Microneedling at Home – My 8 Treatments Spanning 16 Months
I started my microneedling journey at home in January 2019, at the age of 37. My goal was to tackle some fine lines and wrinkles and see if microneedling was really worth the effort. I wanted to see if it worked and if it would deliver noticeable results. Since microneedling at depths of 0.5mm or more should only be done once a month, I averaged a treatment every two months.
By late April 2020, I had completed my 8th microneedling session. While I didn’t plan on conducting this experiment for such a long time, I made sure to take before and after photos to track my progress. The only adjustments I made to the photos involved resizing to get them to a similar size and small adjustments to the lighting to try to make the lighting similar. Below, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions, share the full details of my microneedling journey, and provide the before-and-after photos and video.
The video below will provide some extra details that might be helpful for you, as well as my history and more photos. Also, please subscribe to me on my Life&DIY Youtube channel if you haven’t yet. Lastly, my thoughts on the results are in the video, as well as below on the bottom of this post.
Updates! Here you can see my 10 years of anti-aging skincare treatment results and before & afters. Check out all of my skincare posts.
Other Procedures
For full disclosure – I did one TCA peel that wasn’t my super strong one but it was a decent one, between my 5th and 6th MN treatment. I didn’t mean to mess with this experiment but I happened to do one peel at that time. I think it could have possibly had a slight impact on the results but I am not sure. I did post on Reddit and Youtube recently with before and afters and the whole process of me doing a much stronger TCA peel at home and that did produce quite strong results. That peel was done after this experiment was over, so it had no impact on these results. I have that TCA peel full process & before and afters documented here if you want to see that. Besides that, someone asked about Retin A use, and I did start to use it once a week only a couple of weeks prior to my very last (8th) microneedling session. I don’t think that played a part in the results. I have never consistently used it.
Microneedling Before and After Photos
Microneedling Before & Afters & Results Photos. Also, the reason my after photos were taken two full months after my last treatment session was because I wanted to see if my skin would maintain the results. If I would have taken images a week or two after the last session, it would show my skin looking extra nice – as that tends to happen around that time after a session. So, I waited so that the skin could return to normal in a way and then I could get the after photos.
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 Buy My Microneedling Supplies
If you’re looking for authentic microneedling pens and cartridges, I now buy all my supplies from MTP Skin Tech – you can use code code LIFEDIY for 8% off your order. They are a licensed reseller for Ekai, which is the official manufacturer of Dr. Pens and cartridges.
My Microneedling Results – My Impressions & Thoughts
The before photos speak for themselves! I was so used to seeing my own face that my skin issues were normal and not a big deal to me at the time – not even noticeable. I didn’t realize until my skin was improved, that my skin beforehand needed some work. I was absolutely shocked that microneedling broke up so much pigment and helped get rid of a lot of sunspots and hyperpigmentation, leaving my skin looking more even and also less red at times. I do recall early on in the experiment that I realized I could just stop wearing the little bit of foundation that I was used to wearing. My skin had looked so clear that I didn’t feel the need to wear it. In the video, I go over every little detail of the results, so I hope you check it out. For those reading here, I feel like the microneedling got rid of a lot of lines on my forehead, that it lessened to some extent some other lines on my face and my eye area lines are also diminished quite a lot. But, I think the most dramatic change is when I just step back and look at the photos side-by-side and my skin just looks a lot healthier and more even.
What are your thoughts? Please share any comments or questions below!
There is most definitely a difference, you’re going in right direction that’s for sure. You’re looking better every month.
Thank you so much, Isaac. Kind of embarassing for you to see these pictures but it’s been a good experiment so others know at least it made improvements for me and might be able to for them also. :)
Your skin looks beautiful. The pore size has a noticeable difference. I love watching your before and afters.
Thank you so much, Mallory! I really appreciate the comment! I hope to do more experiments like this. Have you tried Microneedling yet?
Hey Holly, how often can you microneedle? and also, can you reuse your cartridges? If so, what’s the proper way to disinfect them?
Hi Patty!
Thanks for the comment. I have been falling behind in microneedling, but usually do it once every two months. If you microneedle at a depth of 0.5mm or deeper, it should only be done once a month! You really are not supposed to re-use the cartridges, though I have read some things online about people doing so. You might want to look that up on reddit. But, the cartridges are usually pretty inexpensive if bought in bulk. I wouldn’t risk it by reusing. They can dull quickly too. If you have any other questions, ask anytime!
