Microneedling and Dermapen: results, sessions and risks

How many sessions you need

Almost every study uses a course rather than a single treatment. In the facial ageing review, 90% of trials used multiple sessions, with schedules that varied in number and timing ^[5].

In practice, sessions are spaced several weeks apart so the skin can repair in between. A course for texture or fine lines is usually shorter than one for acne scars. Collagen keeps remodelling for weeks after each session, so the result is judged a few months after the last one. Many people then keep it up with an occasional maintenance session.

What to expect, realistically

• Redness for one to a few days, like mild sunburn, depending on the depth.
• Some dryness or flaking as the skin renews, then a fresher, smoother surface.
• Gradual change. Scars and fine lines soften over months, not overnight.
• Improvement, not erasure. Deep acne scars rarely disappear and often need combined techniques.

Combining it with serums, PRP or exosomes

Those open channels can carry substances deeper into the skin. That is useful, and it is also where care is needed.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP). A meta-analysis of 14 controlled studies with 472 patients found that adding PRP to microneedling roughly tripled the odds of more than 50% improvement in acne scars. Serious redness or swelling was no more common ^[4].

Exosomes. A 2026 systematic review found only 8 eligible studies, with between 3 and 60 participants each. The authors concluded that more evidence is needed before safety and effectiveness can be established ^[8]. If you are curious, our page on exosomes explains how we approach them.

Serums. Anything applied to open skin should be sterile and suitable for that use. A safety review warns against products not approved for use within the skin ^[6]. An ordinary cosmetic serum is not designed for this.

Risks, and who it is not for

Most side effects are expected and short-lived. A safety review of 85 articles found that the most common were redness, swelling and discomfort, lasting up to seven days, along with dryness and flaking ^[6]. In the facial ageing review, transient redness was reported in 6.8% of patients and scaling in 1.7% ^[5].

Less often, problems persist. These include post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, lines of tiny scars in a track pattern and granulomatous reactions ^[6]. Pigment marks are the most relevant risk here. Sun on freshly treated skin raises it, which is why timing matters on the Costa del Sol.

Granulomatous reactions are rare: firm inflammatory bumps that can be hard to treat. A 2025 review found 15 published cases. In most, a motorised pen had been used and a topical vitamin C product had been applied during the procedure ^[7].

Microneedling is not recommended:

• with active inflammatory acne, an infection or a cold sore in the area;
• during pregnancy;
• if you form keloids or raised scars easily;
• with uncontrolled skin conditions such as severe eczema or flaring rosacea;
• with a known metal allergy, unless your doctor confirms the needles are suitable.

Active infection, darker skin and metal allergy are the factors most linked to complications ^[6].

Home rollers versus medical microneedling

Home rollers are widely sold, but they are not the same treatment. They use short needles that do not reach the depth used in clinic, and they are usually reused. A roller that is not sterile each time can carry bacteria into the skin, and blunt needles can tear rather than puncture.

Medical microneedling uses a single-use sterile needle cartridge, a clean setting and a depth chosen for each area. Just as important, a doctor decides whether it is right for your skin in the first place. For more on what to check before booking any treatment, read how to choose an aesthetic clinic in Spain.

How we approach it at Rejuvelook

We offer microneedling with a medical pen device as part of our facial treatments at our clinic in Fuengirola, always after a consultation. We look at your skin first and decide whether microneedling suits it, at what depth and how often, or whether another technique would serve you better.

We plan sessions around your calendar and the sun, and we review your skin as the course goes on. We see patients in English or Spanish.