a minimally invasive addition to your procedure. When it’s injected back in your skin, it can help even more with acne scars and skin texture.
I’ve found alternatives for similar results to PRP by using Growth Factors. I’ve used Skinmedica’s TNS Serum and BioEffect’s Serum. This is an important step for shrinking my pores and wound healing (I wrote about it here).
Peels and Exfoliators
First off, NEVER do peels/exfoliators and microneedling together–skin is very delicate during this process. The recommendations I’ve read, and I abide by, are to space microneedling 4-6 weeks apart and chemical peels should be more than 2 weeks out from your microneedling.
What I avoid in my skin care while microneedling
My Microneedling Aftercare
I don’t go outside for 24 hours (because sunscreen is necessary to go outside and I don’t want to put ANYTHING on my skin during its’ healing mode, soaking in everything I put on it).
I use my Growth Factors and Hyaluronic Acid (for moisture–general hydrating serums tend to have too many actives) for 2 days–ONLY these products. I treat my skin like it’s brand new. Mostly, I just stay away from any active ingredients that could disrupt my healing.
Then I add in my Potency710 Gold Serum to my routine for the month (order: cleanse, Growth Factors, Potency No. 710 Gold Serum, Hyaluronic Acid, sunscreen for outdoors–this or this typically). I also do Red Light Therapy to speed up the healing. You can read more about it in my article here. My aftercare routine typically lasts a month after each session.
SPECIAL PRICING FOR TVP READERS!!!
I recently asked Potency No.710 for a code I can give you because they’re one of my favorites. You can use THEVANILLAPLUM at checkout for member pricing without the member costs. I love Potency No.710 because of the CBD (anti-inflammatory) essential oils, and only good things for your skin. No chemicals in these products. I also love supporting small businesses and that are trying to do something different–these products don’t have any preservatives because the oils are naturally preserved without any additional help. Just make sure you use an essence, spritzer, or damp hands when pressing the oil into your skin. It’s a great product to have on hand for a lot of skin issues, just look at the befores/afters.
Red Light Therapy: I’m kind of obsessed and once I started using different wavelengths and colors, I basically started a tool collection, which you can read about here. Since tools get very expensive, I am starting to ask for discount codes to make it a little more affordable. If you shop the Currentbody Facemasks or Dermalux, use these codes:
Dermalux: $200 off the Dermalux – use code VANILLAFLEX at checkout
Masks: 20% off discount – use code VANILLALED at checkout
- DO NOT USE any anti-inflammatory meds (3 days) or accutane (6 months)
- DO NOT USE lasers, wax, razors ,retinoids, exfoliants, acids, topical antibiotics for 2 weeks before
- AVOID at-home treatment if you get cold sores because you may need an anti-viral medicine beforehand
- AVOID blood thinning agents for 1 week before treatment because thinners can cause bruising
- AVOID doing this right before and during your cycle since your skin is more sensitive
- Do you need 1-pin, 16-pin, 36-pin cartridges? Read my article to decide based on your specific needs. Use less needles (like 12-pin or 16-pin cartridges) for smaller areas (like the face) and more needles (like 36-pin cartridges) for larger areas (like the body).
- Numbskin My preferred numbing cream
- Hyaluronic acid Option 1 use beforehand to check skin compatibility
- Hyaluronic acid Option 2 use beforehand to check skin compatibility
- Growth Factors Option 1 use beforehand to check skin compatibility
- Growth Factors Option 2 use beforehand to check skin compatibility
- Serum (use code THEVANILLAPLUM at check) aftercare (use beforehand to make sure it's a compatible choice for your skin)
- Red Light Therapy Option 1 - face mask (2 colors) aftercare (if you are just treating the face)
- Red Light Therapy Option 2 - wand (3 colors) aftercare (helpful if you are treating face+body)
- Red Light Therapy Option 3 - panel (3 colors) aftercare (face+body+muscles)
Treat your skin like it's baby skin--very sensitive.
*Use ONLY mineral sunscreen for a month since your skin soaks up everything you put on it just a bit deeper. I like this one and this one (use code THEVANILLAPLUM).
Videos:
Professional vampire facial (notice how she uses the pen)
Professional acne scarring treatment
1st time professional treatment experience
This video will scare you out of it doing it at home! Using caution is extremely important.
Please read my article carefully before doing this at home. I am not a doctor, but I’ve read enough about this to see where people go wrong.
