Microneedling to get rid of acne scars is all the rage. An expert reveals how safe it actually is

You've probably seen the acne-scar skin treatment called microneedling either on social media or your neighbourhood skin clinic, but what exactly is the procedure like? What are its benefits, drawbacks or long-term side-effects?

We spoke to experts about everything you wanted to know about microneedling.

What is microneedling?

• Microneedling is a cosmetic procedure that helps treat your acne scars.
• Your skin is pricked with tiny sterilised needles. (does that sound painful?)
• A topical anesthetic cream is generally applied by dermatologists beforehand to help numb the area being treated. 
• By doing so, it induces your body to produce more collagen and elastin, which aids in healing your skin and reduce the appearance of acne marks, stretch marks or wrinkles. 
• Microneedling is also known as collagen induction therapy.
• This procedure should be done on depressed acne scars and not on active acne or breakouts.

What are the benefits?

• Microneedling increases collagen production that reduces the appearance of scars, fine lines, large pores, stretch marks; making the skin look healed, younger and radiant.
• It helps improve the appearance and texture of your skin.
• It doesn't carry the risk of skin discolouration.
• It tightens the skin, making it firmer.
• The effectiveness of a microneedling procedure varies from skin to skin, and some patients can see intense results after a few sessions.
• Tip: to achieve the best results, microneedling should be carried out by a dermatologist or a professional.

What are the side-effects?

• Initial temporary side-effects of the treatment: minor redness, bruising, inflammation, skin flaking that heal and clear-up within a few days.
• It is advised to avoid direct sun exposure or heavy exercises; the sun exposure can make the inflammation worse.

Now, the potential risks

• Results take time to show, and acne scar healing takes time.
• Bruising and bleeding: deep microneedling procedure can cause the skin or bleed or bruise.
• Risk of infections: if the microneedling equipment is unclean, then there are chances of germs entering your skin (through the tiny holes in the skin that are created during the procedure), thereby leading to a skin infection.

DailyO spoke to Dr Shubhangini Sharma, a dermatologist and aesthetic practitioner, about microneedling. Here's what she had to say:

• "Microneedling now has progressed in multiple variations; where the basic microneedling was dermaroller, then we moved forward to a dermanpen, and now we have moved forward to a microneedling radio frequency device (MNRF)."
• "I personally love an MNRF because it basically hits your collagen, triggers regeneration - not only by causing controlled damage to your collagen, but also heating the collagen that also causes more controlled damage to your collagen for regeneration. So, you see better and faster results."
• "One thing that people need to realise is because this is collagen regeneration - collagen regeneration takes time to happen; it's not like a one-session job, it's basically 4-6 sessions where your skin will improve."

The problems:

• When asked about the drawbacks of microneedling, Dr Sharma said, "I am not appreciating how home dermarollers are now being promoted properly on various websites and by various companies, for treatment for their scars and sometimes for hair growth. Patients have come and inquired and I have seen horrible results also; patients have done it a little too rigorously, and that has caused more scarring instead of improvement."
• After a microneedling procedure -- "You don't really have to worry about the scars or if there would be black dots; the only thing a patient walks out with is probably redness or maybe a bit of swelling, which wears out after a few hours itself."

Long-term effects:

• Dr Sharma says that 'in a good way' while microneedling helps your skin look rejuvenated, it is 'obviously not the solution'.
• "There are risks of scarring when done in a wrong way or a post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (if a patient has not taken enough care post-procedure)."

At-home acne scar treatment: Dermaroller and Dermapen

Although at-home acne scar treatments like dermapen or dermarollers (basically microneedling procedures that you can do by yourself at home) have been making the rounds on social media, dermatologists say a big no. 

To avoid the chances of getting it wrong or incurring any skin damage in the process, it is best that microneedling is conducted by a professional, say experts.