I Tried At-Home Microneedling With The Help Of An Aesthetician

I identify as a bougie girl on a budget. I love nice clothes, high-tech beauty devices, and classic jewelry — but as an editor who is also a full-time grad student, I don’t have a lot of extra money to spare. I’m always looking for hacks to help me treat myself for less money, and TikTok tends to come through in the DIY category.

Since I frequently scour the app for self-care and beauty hacks, it was only a matter of time before I came across at-home microneedling tutorials. This procedure, which is normally done at a dermatologist’s office, involves the use of tiny needles to create micro-injuries in the skin, stimulating the production of collagen. It’s often used to improve skin texture and brightness over time. Microneedling is well-studied and approved by the American Academy of Dermatology, but it comes at a price — a single session often costs $300 or more at a dermatologist or med spa, and it’s recommended you do it consistently to see results over time.

I’ve long wanted to start a microneedling routine, but it’s been cost-prohibitive, so I was very excited to learn that it’s possible to do this yourself. That said, it’s extremely important to do your research, watch plenty of tutorials, and don’t skimp on safety precautions to avoid damaging your skin. Below, I give it a try with the help of Jayme Bykowski, aka @skinwithjayme on TikTok, an aesthetician who teaches people how to do office procedures at home.

Fast Facts:

• Price: $350-500 upfront cost for supplies.
• Who this is best for: Detail-oriented beauty lovers who don’t have active skin concerns like acne, rosacea, or eczema.
• What I like: Being able to microneedle at home has made the treatment accessible for me, and the process is pretty straightforward with practice.
• What I don’t like: The upfront cost is steep, and there’s a major learning curve that can be intimidating at first. This is not for someone who wants a simple, easy beauty hack — you need to be committed to following the steps closely and keeping safety and cleanliness top of mind.
• Rating: 4/5.

The Pros & Cons Of Microneedling At Home

If you Google “at-home microneedling” — or ask your aesthetician friends about it — you’ll find a wide variety of strong opinions about whether it’s safe to do this at home. The American Academy of Dermatology says the DIY option is “risky” because it can cause scarring or spread infection if you don’t know what you’re doing. After all, you’re creating controlled injuries all over your face.

“You can absolutely damage your skin if it’s done incorrectly,” Bykowski says, “but that reason right there is why I'm so passionate about providing this education.” At-home microneedling devices are available for anyone to buy, which is what prompted her to start teaching her 236,000 followers how to safely use them. “The DIY people are going to do what they're going to do, and I'd rather people do it correctly. I just want to help out.”

Who shouldn’t microneedle at home? “If you've got anything inflammatory going on — if you're dealing with inflamed rosacea or acne, you really need to get that settled and under control before you consider microneedling,” Bykowski says. You do not want to microneedle over any kind of active infection. Consult your dermatologist if you’re concerned about whether the treatment is the right thing for you.

The Supplies:

After spending copious amounts of time watching Bykowski’s TikTok tutorials, I started ordering all the supplies I’d need to get started. The most popular microneedling devices are by a brand called Dr. Pen, and there are plenty to choose from — the M8 and A11 are two well-liked options.

You’ll also want to order a pack of single-use needle cartridges that attach to the device. They come in a variety of needle counts representing the intensity of the treatment, and the numbering system is counterintuitive. “The 9- and 12-pin cartridges are going to be a lot more aggressive than the 36- and 42-pin cartridges,” Bykowski says. She typically uses a 36-pin cartridge, alternating with the 12-pin every three to four treatments.

Once you’ve ordered your device and cartridges, it’s time for serums. You don’t want to use any old product for this — you need something that is specifically formulated for microneedling and comes in a single-use, sterile container. Bykowski buys her serums from AceCosm.com, a major supplier of Korean skin care products. She has a video listing her favorite serums, and I went with two of her top picks: Curenex Rejuvenating Solution and Hyaron, which she recommends mixing together.

Now you’ve sourced all the specialized supplies you’ll need, but you’re not done — next is making sure you have all the basic items to make the process safe and sterile. Bykowski recommends disposable gloves, a bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol, cotton rounds, a fresh makeup brush, and 5% lidocaine if you plan on numbing your skin. You’ll also need a small bowl to mix your serums in. These supplies will last you for at least 10-15 sessions, which is over a year’s worth of treatments.

First Impressions:

I could not have been more grateful to have Bykowski’s videos to help me purchase all the right supplies and prepare correctly. Going into this process, I figured I would need to do my research, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much I’d need to buy, and I didn’t want to skimp on anything. Armed with my full product collection, I chose a morning when I knew I’d be home all day to let my skin rest, and got everything together to start microneedling.