Your skin is unique, so don’t skimp on education. 😉 Make sure you are a good candidate (for example, if you have acne with bacteria still in your pores, this isn’t a good idea to do at home)
If you do decide to do this at home, I’d love to see your results with #livingplum on Instagram or in the comments below!
NEXT: How I Got Rid of My 11 Lines WITHOUT Botox
thanks for the at home options. i think i’ve finally decided on how i want to do this. that chart was super helpful.
It’s amazing how effective home treatments can be, isn’t it?
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
You’re so welcome! Definitely try these at home options.
Please forgive my bad English. I have been reading out many of your articles and i can state nice stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog.
So sweet of you. Thanks. 🙂
This article is really good. thanks a lot for sharing.
Wow, this post is great, my sister is analyzing these tools right now. I’ll be sharing with her.
So good! Please come back and tell us what you ended up doing. 🙂
I constantly emailed this blog post page to all my friends. Thanks for putting this together.
TYVM. That’s the best compliment I could ask for. 🙂
Hi, I didn’t see a range for neck and neck lines on the chart. Would it be considered deep wrinkles for the bands?
Hi Melanie, the range I see is 0.5mm – 2.0mm for the neck. I personally don’t go deeper than 1.5mm unless it’s a very deep wrinkle. It might take a couple sessions (again, space out your sessions properly) but you’ll see improvement. I’m also starting to see results with my newest experiment: red light therapy. I’ll be writing about how I’m getting rid of 11 lines soon.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Wow this is crazy informative. Literally answered all my questions.
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
Hi Michaell, you mentioned you put numbing cream on your face prior to the microneedling. Do you wash if off? How do you prep the skin with the numbing cream on?
thanks!
Hi Mindy, Personally, I start with a clean, makeup-free face BEFORE the numbing cream. AFTER the numbing cream has soaked in, I typically wash my face with face wash, then dry it with a paper towel dipped in 70% alcohol so my skin is as low bacteria as I can make it.
Below is the doctor recommendation I found on the realself:
https://www.realself.com/question/question-numbing-cream-microneedling
thankyou for the post. very helpful.
I’m so glad it helped!
Excellent article! We are linking to this particularly great content on our website. Keep up the great writing. Robina Peadar Darrin
Thanks!
What is your process after you finished needling? Do you rinse with water? Or is it necessary to also use some kind of disinfectant treatment?
Personally, I rinse with water afterwards, but I wait 1 hour so my skin has a minute to close back up. Again…I’m not a doctor. This is just what I do. If you are concerned, you could always use distilled water to rinse and then put your healing treatments on directly after.
Would you say your pox scars had gone completely? How long did it take for them to reduce?
Thanks
Hi Laura, After writing this article I took a break from microneedling, so both marks are about the same as the photos, which took 3 treatments. Not completely gone, but significantly less. Stay tuned! I’m almost finished testing some things for 11 lines/frown lines (same area on my face as my scarring), which has evened out my skin tone on my scars as an added bonus. Should be up next month.
Thank you! Looking forward to it! x
Thank you so much for writing this. I have the same marks on me forehead and I hate them. I’m probably the only one that notices them but it’s like it’s the first thing I see in unfiltered pics. What depth did you use and did you do the whole area with the same depth or just on the scars?
Me too! It’s the curse of social media and these extra great iPhone cameras. 😉 I followed the ‘forehead’ chart depth with the bigger pin cartridge. For the scars, I used a 1-pin cartridge and went as deep as the machine allowed. My scars were that deep. I would not advise this unless you aren’t making progress with the recommended depth and you have gained enough experience to feel confident (since we’re not dermatologists). Tag me your results with #livingplum on Instagram. I’d love to see! Good luck. 🙂
Really great improvement!!! What needle length shall I use on my temples?
Oooofff. That’s a tough one! I personally count that as the delicate eye and forehead area on the chart above, but I think it would depend on what’s going on there. Keep in mind that’s a pressure point area. If you haven’t gone to a professional for this procedure before, perhaps try that first and ask them what depth they’re doing when they get to that area for your specific needs? Tag me your results with #livingplum on Instagram. I’d love to see! Good luck. 🙂
Hello, have you results on your forehead kept up?
Where can you buy the dermiantor 2 .. the website isn’t loading for me
It’s a super old school site. You have to hit the button “web shop” in the top right hand corner.
If it doesn’t load, the Dr. Pen looked pretty good too, I just didn’t use it since it didn’t have a 1-pin cartridge option for my deep chicken pox scars.
