Can You Microneedle On Active Acne? Why You Absolutely Shouldn't!

 

Acne is skin condition that millions of people face everyday. It can affect a person psychologically and may cause a lack of self confidence, something that I know all too well having experienced it myself.  

One of the lasting effects of acne is that they can leave acne scars.  In which case, microneedling can be one of the most effective treatments for getting rid of acne scars!  

One thing about microneedling or dermarolling, is that you should never microneedle or dermaroll over active acne breakouts.  

Microneedling over active acne can cause more acne

If you're thinking about microneedling or dermarolling your skin with active acne, stop right now. You absolutely should not dermaroll over any acne acne on the skin. 

This is because you would only further irritate the existing acne, and bacteria will be pressed on the needles and all those needles will just spread the bacteria further into other areas of the skin.    Same thing goes for any other sort of skin rash or infection. 

Can I Microneedling With Acne?

It's always best to try to get most of your acne treated or under control first before working on acne scars. 

That's because new acne has a chance of causing new scarring. I know it is a lot easier said than done. 

However,  if your acne has been mostly managed and you only get occasional breakouts, you can start microneedling since it is easier to treat scars when they are newer,  but make sure you avoid the area where the acne is.

Just follow all the steps and be as clean as possible. Wash your skin, wash your hands, don't share your tool.  Make sure you cleanse and sanitize your microneedle device and your hands thoroughly. 

Do not microneedle over any active breakouts that haven't fully healed yet, and also avoid areas where you feel a possible bump or new acne forming.

That means you can derma roll or microneedle around the acne, but never on it  where you may puncture the acne.   

Tip: you can put your finger(s) over the pimple  to protect it while you do your microneedling session if needed. 

Is Microneedling Effective For Acne Scars?

I used to think laser treatments were the only way to go for treating acne scars, but there are other alternatives like microneedling.    Although you need to be consistent, microneedling has been shown to effectively reduce the appearance of acne scars with few side effects especially compared to laser. 

You can get it done in office which typically runs around $400 average per session where they may use deeper needles and combine other technologies with the procedure. 

You can also do it at home with home use tools like the Banisher 2.0  The micro needles on the Banisher 2.0  trick the skin to think of the micro punctures on the skin surface as injuries and these controlled injuries stimulates the skin to create more collagen fibers to heal the 'damaged' area.  These micro channels fully close within 5 hours.   

It may also be better to microneedle at home while you still have the occasional breakout since you can treat the scars right away and avoid active acne easily. 

Again, make sure not to use the Banisher over active acne as it can spread bacteria all over if you do that. 

What Helped My Acne

Once acne is mostly clear, you can maintain your skin by targeting the root cause of you acne and following a simple consistent skincare routine - double cleansing, moisturizer, 1 acne fighting product, and sunscreen during the day. 

Other common acne triggers include dairy. If you take in a lot of whey protein that can also cause acne. 

For others, using too many acne products and over exfoliating can significantly worsen acne

And sometimes it is a hormonal issue or gut health imbalance issue. 

For any remaining acne scars or hyperpigmentation you can then use microneedling to treat the acne scars.   

Our favorite tool is the Banisher 2.0 because the needles stamp down vertically into and out of the skin and you control it manually so there isn't a risk of tugging or dragging.  

Microneedle tool for at home use:

Banisher 2.0

 

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