What to Know Before and After Your First Microneedling Treatment

One step above a facial and a few steps below a heavy-duty laser treatment, microneedling has been all the rage for skin rejuvenation the last few years. With the advent of radio-frequency technology and add-ons like platelet-rich plasma (PRP), this glow-boosting procedure helps people of all ages and skin types to get an effective result with little downtime.

You May Also Like: 15 Things That Happen to Your Skin After In-Office Microneedling

Before you embark on your first collagen-inducting microneedling session—the treatment creates microscopic wounds to generate new collagen for smoother, firmer, more toned skin—here are some things our experts want you to know.  

Before: Avoid Harsh Skin-Care Actives

“At least one week before treatment, avoid anything active on your skin,” advises Las Vegas plastic surgeon Mary C. Herte, MD. “Specifically Retinol/Retin A and alphayhydroxy and betahydroxy acids.”

“The skin should be calm and exfoliated, but not peeling prior to the treatment for the best outcome,” adds Scottsdale, AZ facial plastic surgeon Kelly V. Bomer, MD. “Microneedling must not be performed on inflamed acne as this could induce an infection in the skin called cellulitis. It is okay to do most skin care up to the day of the treatment without stopping as long as the remains calm, not sunburned and not peeling before the treatment.”

Before and After: Pause Anti-Inflammatory Meds

This tip is useful for the week before and the week following your microneedling treatment session. “Two weeks prior, we tell patients to stop using NSAIDs to decrease the chance of bruising,” adds Palo Alto, CA facial plastic surgeon David Lieberman, MD. Inflammation is an important part of the skin-healing process and NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Motrin or Advil can slow the rate at which your skin heals.

Before and After: No Sun or Tanning

This one is a no-brainer but tanning and sun exposure should be avoided at all costs to protect your investment. “It is critical that patients avoid prolonged sun exposure or use of tanning beds for at least two weeks after the treatment,” stresses Palo Alto, CA facial plastic surgeon Sachin Parikh, MD.

Dr. Bomer agrees and says this might be the most important tip of all: “The skin must fully heal after the treatment before the skin is exposed directly to the sun,” she advises. “The time for healing varies significantly depending on the depth of the treatment and the skin’s condition prior to the treatment.”

After: Skip Hot Baths

“During the first 48-hours after treatment, we tell our patients to avoid hot baths,” says Dr. Parikh. “The skin should be kept moist and clean to avoid contamination and infection, but only shower with lukewarm water as to not aggravate the skin.”

After: Nix the Exfoliators

The biggest tip we got for after the treatment is to let your skin heal itself and avoid causing additional irritation. “It’s best to be gentle with the skin,” adds Dr. Herte. “Use only a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. Treat your skin as if it has a sunburn and absolutely refrain from any type of exfoliators and scrubs.”

It's Personal

At NewBeauty, we get the most trusted information from the beauty authority delivered right to your inbox

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "8806970", formId: "a8aef9b2-6178-4dad-9e2a-98b7661febc2" }); Find a Doctor

Find a NewBeauty "Top Beauty Doctor" Near you

Select a state State AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC FL GA HI IA IL IN KY LA MA MD MI MN MO NC NE NJ NV NY OH OR PA SC TN TX VA WA WI Select a state Specialty Cosmetic Dentist Dermatologist Facial Plastic Surgeon Hair Restoration Specialist Oculoplastic Surgeon Periodontist Plastic Surgeon Prosthodontist Vein Specialist Select a state Treatment Abdominal thread lifts Accent your Body Acne Treatments Alexandrite Laser Arm Lift Asclera Bellafill Belotero Blue Light Body Body Lift Botox Botox Browlift Brachioplasty Brazilian Butt Lift Breast Augmentation Breast Augmentation with Fat Grafting Breast Implants Breast Implants with Saline Breast Implants with Silicone Breast Lift Breast Lift with Implants Breast Reconstruction Breast Reduction Browlift Butt Enhancement Carboxytherapy Cellulite Treatment Cheek Augmentation Cheek Augmentation with Fat Grafting Cheek Implants Cheek Lift Chemical Peels Chin Augmentation CO2 lasers Cool Lipo CoolSculpting CoolTone Crowns Dental Bonding Dental Implants Dimpleplasty Diode Laser Dysport embrace Active Scar Defense Emsculpt Endermologie Endoscopic Browlift Endoscopic Facelift Endoscopic Tummy Tuck Erbium Lasers Exilis Ultra 360 Eyelift Eyelift with Fat Grafting Face Facelift Facelift with Fat Grafting FaceTite Fat Melters and Fat Reducers Forma Fractional CO2 lasers Fractional Resurfacing Lasers Fractora Glycolic Peels Glytone Enhanced Brightening Cream Gum Dermabrasion Gum Lift Hair Hair Removal Hair Transplant Hair-Loss Treatment Injectables & Fillers for Cheek Augmentation Injectables & Fillers for Eyelift Injectables & Fillers for Lip Enhancement Injectables And Fillers Injectables and Fillers with Fat Grafting Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Invisalign Isolaz Juvéderm Juvéderm Volbella Juvéderm Voluma Kybella Lactic Acid Peels Laser Liposuction Lasers Lateral Tension Tummy Tuck Limited Incision Facelift Lip Enhancement Lip Enhancement with Fat Grafting Lip Implant Lip Lift Liposculpture Liposuction Liquid Facelift Long Pulsed N: Yag laser Lower Blepharoplasty Lower Body Lift Lower eyelid surgery Lower Facelift MACS Lift Mandelic Peels Microdermabrasion Microinjection Microneedling Microwave Laser Treatment Mini Tummy Tuck Mini-Facelift Mommy Makeover Nd: Yag Neck Liposuction Necklift Nonsurgical Facelift Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty Obagi Blue Peel Otoplasty Perlane Phenol Peels Photobiomodulation Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Photofacial PiQo4 Plasma Resurfacing Lasers Power Assisted Liposuction Prevelle Pulsed Dye Radiesse Radio Frequency with Microneedling Radio Frequency-Assisted Lipolysis Red Light Restylane Restylane Defyne Restylane Lyft Restylane Refyne Restylane Silk Revision Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty Salicylic Peels SculpSure Sculptra Aesthetic Selphyl Silhouette Instalift Skin Skin Tighteners Skin Treatments Slim Lipo Smart Lipo SMAS facelift Smile Smile Makeover Smoothshapes Straightening Stretch Mark Treatments TCA Chemical Peels Teeth Whitening Thermage ThermiTight Thigh Lift Titan Tooth Contouring Traditional Facelift Tumescent Liposuction Tummy Tuck Ulthera Ultherapy Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction Umbilicoplasty Upper Blepharoplasty Upper eyelid surgery Vanquish ME VASER Lipo Vein Treatments Velashape Velasmooth Veneers Xeomin Search