You don't want to draw blood or damage your scalp from the pressure, and if you see blood pinpricks, you are pushing too hard. The pressure should be firm enough for the scalp to turn a little pink after a few seconds, but nothing too painful.
No need to press too hard or put yourself in pain—apply as much pressure as you can comfortably tolerate. You can repeat this up and down, then back and forth routine several times. Just be sure to lift the roller away from the skin after each pass to prevent tears.
Once you're ready to roll, grab your microneedle and move it gently up and down, backwards and forwards, in small sections across your face. “You need to let the microneedle do its work and not press too hard,” says Fiona.
How Hard Should I Press the Dermaroller? Apply enough pressure to feel the needles against your scalp but not so much that it causes pain.
Improper Technique: Applying excessive pressure or using incorrect needle depth can lead to skin trauma, scarring, and permanent damage. Infection Risks: Poor hygiene practices, unsterile equipment, or microneedling over active lesions increase the chances of bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.
The recommended pattern to move the pen for best results is vertical, horizontal, and then diagonal in both directions. Using a light pressure and without dragging, repeat this motion over each area two times. Use your free hand to hold the skin taught.
This could lead to an infection or scarring. At-home microneedling can accidentally spread warts, herpes, and other viruses across the skin. Pressing too hard can damage your skin. This damage can cause scarring or changes to your skin's color or texture.
In many cases, needle sizes of 0.5mm to 1mm are sufficient to improve skin texture, reduce fine lines, and help with product absorption, without excess pain or downtime. The key is matching the needle depth to what your skin needs to achieve your desired results safely and effectively.
The Microneedling on the Scalp Process
A session should last 10-20 minutes, depending on the scalp area you're treating. In this treatment, you can also apply either hyaluronic acid or hair restoration serum to enhance the effectiveness of the microneedling treatment.
As a general rule, the faster you set the speed on your microneedling pen, the deeper the needle will penetrate your skin. If you're using the pen on your face or other sensitive areas, we recommend using a lower speed - this gives you more precise control of the pen and its movements.
Even though microneedling benefits the skin, overdoing it can cause serious risks, including skin irritation, redness, and inflammation, leading to discomfort. Overdoing treatments or not allowing ample time between sessions can lead to scarring and even hyperpigmentation.
Pressing too hard or repeatedly targeting the same areas can create deeper pathways or tears in the skin, which will not only take longer to heal, but will also leave the skin open to infection or reaction to any products that are applied.
Step 3: Apply the Microneedling Device
Hold the microneedling device, applying only gentle pressure. Starting with the first section, either roll your dermaroller vertically over your scalp, continuing to apply mild pressure, or glide your dermapen over the section of skin.
You can do microneedling almost anywhere on your skin you're keen to improve. If the face is the area you'd like to target, here are some tips to make it super easy for you. Section the face into six areas: cheeks, forehead, chin/jawline, eye area, nose, upper lip and lips.
Most people need multiple microneedling treatments, usually about 3 weeks to 8 weeks apart. It can take 3 months to 6 months to see results. Afterward, you might need the procedure once a year for maintenance.
Which Microneedling Is Most Effective? You'll find the A11 microneedling pen most effective for deep scars and stretch marks, while the A9 excels in versatility, addressing various skin issues like acne scars and improving skin texture.
Why Do I Look Older After Microneedling? You might look older after microneedling because your skin is temporarily inflamed and shedding older layers.
The average cost of microneedling in the US is about $640 per session, according to over 300 patient experiences on RealSelf. This can vary between $300 to $700, however, depending on: Your location: Prices may be higher in major cities or upscale clinics.
Before starting the treatment, your hands must be washed and your skin thoroughly cleaned. Otherwise it can lead to unpleasant inflammation. Divide the face into three parts: forehead, cheeks and chin. Then pull the derma roller gently over the respective area of the face without applying pressure.
If you're considering this treatment, thorough research is essential—but one thing is sure: microneedling should never be attempted at home. When done incorrectly, the potential side effects can be severe, ranging from scarring, pockmarks, and infections to enlarged pores, track marks, and premature ageing.
In lip microneedling, hyaluronic acid is applied to the lips and is followed by microneedling, supposedly to help HA penetrate the dermal layer. In reality, because of the thinness of lip tissue, micro-wounds must be kept shallow, too shallow to elicit collagen formation or deliver HA to deep lip tissue.