I Microneedled My Face At Home. Here’s How It Went

By the time I hit my mid-30s, I was experimenting with all sorts of skin-boosting products. It started with skincare: from plumping serums to tightening eye creams, you name it, I’ve tried it. I also ventured into the world of medspa treatments. Initially, I stuck with Botox and a bit of filler, but after 40, I decided to try microneedling. 

My aesthetician, Silvana Rivas, MSN, FNP-C, at Evolve Medspa, suggested microneedling when I told her my skincare didn’t seem to be working as well. She recommended three sessions spaced at least four weeks apart for the best results, and then maintenance sessions once or twice a year after that. I followed the protocol and loved the results, but didn’t love the price tag — more than $350 for just one treatment. So I decided to try microneedling at home to see how the results compared.

“This is because at these depths, you are only affecting the surface layers of skin sufficiently enough to stimulate cell turnover without breaching the dermis,” says Jessica Yu, MD, a board-certified physician and the founder and medical director of SkinLUX MD in San Diego, California. There’s also a heightened risk of infection, as your home environment is typically much less sterile than a medical office.

With all that in mind, I decided to go no deeper than 0.5 mm, and before my first session, I sterilized my bathroom like I was going to perform an operation. Yu recommends “cleaning your entire workstation with 70% isopropyl alcohol, including your hands, device packaging, and any product you plan to apply after.” I used nitrile gloves, which are more puncture-resistant than latex. To prep my face for the procedure’s micro-injuries, I slathered on a 5% lidocaine cream and let it sit for 40 minutes, per what my aesthetician did in-office before my treatment. After that, my face felt nice and numb, and I was ready to microneedle.

I used an oral syringe to distribute the ampoule on my forehead before I began. You need to use a slippery serum like this when microneedling to prevent drag (where the needles pull or scratch the skin instead of creating clean, vertical punctures), which can lead to scarring. Hyaluronic acid serums work great as well. I set my M9 microneedling pen to a depth of 0.25 mm and a speed of 6 (the highest speed, which helps it hurt less) and began moving the pen across my forehead, keeping the pressure light and the pen head perpendicular to my skin. Based on my aesthetician’s guidance, I knew to do a pass horizontally, then vertically, then in small circles. I made sure not to move too fast or too slow, and added more serum if I felt my skin drying out.

I felt the needles ever so slightly (the skin on your forehead has less fatty tissue, so it can be more sensitive), but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Once I finished my forehead, I moved to my cheeks and upped the depth to 0.5 mm since the cheeks have a lot more padding underneath. That was the most comfy part of the process by far. The only area that was a little spicy was my top lip, but I figured out that if I puffed that area out by pushing air underneath with my lips closed, it felt much better.

After I’d microneedled my whole face, it was a nice, deep pink, a hue I’d become familiar with after having the treatment done professionally. It wasn’t quite as red as I’d remembered, likely because I wasn’t going nearly as deep as my aesthetician did. I quickly applied more serum, then slathered on my Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream. Over the next hour or so, as the numbing wore off, my skin felt a bit tight and irritated, like it might after a mild sunburn. However, that faded over the next several hours, and I was able to sleep comfortably (on my back with a clean pillow case, for safety). By the afternoon of the following day, the redness had almost completely disappeared.

Pro tip: Avoid washing your face for the first 24 hours; after that, you can use a gentle cleanser. You’ll also want to skip any harsh skincare (retinols, exfoliants, vitamin C) for the next week until your skin is fully back to normal. Also, you’ll want to avoid going outside in the sun for 48 hours unless you absolutely need to. “Freshly needled skin has almost no UV protection and will hyperpigment very rapidly, particularly in dark skin tones,” says Yu.

I did two at-home microneedling sessions over two months and waited another six weeks to give the collagen and elastin production a chance to take effect before writing this review. When I saw my before-and-after photos side by side, I definitely noticed a difference in my skin quality. It looks smoother, less dull, and even my pores seem smaller. It’s not a drastic difference — I wasn’t expecting that since I’d had professional sessions at the end of 2025 and the start of 2026 — but it’s enough to convince me at-home microneedling is worth the effort.

The process is a bit involved, and it’s certainly not for anyone who balks at the thought of needles, but if you’re motivated and into skincare treatments, you might love it. I’ve been recommending it to my fellow skincare fanatic friends who’ve complimented my skin recently (unprompted!). If you do, however, it’s of utmost importance to create the most sterile environment possible and get guidance from a licensed professional.