Dermapen: What You Need to Know

Pros

• Dermapen can be adjusted for your skin thickness and concerns.
• The fine needles on the Dermapen create precise pinpricks, making them less likely to cause long-term texture damage than some other microneedling devices.
• After microneedling with Dermapen, your skin can absorb serums and other skin-care products more effectively.

Cons

• Although the Dermapen is considered safer than other microneedling devices, it can cause scarring if used improperly by an inexperienced provider.
• While microneedling is considered safe for all skin types and tones, people with olive, brown, and dark skin are at a higher risk of pigmentation issues if damage is caused.
• People with active acne, eczema, psoriasis, cold sores, or warts—or who are currently taking Accutane or blood thinners—should avoid any kind of microneedling, including the Dermapen.

• Average Cost:
• $375

• Range:
• $80 - $852

Microneedling cost will depend on the size of the area treated as well as your provider’s level of experience and practice location. 

Many practices offer special package pricing on a series of treatments.

See our complete guide to Dermapen treatment costs

Short, fine needles on the tip of the device puncture the epidermis and dermis, creating micro injuries that stimulate a natural wound-healing response. Over the coming weeks, this increases cell turnover and boosts elastin and collagen production so that your skin repairs and renews itself. This technique is also known as collagen induction therapy. 

Because Dermapen results rely on your skin’s natural regeneration process, providers recommend a series of three to five treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart, for best results. This allows time for the skin cells to turn over and for new collagen to be produced. 

Related: The Treatments and Ingredients Actually Proven to Reduce Wrinkles

Dermapen microneedling treatments usually last no longer than an hour. Your provider will first apply a numbing cream to the treatment area. Once you’re numb, they’ll press the Dermapen device to your skin and move it across the full treatment area as the motorized needles stamp into the top and middle layers. 

“When microneedling, we use different depths, depending on the skin type and the part of the face we’re treating,” says Dr. W. John Bull, a plastic surgeon in Naperville, Illinois. “For example, the skin on your forehead is much thinner than the skin on your cheeks, so we’d start at about 0.5 mm and maybe go as deep as 2.5 mm over the cheeks or deep scars. There’s no therapeutic benefit to going deeper than needed.” 

Most people report feeling no pain during the procedure, but you may experience pinpoint bleeding, particularly in areas where the needles penetrate more deeply. 

After the whole area has been microneedled, your provider will apply a serum to your skin. “Generally, a serum meant for intradermal use, not necessarily just topical use, is utilized after microneedling to take advantage of the percutaneous [aka effected through the skin] drug delivery afforded for the first 24 hours,” says Dr. Cameron Chesnut, a dermatologic surgeon in Spokane, Washington. “That serum can be platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or other growth factors, which especially take advantage of this delivery method. That initial application is then usually placed under occlusion via an ointment or balm.”

When PRP derived from your own blood is applied topically after microneedling, the treatment is known as a Vampire Facial.

Immediately afterward, you may have some swelling or redness. This should clear up within a few hours, but you’ll want to be careful with your skin for a few days. With needled microchannels open, your skin will be particularly vulnerable.

Here’s how you can really take care of your skin for the first few days after your treatment. 

• Avoid direct sun exposure. While it’s super-sensitive, your skin may be more prone to sun damage. Reach for a physical sunscreen with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide instead of a chemical one, which may seep into your skin.
• Go without makeup for at least 24–48 hours. Anything you apply may penetrate your pores, and previously used brushes and applicators can introduce bacteria.
• Keep your skin care simple. Active ingredients (like alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids and retinoids) can cause irritation, so it’s best to stick to a gentle cleanser and hydrating moisturizer unless your provider recommends otherwise. To boost results, they may OK an antioxidant serum or a skin-care product with collagen-stimulating peptides. Your skin will more readily absorb anything you apply.
• Cool it on the exercise. Working up a sweat can aggravate your skin, and you run the risk of stirring up infection-causing bacteria.

