Does Microneedling Hurt and Is Microneedling Safe?
This depends on your pain tolerance level. Technically, you can get microneedling done on your lunch break, but downtime and healing depends on the intensity of your treatment. The skin will be inflamed and resemble a sunburn afterward. It can take up to a week to fully heal. "While the risks are minimal, any procedure creating open or raw skin may put you at risk for infection or scarring," Dr. Zeichner says.
Do at-Home Microneedling Treatments Work?
With all of this in mind, you might be wondering how at-home treatments — i.e., dermarollers and patches — compare, and whether or not they're safe. Both dermatologists agree that the improvements are modest and superficial, but they do work. "They are great in a pinch, but in the office, we are able to achieve better results with more aggressive and deeper treatments." Dr. Bhanusali says.
As for safety, Dr. Zeichner recommends being mindful of your skin's condition first: "Make sure you are applying [those treatments] to healthy, noninfected skin. Use roller devices cautiously as you do not want to put any tugging or tension on the skin."
Are Microneedling and Vampire Facials the Same?
It might sound like microneedling will leave your skin covered in blood (à la Kim Kardashian), but that's actually not the case. "Vampire" or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) facials are responsible for those photos, where blood is drawn from the arm, the platelets are separated, and then are reinjected into the skin. Although this can be performed without microneedling, the treatments are often done together, taking advantage of the open channels created by puncturing the skin with needles.