Where can you buy microneedling supplies for at-home use?
As of October 3, 2024, a few online retailers still offer microneedling supplies like Dr. Pen devices and cartridges for at-home use. Before making any purchases, I just want to share with you what is going on, some things to look out for, and what your options currently are. While no official announcement has been made yet, at-home microneedling devices are facing restrictions due to an ongoing FDA microneedling pen review.
Most Retailers Have Stopped Selling Microneedling Pens & Cartridges in the U.S.
If you’re looking for a microneedling pen or cartridges and you live in the U.S., you’ll notice it’s become increasingly difficult to purchase these items. Amazon halted the sale of Dr. Pens and related supplies a couple of months ago and this is what sparked my interest in finding out what was behind it all. For full details on why this is happening, read my post here: Is At-Home Microneedling Being Banned? Latest on the FDA Review & Options.
Here’s a Brief Summary of the Situation
- FDA Review: The FDA is currently reviewing the status of microneedling devices and cartridges for at-home use.
- Retailer Actions: Some major retailers, like Amazon and AliExpress, plus numerous other websites have limited or stopped selling these products.
- Current Availability: A handful of sites & one major online retailer, Temu, is currently allowing vendors to sell these products.
- Future Outlook: If restrictions occur, it’s possible that only nano needle cartridges might remain available for consumer use.
This post may contain affiliate links & if you purchase through them I will earn a small commission. I only promote products I believe in.
Where I Bought My Microneedling Supplies Recently
As options have become extremely limited, I decided to stock up by buying some microneedling supplies from Temu. The link to Temu is an affiliate link. If you decide to use it, I will get a small commission on purchases and you should get 30% off of your order with the link or code: “acn120083.” If you download the app, you may get more discounts or money off, but it’s totally up to you. I downloaded it previously, but prefer to shop on the computer instead.
Websites That Continue to Sell Microneedling Pens
A variety of websites still appear in Google searches for microneedling supplies and Dr. Pens. But, many of them have notices stating they will only sell to licensed professionals now. If these websites are official resellers for the main manufacturer, I believe it’s likely that they will restrict sales to medical professionals only, rather than to at-home users.
Whatever You Do Is At Your Own Risk
When it comes to stocking up, I want to emphasize that this is a personal choice I’ve made and if you’re considering stocking up as well, please do your own research and make an informed decision that feels right for you, according to the laws in your country. And, whatever you do is at your own risk and responsibility.
Since there is no official guidance or announcements from the FDA yet, it seems we have a small window of opportunity to continue purchasing. It’s hard to know based on the total lack of information from the FDA.
What You Need to Know About Microneedling Cartridge Options
After recently stocking up, I decided to take out my best zoom lens and take a very close look at all of my microneedling Dr. Pen cartridges to compare some things. Some of these cartridges were purchased years ago on Amazon, some were sent to me by a reputable website that no longer sells the products, and the rest were recent purchases from Temu. Each cartridge comes in its own clear packaging and all of the packaging looks the same no matter where I bought it from.
When stocking up recently, I bought some cartridges that had higher numbers of needles than I am used to, and I wanted to see what the needles looked like. The photos shocked me, and as a result, I would never purchase a cartridge with more than 16 needles. I am not comfortable using the A6 36-pin cartridge you see in this image. I prefer to use the smallest needles possible – for less pain and for the micro-injuries it creates. If you were to look at the cartridge closely with the naked eye, you won’t see what you’re viewing in the photo because the needles are still quite small. But, I still prefer the thin individual needles seen in the other cartridges.
The Dr. Pen M8 24 Needle Cartridge Closeup
These Dr. Pen M8 24-needle cartridges have some pretty thick needles compared to the 11-pin and 16-pin cartridges that I own. These look more like little daggers that taper a bit at the end. This isn’t as bad as the 36-needle cartridges, but I would prefer the thinner needles when doing a treatment on my face.
The Dr. Pen A6 12 Pin Cartridge Closeup
Here you can see a closeup of a Dr. Pen A6 12 pin cartridge. This one looks like it would work well on the face and the needles are not too thick. If you compare this to the M8 11-pin cartridge, I think those needles are slightly thinner though.
The Dr. Pen M8 11 Pin Cartridge and the A6 12 Pin Cartridge
Here you can see a closeup of the M8 11-pin cartridge versus the A6 12-pin cartridge. If you own a Dr. Pen A6, the cartridges are really cheap right now on Temu. You can sometimes get 50 for $20. I don’t think the A6 12-pin cartridge is bad, but I do like how the needles on the M8 11-pin cartridge are a bit thinner. I am sure both of these would work well. In fact, all of my initial microneedling treatments were done with the Dr. Pen A6, and 12 pin cartridges. If you haven’t seen my microneedling before and after results, you can check them out at the link there.
The Dr. Pen M8 Cartridges are Compatible with a Dr. Pen A6S
I discovered that the Dr. Pen M8 cartridges are compatible with the Dr. Pen A6S. When stocking up, I noticed that there were no A6S cartridges available for sale. Thankfully, the M8 cartridges are compatible.
Can you please share the exact seller you purchased your M8 11 pin cartridges from on Temu?
Hello dear Holly, Im from Germany and currently trying to purchase a Dr. Pen M8 from Temu after watching your wonderful videos. It will be my first purchase from that website and whilst looking through the pages from different sellers I noticed that many of them seem a little weird and as if they were a scam… Many repeating comments in the ratings etc. I wanted to ask you, how you make sure the seller you buy from is a good one and trustworthy, or would you say this is generally not an issue Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and… Read more »
I just purchased the M8S Micro needling device. Hope you get a bit from that. Thanks for all your information. So helpful!
I tried putting in the discount code you provided, but it said it only works through the app, but I don’t have the app download it so oh well.