Related: The 8 Best Foundations That Cover Up Redness After Microneedling

With the correct technique, Dermapen risks are low. However, using needles of inappropriate depth or exerting excess pressure in microneedling treatments can leave long-term marks, including scarring or hyperpigmentation. 

RealSelf members who’ve rated the treatment “Not Worth It” report stubborn lines and dots afterward.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recognizes the risk of damage to underlying tissue, including nerves and blood vessels, and identifies cross-contamination as a concern. A new, sterile needle cartridge should be used for every treatment, to mitigate the risk of infection.

RealSelf Tip: Microneedling may trigger cold sores. Tell your doctor if you’re prone to cold sores so you can start taking an antiviral medication a few days before your treatment.

A derma roller is a manual handheld device used to roll microneedles of fixed size over the skin, while the Dermapen has the ability to adjust needle depth (ranging from 0.5 mm to 3.5 mm) and rapidly punctures the skin vertically as the device moves across the treatment area. 

“An often understated aspect of this ‘nuts and bolts’ difference is that each Dermapen needle penetration is perpendicular to the skin surface with every oscillation, whereas a derma roller enters at one angle, changes its angle while in the skin surface, and exits at a different angle, which can create more of a tearing motion,” says Dr. Chesnut. Because of this, derma roller treatments carry a higher risk of scarring, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin texture. 

The Dermapen’s small, 12-needle tip provides precision and allows different areas of the skin to be treated to different depths. The tips are also single-use, ensuring new, sterile needles for every treatment.

Dermapen-branded devices are sold exclusively to medical and skin-care professionals, but knock-offs and electric microneedling products manufactured by other companies are surprisingly easy to purchase online. Should you ever use one? In short, no. 

“Motorized microneedling pens for home-use introduce the significant potential for many complications, such as scarring, infection, and contact dermatitis,” says Dr. Chesnut.

Besides the potential for skin damage from user error, hygiene concerns should hold you back. While doctors use a brand new, sterile needle cartridge for each Dermapen treatment, home devices tend to come with only one or two sets of needle tips that you’re responsible for adequately sanitizing—unless you continually shell out for replacements. 

Without proper sterilization, reused needles can spread bacteria across the skin and even introduce it below the surface. This can worsen acne and cause infection and inflammation.

If you’re still keen on microneedling at home, a derma roller is a safer bet. These home devices typically have shorter needles than those you’d find in a doctor’s office, so they create only superficial wounds—impacting just the outer layer of the skin. 

According to the FDA’s regulatory considerations, this is an important safety distinction. In the agency’s draft guidance for microneedling devices, the tools are classified for regulation according to the depth of penetration.

Derma rollers that affect just the outermost layer and intend to give skin a smoother, more luminous look fall outside FDA regulations, but any designed to impact the epidermis or dermis for the following uses are subject to FDA enforcement action.

• Treating scars (e.g., acne scars, atrophic scars, hypertrophic scars, burn scars)
• Treating wrinkles and deep facial lines
• Treating cellulite and stretch marks
• Treating dermatoses
• Treating acne
• Treating alopecia (hair loss)
• Stimulating collagen production
• Stimulating angiogenesis (blood vessel growth)
• Promoting wound healing

To achieve results along those lines, you’ll want to be treated with an in-office device.

You have plenty of skin rejuvenation options. The key regenerative effect behind microneedling can be provoked in a number of ways.

• Laser resurfacing triggers the body’s natural healing response and collagen production by heating the lower layers of the skin. Some also remove a fraction or all of the surface layer. With a series of laser treatments, you’ll see a more even tone and texture.
• Chemical peels harness powerful solutions to exfoliate away outer layers of skin and speed up cell turnover to reveal fresh, new skin. If you’re after increased luminosity and radiance, a peel might be for you. One study on the treatment of acne scars found that alternating microneedling with chemical peel treatments yielded the best results.
• FaceTite and other radiofrequency energy treatments transmit heat below the surface of the skin to remodel existing protein fibers and spur the production of collagen. The dermal focus of such treatments makes them best for skin tightening and firming.