Hi there! Just wondering how long your scar on your forehead was? I have acne scars on my cheeks and they’re over 10 years old 🙁
I recently purchased the derminator 2
Hi Pavan, There’s definitely hope! My scars have been there since I had chicken pox at 5 years old.
Hi there, do you use the same cartridge on your face and body parts? I am wanting to do my face and then my hands with the Dr Pen A6. Many thanks! 🙂
hi 🙂 It depends. If you aren’t trying to get a deep spot, like a pox mark where you need a single needle to get in there, it’s likely fine to use the same cartridge. Just make sure you are following safety guidelines and DO NOT use the same depth for everything. Again, not a doctor, just my own personal experience 😉 Thanks for commenting!
Hi I’ve had microneedling in the past I just purchased the pen for at home use. I’m really afraid to use it any other tips you can give me? It’s been years since I’ve had it done. It says to use a hydraulic based fluid I have some left how much should I use? I’m asking my doctor for a rx for the numbing. As of right now I’m trying the microblast it’s pretty expensive that’s why I’m opting for the pen. But I think I would have to wait and only do the areas she didn’t touch.
I want to do my hands first I’m going to go really easy on them since the skin there is very thin. I think I’m going to have to purchase more hydraulic acid what’s a good brand?
Hi Angeline,
Yes! Great idea. Def consider practicing on your hand or leg or stretch marks or something first so you know what to expect on an area that no one sees. If you are still nervous after that, I would do in-office procedures for awhile until you know what to expect and feel confident.
Microblasting is different from microneedling, so you’d use these for different reasons. Make sure you space apart your procedures accordingly.
For HA’s, I use a lot of it. I have a quality and a cheaper HA in the house for different things. Reason is you are using HAs during the procedure for “slip.” Meaning, your tool glides/slides so it doesn’t get stuck or pull your skin. So you want to be generous and really make sure you’re able to slip and slide on your face while using the pen.
I LOVE Skinmedica’s HA5 product, but The Ordinary has a cheap one for during the procedure that sometimes I use. I also have ordered HA’s straight from the microneedling companies for a more generic version. I always end with Skinmedica because I trust the brand so much to hydrate and not pull moisture from within my skin, but from the moisture/air around me.
Hope that helps!
XXX
Hi! I would like to know your technique by using a single needle cartridge, do you use the same technique by making small circles as 9 or 12 pins cartridges or you need other techniques ? Btw Thank you very much this is very helpful.
Hmmmm…Personally, I only used the single needle cartridge on my chicken pox scars. Therefore the pattern wasn’t really a certain direction or circle motion, just a back and forth until I thought I got it all + the edges around the scars. From my experience, I think getting the depth right matters more than the direction. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for letting me know this information helped you!
Hi there, Your article really gives me hope. I couldn’t really find any video for microneedling that demonstrate how to use the single needle on face what I found is only this one…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnIlaD6AZPQ&ab_channel=SarahVaughter
If I want to use the single needle on my whole face what should I do? just follow what she did on the video ? and finally can I use copper peptides as growth factor ? thank you very much.
Hi Sunny, Personally I wouldn’t do a single needle on your entire face. The single needle is really great for scars/craters in the skin. But doing the whole face like that would like take a long time.
Since I haven’t used copper peptides before I did a little research. Though I don’t think it’s the same as a growth factor, it looks like a great mineral option! Here’s the study I found:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25690343/
Hi, I have a scar very similar to the one on your forehead, I am hoping to get results as good as yours! How far apart were your 3 treatments? How long until you started seeing results?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Chloe,
I started to see results after the 2nd time. The scars are still there, just much more shallow. It’s a process! I just keep working on them. I had to stop after 3 sessions due to some sensitivity issues–I didn’t want to chance an infection. I almost have my skin barrier in good shape again. 🙂
For how far apart: I did 1.5 months to make sure I was completely healed and didn’t do any other invasive treatments in between. When I’ve looked online, dermatology offices seem to recommend 3-5 appointments every 4-6 weeks.
Tag me your befores/afters with #livingplum on Instagram. I’d love to see! Good luck. 🙂
Hello, I’m wondering if you have any updated photos of this scar after working on it for so long. I have a similar scar I’m dying to get rid of. Please let me know!!
I need to update pictures for sure! Until then, here’s the update:
I haven’t done microneedling in about 1.5 years and I’m noticing that the color is less even now that I’ve gone through summer. The one thing I’m learning is to protect protect protect! Scars in the sun are really bad for the color. I talked to a nurse about that and she said you have to keep scars covered in the sun. My scars are about half the depth they were when I started, so I’m still definitely seeing progress, but I’m not done working on them either.
