It is completely normal, and very common to experience post-needling soreness after treatment, particularly if deep needing techniques were used (1). For some patients, soreness will present just a few hours after treatment, whilst for others it can take up to 24 hours, lasting as long as 72 hours in some cases.
Therefor, with dry needling creating microtraumas in an area that is already hypersensitive, the treatment can initially cause the patient to get very sore until the area calms down (desensitizes). The calming down typically occurs 12-24 hours post treatment, but can be up to 72 hours.
After your treatment, make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. You may experience increased muscle soreness after the treatment but it's important to keep moving. This is normal and may last for 24 to 36 hours.
In the days and weeks after microneedling, you might notice that your skin burns or feels tight. Some people also have dry, flaking skin that improves with moisturizer. 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.
In rare cases, the contact between the needle and the nerve causes irritation or nerve damage. The symptoms of nerve damage include irritation, pain, and numbness. If the symptoms persist long, you must consult your healthcare provider immediately.
Pain is the most frequent symptom of a nerve injury. It is usually described as a severe shooting or burning sensation at the injection site with radiation to the dorsum of the forearm and hand. Patients could also present numbness, paresthesia, hypoesthesia and other sensory disturbance.
While extremely uncommon, there is a risk of adverse reactions or complications associated with dry needling, such as infection, nerve injury, or pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in rare cases.
Skin damage is a risk that commonly occurs with microneedling devices. The damage may include bleeding, bruising, redness, tightness, itching and peeling, and these typically go away without any treatment after a few days or weeks.
The blood flow to the treated regions is increased when you exercise right after your microneedling session, which makes your skin more sensitive, painful, and swollen. Patients are recommended to wait anywhere between 48 and 72 hours after treatment for the skin to completely recover before exercising.
Microneedling is safe and effective, but some clients can experience minor pain or discomfort in the day or so following their session. While you should avoid anti-inflammatory medications, you can take painkillers that are based on the active ingredient acetaminophen (for example, Tylenol).
Signs that dry needling is working
As you continue with treatments, several signs indicate dry needling is effective. The most obvious is a reduction in pain and increased range of motion in the affected areas.
Dry needling is illegal in some states due to concerns about safety, training, and scope of practice. Regulatory bodies in these states argue that without standardized training, there is a higher risk of complications, such as nerve damage or infections.
Since dry needling targets the trigger points that develop within stressed muscles, it is normal for you to feel sore after the session. Hence, moving your body and heating the muscles through simple stretches help to speed up recovery and reduce soreness so you can return to your A-game as soon as possible.
It is advisable to avoid intense physical activities or strenuous exercise 24 to 48 hours after a dry needling session.
Three hours after the dry needling procedure, the muscle fibers showed some signs of an inflammatory response, which progressed to greater intensity 24 hours after the procedure. Some inflammatory cells could still be seen when the muscle regeneration was almost complete seven days after the treatment.
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.
Skin that is pink and a bit sandy-looking is common for some clients in days 2 – 4 after the treatment. Just like any time you're kick-starting cell turnover with a treatment or skin exfoliation, your skin will be sensitive to UV rays.
Essentially, some people are more sensitive to pain than others. For individuals with a lower pain tolerance, the sensation caused by the microneedling process may feel more intense. However, many describe it as a feeling of light sandpaper being moved across the skin.
Why Do I Look Older After Microneedling? You might look older after microneedling because your skin is temporarily inflamed and shedding older layers.
Attempting to improve your scars with microneedling at home may cause more harm than good to your skin. Puncturing too deep can result in rupture of capillaries. Shallow microneedling won't have any effect on improving the scarring problem.
We believe the primary reason that some patients report dry needling hurts more than acupuncture is that dry needling is typically performed in response to a particular injury. As such, the dry needling is very localized to an injured joint or source of pain, and typically those areas are more sensitive by default.
The average cost of dry needling is about $60 per session, and most physical therapists will recommend 3 to 6 sessions. However, this will usually be part of a treatment plan and used in conjunction with other services, so it may not be itemized in this way.
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.