The Process:

Bykowski recommends doing this in the evening to let your skin recover overnight, and make sure you have a fresh pillowcase to keep your skin clean for the first 12 hours after treatment. (I opted to do it in the morning so I could let my skin breathe for the full day, but I made sure I wasn’t going outside since I’d have to go without sunscreen.)

Start by washing your hands and getting things ready. Lay a clean towel down on the counter, and use a gentle cleanser to remove any makeup or debris. Pull your hair back and out of your face so it doesn’t come into contact with the treatment area.

Next, put on your gloves and apply numbing cream if you want to use it. The lower the needle count in your cartridge, the more likely you’ll want to numb — I found I didn’t need the lidocaine for the 36-pin cartridge. Throw away those gloves and wait 20 minutes for the numbing cream to set in, then double-cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser and dry with a clean towel. Bykowski recommends a fresh pair of gloves at this point to be extra careful.

Next, you’ll disinfect everything — even down to the makeup brush and the bowl. Pour the serum into the bowl, then attach the cartridge to the pen.

Take the brush and apply the serum to the area you’ll treat first. “I recommend starting with your forehead, then moving to the nose, upper lip, chin, marionette area, and finishing with the cheeks, then moving on down to the neck and chest if you're including those areas as well,” Bykowski says. Set the Dr. Pen device to the depth and speed you want. I stuck with 0.25 mm, the lowest possible depth, to be extremely conservative since I’m still a beginner. I alternated between speeds 2 and 3.

Hold the pen perpendicular to your skin, making sure not to press in and push the needles deeper than intended. Bykowski does three passes of each area — first in a vertical motion, then horizontal, then tiny circles. “Make sure you're adding adequate glide as you're going, because if anything's pulling or tugging, that's a key that you should probably add more serum,” she says. You may notice some redness and possibly some tiny pinpoint bleeding, in which case it’s time to move on to the next area.

Leave your skin alone once you’ve finished the treatment. “You can apply the rest of the serum if you want,” Bykowski says, but wait overnight or the full day before putting any other product on your face. “It takes 12 hours for the channels that you've created to completely close up, so at the very least, wait 12 hours until you do some gentle skin care,” she says. You’ll also want to avoid active ingredients for the next several days while your skin continues to heal.

The Results:

Once I ripped off the Band-Aid and actually did the treatment (rather than continuing to put it off by watching 800 tutorials to be over-prepared), I found it to be pretty straightforward. I stayed cautious, using a high-needle cartridge and low depth, and the process wasn’t painful at all. It felt like a very light poking sensation on my skin, but nothing compared to the feeling of plucking my eyebrows or waxing my upper lip. My skin was a tiny bit red afterward, but wasn’t alarming.

I kept my hair pulled back all day and just did a gentle cleanse and moisturizing in the evening, then slept on a clean pillowcase. My next-day skin was still a little dry from the alcohol, with a bit of residual redness, but mostly back to its normal tone and texture. Within two days, the redness was totally gone. I won’t get to see the full glowy effect for a few more weeks, but in the meantime, I’ve noticed my skin soaking in moisturizer more readily.

According to Bykowski, you want to wait at least one month before repeating this. “The healing process is the most important part of microneedling, and that's when the collagen is being built up,” she says. Your skin may look fresh after a day or two, but “just because you can't see the healing doesn't mean it's not happening.” Repeating the treatment risks damaging the skin before it’s fully recovered.

Is At-Home Microneedling Worth It?

Yes — with a lot of caveats. This process is not for beauty beginners or girlies who want to keep their skin care routine low-maintenance. Bykowski made it clear to me that safety is paramount, so if you’re not willing to be extremely cautious about sanitizing your materials and keeping your skin clean, it’s probably best to steer clear.

“Cleanliness is key, and technique is everything,” Bykowski says. “Take your time and don't rush through it.” Going really light on my needle depth, with the less intense cartridge, made me feel more comfortable as I’m getting used to this complex process. I’ll also never do it if my skin is irritated, so if you’re acne-prone or struggle with redness and inflammation, this isn’t the treatment for you.

Now that I have everything I need to microneedle again, I’m planning to repeat this in six weeks and get into a groove of doing it regularly. I hope that I’ll get more efficient as time goes on and be able to up my intensity over time. I’m excited to have one less reason to overspend at the med spa — but I’m also proceeding with caution since I’m not a trained pro.

About Me:

As Elite Daily’s contributing editor, I’m always trying new things for the sake of the story. I’ve experimented with plenty of beauty devices that claim to boost skin radiance and contour the face, like red light therapy and microcurrent. I’m typically pretty low-maintenance, but happy to commit to a complex routine if I like the effects (but you’ll only catch me doing it every few weeks when I have a chill bed rot day planned).