Hi, great post. I also have scarring on my forehead and am curious what depth you chose for that area? Since the chart has conflicting info saying 0.5-1.0 mm for the forehead but 1.5-2.0 mm for acne scars
Hi Fred — First off gotta do the disclaimer…I’m not a doctor. For your forehead, you would follow the regular forehead depth and in your scar, you’d go the acne depth. Personally, I go as deep as I can with my scars because I’m trying to break up the scar tissue so it’s not so deep. If you’ve never done microneedling before I always think its a good idea to go to a professional before trying on your own. That way you can see how long the professionals focus on an area (not very long) etc. Good luck!
Great instructional post!! However, it’s missing a shopping list and an instructional “how to” print out. Both of those would’ve made it super easy for me to follow your regimen and purchase the exact products you recommend.
Is there anyway you can update the post with both of these?
Hi Michele! What a great idea! I added a shopping list, however, an instructional video still makes me a little nervous. Watch professionals do this procedure and follow the motions they do…I put a couple videos within the shopping list for watching.
Thank you so much for this article!
I am an MD (surgical trainee) and my friend who is also an MD are considering buying the Dermapen 4 and doing the treatments on each other.
After getting the treatment done professionally I know my skin reacts really well to it.
Great to read that it’s not a problem to do this.
Why did you decide against the derma pen 4? I see it’s used in many salons. Also; why did you stop the process? I understood 6 sessions with 2 weeks in between give best results.
Thanks!
Hi Nienke, You’re welcome. 🙂 If it’s the pen I think you’re talking about, it’s expensive and not readily available in the USA unless you’re licensed.
Every pen that I found would not go deep enough for my particular scarring depth aside from the one I used. Can you provide a link for the derma pen 4 that people can buy in the US? I’d love for people to have more options.
Hi There!
So I googled on derma pen and landed on a website in the Netherlands where you can buy it.
You have to have a company registration for it though i think. https://dermapenbenelux.nl/dermapen-microneedling-pen/
They do provide free courses when you buy it and it’s quite advanced technology, however expensive indeed.
Curious if you did a dermal or epidermal treatment and which treatment scheme you chose?
Hi Nienke,
This is great info. Thank you!
If you’re asking how deep I went, I followed the chart I included in this post for each area.
Hi There. I have a derminator and a similar forehead scar. I’ve noticed that after going deep on my forehead – up to 2.5 mm, it has caused some hyperpigmentation. I was wondering if you noticed any hyperpigmentation?
Hi Harj,
Oh no! Sounds like your situation is a good example of why this is typically an in-office procedure. I have not personally had any hyperpigmentation, but I am very careful to space out my treatments and I watch the products I use before/during/after treatments. Basically my whole routine changes when I do microneedling. So far I’ve done 4 treatments and I’ve been taking a break ever since because I’ve been having some hormonal breakouts and extra sensitive skin.
If you could share so we can figure out what happened…Can you share what your skin type and coloring is? For example, I know that dark skin can react quite differently than my pale/olive/dry skin. Also, what products/medications were you using before/during/after? How far apart were you doing your treatments? How many did you do? Were you doing the 2.5mm depth everywhere? or just inside the scar area? It’s possible you were going too deep in areas that didn’t need it. Was the hyperpigmentation within the scar? or elsewhere?
Again, I can’t advise since I’m not a doctor, but I can give you my opinion on what may have happened. This is definitely a medical procedure so you have to be pretty careful…no retinols or peels will mix well while your skin is healing.
Hi Michaell, I have indian skin, so I believe that is why I had hyperpigmentation. It has lightened up a bit since I did my session. I wasn’t taking any specific medication/products during this time outside of general skincare. My treatments were definitely months apart, so I do not believe that was a factor. I’ve done 2 treatments so far, but about 4-5 months apart, maybe more? I tried to do the 2.5 mm depth just on the scar with the single needle, but I went just beyond the scar above as I had a bit of a dog-ear scar (the scar is from stitches so I was hoping going deep on the bumpy dog-ear would breakup the scar below). Anyways, I remain hopeful now that the hyperpigmentation has significantly decreased. I will try again with the single needle, but maybe just keep it to the scar area only with the deepest setting. For your scar did you go 2.5mm for the forehead chicken pox scar? Ironically, my stitch scar was from a chicken pox scar removal – the plastic surgeon thought the best way to treat it was to cut it out. I wish I knew about microneedling back then. 🙂