Microneedling For Acne Scars

The steel needles used in microneedling are only about 0.5 to 1.5 mm long.  This is just long enough to reach the papillary dermis, the very top layer of the living dermis layer of the skin just beneath the tough, non-living epidermis.  Typically, the needles are arranged in rows on a roller device, which can be rolled along your face.  The dermatologist will apply topical painkillers such as lidocaine and prilocaine to numb your skin before performing the procedure.¹

When the microneedles are inserted into your skin, they make micro wounds in your papillary dermal layer.  When this happens, your natural wound-healing response produces various growth factors.  Over the course of the next few days, your skin cells produce new structural proteins, such as collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans.  These proteins form the structural matrix that keeps your skin tough, taut, and flexible. New capillaries also grow in the area to allow your skin improved access to oxygen and nutrients.¹

Because of the stimulation of synthesis of fresh collagen matrix, microneedling is sometimes also called “percutaneous collagen induction therapy.”

One of the primary uses of microneedling is for the reduction of scars like acne scars.  Scars and stretch marks are made of the same collagen proteins that normal skin is, but instead of being woven into a flexible mesh, the collagen has formed thick ropy bundles.  This happens when your skin is forced to stitch itself back together quickly, such as when healing a sizeable injury.² 

After microneedling, the tiny wounds formed in your skin cause new collagen fiber matrix to be built.  On the small scale of these micro injuries, the new collagen fibers are formed into the normal flexible mesh of healthy skin.  This fresh, elastic matrix gradually takes the place of the tough scar tissue, and scars will begin to fade after three or four treatment sessions.²

Wrinkle reduction through microneedling works much in the same way as scar reduction.  As you age and your skin is exposed to environmental damage, it loses its strength and elasticity.  The new collagen fiber mesh that forms following a microneedling treatment helps improve your skin’s tautness and flexibility.  When this happens, your wrinkles will begin to fade.³

A modified version of microneedling is used to treat active acne breakouts. Laser therapy is often used to treat acne and scars, but this process damages the top layer of skin at the treatment site, causing inflammation and requiring healing time. In a technique known as “fractional radiofrequency microneedling,” or microneedling FR, the laser energy is shielded within the microneedles, and only applied into the skin at the needles’ tips. This enables very precise delivery of laser energy to the desired area. While still a fairly new procedure, initial studies have found microneedling FR to reduce the number of lesions in patients with acne.^4,5

A modified version of microneedling is used to treat active acne breakouts. Laser therapy is often used to treat acne and scars, but this process damages the top layer of skin at the treatment site, causing inflammation and requiring healing time. In a technique known as “fractional radiofrequency microneedling,” or microneedling FR, the laser energy is shielded within the microneedles, and only applied into the skin at the needles’ tips. This enables very precise delivery of laser energy to the desired area. While still a fairly new procedure, initial studies have found microneedling FR to reduce the number of lesions in patients with acne.^4,5