Wow, girl! I love the results!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! You were one of the first blogs I founds on this topic and thank you for sending me to Penny, as well. Her info has helped me so much as I explore the world of skin care during pandemic times lol.
I am now a week and half out from my first mn experience and I am liking what I see, though it is early in the process. :D
Hi Kate! So glad you commented! That is awesome you did your first treatment just recently. Hope you keep me posted on how you like the results! I usually see the most improvement around day 10! So excited for you!
You are a beautiful model and you have beautiful skin. I can’t but notice some differences in your before and afters besides the difference in your skin. For example, the whites of your eyes are brighter and whiter in your after shots. Your brows are thicker as is your eyeliner in your afters and your lovely hair is always down. Your nostrils appear smaller in your after shots as well, as you tip your face up ever so slightly for your “before” photos and tilt it down for your after photos. In the last close up the flash is so harsh it makes your eyes look glassy. You are a model selling products, and your pretty face is a tool in your toolbox. Like all models you know how to get a slightly better shot and therefore a slightly less flattering one as well. Like all photographers you know how to get a slightly more flattering or less flattering shot. I get it. Still I am left wondering if home micro needling is worth the time, energy, pain and money.
Thanks for the comment and observations. I appreciate your honest questions and will try my best to address them fully. I understand your skepticism. With the before photos, I had not intended on doing a super long-term experiment. I wish I had taken a lot more photos. I am not an expert in photography. I am actually pretty bad at it. I have been trying my best to get photos taken in the same lighting, same white balance, etc. as much as possible. The whites of my eyes are just slightly brighter in the after photos. I also started using Lumify, which can also brighten them. The lighting on the skin looks quite similar to me, but like I said, I am not a pro. I did not mean to have my nose or face upturned in one vs the other. I just tried to take a ton of after photos so I could find some that looked similar as I didn’t take many before photos. If you look at the eyes in both photos, you can see that I used the same lighting but the lights were in different areas of my room (the orientation was flipped). I didn’t do that on purpose and didn’t notice till now. You can see that I used two lights as you can see it in the reflection in the eyes. I never took my after photos with the intent of them being so much more flattering. I took after photos and was shocked by the difference and then I went out and started posting about it and sharing it on my youtube channel and on here. It was shocking even to me. I never realized how improved things were until I looked back at the before photos. I never had a huge issue with my skin but after seeing the changes you can make by doing needling and peels (and eating healthy), I can’t help but to share it. I am not doing it just for the money. I make very little off of promoting the needling devices – maybe a hundred dollars every two months. So, to me I want to share my experience as I LOVE doing experiments with different skincare methods and with my health. :) I really, really believe in microneedling. If you are still wondering about microneedling, I would highly recommend giving it a try. I saw results after three treatments – quite a big change in my skin.
i notice your lips are more pale in the after, as if you have toned down the red in the afters, which could be why the skin looks less red.
I tried to take the most similar pictures possible – with the same tone and lighting. I did not purposely alter them to make the skin look less red in the after photos. I wish I had taken better photos then and I wish I had taken many more. I personally noticed that the discoloration I had on the outer areas of my lips lessened from the before and after photos. I am a lot better now at taking consistent before and afters. It is so important when trying to judge the results, if there are any.
Curious if you think it’s ok to use emu oil after a microneedling session? I know it’s important to allow the inflammatory response to run its course but I’m curious why you are to avoid good skin care after micro needling… But with nano needling it’s best to get the best quality products on your skin that you can right away as the pores close within 20 minutes? How long would you wait after micro needling before putting a good quality/healing serum on your skin?
I LOVE Emu oil. It’s amazing. The only thing is – the experts say that it’s not a good idea to use anything other than hyaluronic acid after doing a medical microneedling session, or one that is 0.5mm or deeper. They say that just to be extra extra safe so that you don’t have any reactions to the products. Although most experts say that, there are some places/clinics that will recommend using a product shortly after microneedling (something other than hyaluronic acid). It takes a certain period of time for the channels to close up and many of them say to wait until then – which might be around 12 hours or so. It could be sooner though as that varies. I think it’s really up to you what you do but if you want to be extremely, extremely safe, you may want to wait. For my very first treatment, I wasn’t aware of that and I applied avocado oil to my skin right away. Now I just try to wait it out before using skincare and then as soon as I start using skincare (hopefully after the channels have closed) I then use the most healing products possible, like hyaluronic acid and some type of oil.