Talk about an ultimate face-off. 

There’s so much to say about in-office treatments, but sometimes you just want to DIY it at home (or your pocketbook prefers it that way). I get it. 

However, microneedling is the best place to spend your money no matter your age, no matter your skin concerns, and no matter your skin type . 

What is Microneedling?

Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure for your skin by a professional with expertise and training. Your esthetics provider (usually an esthetician) uses a device with thin needles to make tiny holes in the top layers of your skin. The damage helps stimulate your skin's natural healing process, so it produces more collagen and elastin, which improves texture- think scarring, pores, fine lines and wrinkles.

What is Dermarolling?

Dermarollers feature needles made of silicone or medical-grade metal to penetrate the outermost layer of the skin (or, in medical speak, the stratum corneum). They are technically the mother of microneedling.

I discuss dermarollers in this SHAPE Magazine Blog on the Best Dermarollers for DIY treatments.

So which one is better?

At the end of the day, microneedling is generally the right answer when talking about in-office treatments. The microneedling vs. dermarollers battle boils down to… personal preferences, expectations, goals, commitment, budgets, results, etc. I dare to say that even the most compliant at-home dermaroller user won't get the same results as 3 in-office Skinpen microneedling procedures in a year's time.  It all has to do with depth of penetration in the dermo-epidermal junction.

Whether you're opting for a professional microneedling session or embarking on an at-home dermarolling journey, the key is to prioritize your skin's health and well-being. Both require proper hygiene and aftercare.

The first biggest issue with at-home dermarolling and at-home microneedling is hygiene. 

Proper replacement of disposable parts adds to the overall expense of at-home treatments so my opinion is if you do replace them properly then it’s honestly still best worth your time and money to opt for in-office microneedling. 

You also won’t get the same results with daily at-home treatments compared to in-office microneedling even if you’re extremely compliant and replace the heads often with your at-home device. 

The needles used in a professional microneedling treatment penetrate deeper than those of at-home dermarollers and the needle depth can be adjusted to ensure the device can be used safely across the entire face.

I’d encourage you to have a personalized consult to discuss all treatments before deciding on a treatment method. i.e. If pigmentation is the biggest of your concerns then we actually need to pivot completely to discuss other treatments. 

Now that you’re armed with the knowledge from this face-off, you're ready to make the best decision for your skin's future. However, if you don’t want to do it alone - I’m here for you. 

Let’s make a personalized in-office treatment plan for you!