Micro Needling (Dermapen) for Acne Scars - Ohio

My review states that I'm "not sure" if the procedure was worth it, I will let you all know if I think the procedure was worth it once my treatment of 3 sessions are complete.

Cost: $675 for three dermapen sessions
Frequency: one treatment every 4 weeks
Downtime: virtually zero
Pain: 2/10


Hey! Prepare yourself for a detailed review with a lot of pictures. It's difficult to take photos of scarring at the same angle, so I will have multiple pictures to show the results or lack there of. I have suffered for nearly a decade with acne and acne scarring, I'm talking deep, unsightly scars, not just hyperpigmentation. My acne is under control for the most part and I have been wanting to undergo acne scar treatment for the last few years. I have done a lot of research on all different types of treatments. I chose microneedling because it is considerably less expensive than other options, there is also less downtime and less risk. This is the beginning of my journey to better skin and I figure it is best to try the least invasive procedures first.

First treatment 3/21/16. When I arrived at my plastic surgeons office the medical aesthetician cleansed my face and then numbing gel was applied for 20 minutes before procedure. The numbing gel was removed and hyaluronic acid gel was applied to my skin. The Derma pen was set at 1mm on forehead, 0.75 on temples, 1.5 on cheeks. I was told there was pin point bleeding, and that meant the treatment was deep enough for the first session. Next session the settings will go deeper. The medical aesthetician preformed the microneedling, the doctor did stop in twice during the procedure to check on me, which I really liked.

This treatment did not cause any breakouts, which is great because I was really concerned about that. I was told that I should not wear makeup for the first 24 hours, but I ended up not wearing makeup for the first 3 days due to dry/rough skin. So I would not schedule microneedling around an important event. I can't wait to see my results after three treatments. I know this treatment will take some patience and it's not an invasive treatment so I am prepared to wait and hope for even a small amount of improvement! I will update after each treatment.


Day of first treatment skin is red, feels like mild sunburn.

Day 1 skin is slightly tight feeling, pink and dry/rough to the touch.

Day 2 skin is slightly pink, rough patches of darkened skin on temples and area of cheek. My skin is still rough and flakey.

Day 3 skin is peeling on chin and around mouth. Rough patches of skin remain on temples/cheek.

Day 4 peeling has subsided, my skin is pretty much back to normal. I resumed my normal skin care routine -- obagi clenziderm.

Day 14. I am noticing a slight improvement in texture on my temples! My left temple is the worst and before my first treatment I could literally feel the depressions in my skin when running a finger over the area. It now feels smooth. I am not noticing any improvement in the scarring on my chin yet.

Has anyone used a serum with human growth factors after microneedling? It was recommended to me by the aesthetician but I wanted to do research on it before shelling out another $270. If you use it, let me know what you think of it. The serum I was recommended is by skin medica. Next update will be after my second treatment which is April 18th.

Hey everyone. I have had my second treatment. The settings were deeper this time and some areas were quite painful. No unbearable but enough to make my eyes water, particularly during the forehead treatment which was set at 2mm. Temples were 1.25mm, cheeks 1.75mm and chin 1.0mm. I'm noticing subtle improvement in my chin area. Not much change in my temples or forehead. I have a deep line on my forehead which isn't improving at all, and some acne scars. I wanted to start with microneedling because it's the least invasive acne scar treatment. I think I'll move on to a different treatment after my third round of microneedling. I think my scars could benefit from subcision, but I'm having a tough time finding doctors in Ohio that perform subcision. If anyone knows of a physician that offers this treatment please let me know!

Updated pics to come soon. I'm on vacation and like to take pics in the same lighting.