Skin Looks Worse After Microneedling | 3 Case Studies to Learn From

Money can buy everything, and beauty is no exception. People all over the globe are pampering their skin with multiple treatments, be it Botox, fillers, lip plumping injections, or wrinkle removers, and the list just never stops. Microneedling, too, has joined the race. 

As the name suggests, it’s where they puncture tiny but multiple holes into your skin with sterilized needles to recharge your skin by stimulating better collagen and elastin, which will make all the difference and breathe life into your beauty aesthetic. But all that glitters may not always be gold! Yet, we cannot resist the notion that it might not all be rainbows and unicorns. And we still do it. 

But are you ready to do everything to make your skin right after you have done everything to make your skin right because the former ruined it? That’s true. Microneedling can turn into your worst nightmare, and stories of people’s Skin Looks Worse After Microneedling are real. These people and many others swimming across the internet are now cursing this method. Let’s pick up the dos and don’ts!

Skin Looks Worse After Microneedling | Real Cases

Case 1

A user from Reddit shared her experience of Skin Looks Worse After Microneedling, where she revealed that she was 25 and had flawless skin her whole life without any issues. Two years before that, she started facing severe cases of hormonal acne, which later left her with hyperpigmentation and deep acne scars. Then she got laser resurfacing done in 2022, which helped a bit, and the year after, she got her first micro-needling procedure. 

She later revealed that it was the worst decision to make because it ruined her skin completely. Her face had never looked so bad, and now she had countless breakouts and blackheads purging all over her facial dimension. She also experienced such issues even in places she did not have hormonal acne before. 

She was devastated because she thought she had only spent over 500 dollars to make everything go to waste when her skin was improving. She cries every day looking at herself in the mirror and can’t even recognize herself. She feels sad because she has no idea what to do next. 

Case 2 

Mila expressed in her Youtube video that she had a bad micro-needling experience. She had previously gotten two treatments on a girl and was happy with her results. Things went south the third time when she went to that same place. Earlier, she used just to get half of her face done, where she only targeted acne scars. This time there was a new girl. When she asked about her usual beautician, they said she no longer works there. This woman did her full face without asking, but Mila didn’t complain because she thought she might as well get the full benefits if she paid for it.

But as soon as she got her treatment done, Her mouth felt numb. She further advised that If you are on your period, please don’t do it because your body is super sensitive, significantly reducing the pain. She said that it hurt her like crazy. Earlier, the aesthetician always asked her if she wanted to take a minute gap or rest during her procedure, to which Mila would reply, “No, please carry on” because she did not feel uncomfortable. 

But this time, she felt so irritated that she asked how deep she was going that it pinched a lot. Her beautician replied she was going only like she was supposed to be, which implies that it might have happened because Mila was on her menstrual cycle. However, on the first day, her eyes were watering like crazy. She was very annoyed as she complained that the aesthetician completely forgot about her. You are usually supposed to sit for 25-30 minutes with the numbing cream on your face, but she sat for 45–50 minutes this time.

It was so ugly that some of the creams made her lips numb. She kept spitting the whole day. Some cream was on her tongue, too, which made it even worse. Later she did not even document herself on video because she felt worse about her skin, and the last session was the most terrible she had ever encountered. She also mentioned that after that session, she got a  lot of holes in her skin from the micro-needling. There were awful welts and hundreds of dots all over her face; some were even scabbed. 

Case 3

A user revealed her true story when she got her first-ever micro-needling session done; the aesthetician aggressively used the deepest needle on her face. This caused her a lot of pain and redness on her whole face, which continued to stay for a week. Slowly after that, when she thought she was recovering from the redness, signs of hyperpigmentation started appearing in places where nothing existed. She also suffered from having large pores suddenly; there were dark spots, her skin texture became very rough, and black dots formed all over her cheeks and forehead. She tried to contact the place she had gotten her treatment, but they kept refusing to see her. 

Later they suggested she use hydroquinone, but that did nothing good for her skin. Slowly in the next 10 months, her skin became worse. She has sensitive skin and does not know what to do next. She said that she was never going for this procedure ever again! 

Proven Side Effects?

FDA Govt. says that users may face potential side effects of micro-needling, which do skin damage. These most common risks may happen in the form of 

• Bleeding of the skin
• Bruising at the points of needles injected 
• Redness(intensity of the redness may vary)
• Feeling of tightness 
• Itchiness in the whole area 
• Peeling or drying of the skin 
• Crusting or burning sensation 

These side effects may last for a short time or even an extended period. Similarly, as everyone’s skin is different, the impact’s intensity may vary from one person to another. For example, some users might see a lot of bloody redness on their faces, while some see minimal redness. However, all these side effects will eventually disappear in a few hours or days. Sometimes it may take weeks, but it will not require any treatment. 

Other common risks involved include sharp stinging on the points of application, itching upon coming in contact with skin care products like moisturizers and sunscreen or even makeup, very rough or bumpy texture, enlarged pores, accelerated aging, dark or light spot formation on the skin, lining all over the face, a flareup of cold sores, signs of pigmentation, herpes, swollen lymph nodes, and infection.

According to courses of WebMD, the recovery time or side effects of your skin depends upon how deep the needle has been injected. Sometimes it might lead to scarring, where it looks like large craters or bubbles on the skin. People with sensitive skin are easily prone to allergic reactions regarding skincare. So, inflammation is a common mishap that happens when this is ignored. It is best to tell your technician about this beforehand so that they can avoid certain ingredients and follow the necessary steps. 

Image Source: Refinery29

Inadequate hygiene standards allow the bacteria to travel to your dermal layers more quickly, worsening your side effects and increasing their degree. Tso please ensure proper sterilization is followed. Many other microneedling mistakes can also affect or agitate your side effects. This may be 

• wrong size Dermapen needle size, 
• doing these sessions too often, 
• using too much numbing cream or misusing it, 
• using a derma roller instead of a pen, 
• doing the treatment over your pimples,
• doing it at a powerful setting that your skin can’t withstand, 
• Applying a new product with fragrance after micro needling 
• taking care of your skin wrongly after this treatment, like using AHA, BHAs, OR retinol, 

All these points are a surefire way to take your problem to the next level. So make sure you know these things and do not take them lightly. 

People Who Shouldn’t Do Microneedling

• Users who have commonly dealt with acne scars
• Those who have episodes of skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema
• People who’ve had keloids in the past 
• Users who have open wounds on their faces, or even active acne
• Those who have undergone radiation therapy recently
• People who are pregnant need to seek medical advice before undergoing this treatment 
• Users who prefer to do their treatments at home because improper usage of this device is very unsafe 
• Nursing or breastfeeding women should consult with their gynecologist before doing it

Worth The Risk?

If you have sensitive skin, microneedling might not be your best shot at elevating your appearance. Every side effect might look completely different and intensify on your face. You might even feel all the pain, redness, stinging, etc, at a much higher level, which takes more time to recover than others around you. As reviews suggest, things might get out of hand, so it’s imperative to ensure your skin does not react to any of the ingredients in the procedure. So, if you are skeptical or unsure about any of these outcomes, step back and reflect upon your decision. 

Looking from an economic point of view is also essential as it is only your money that is going to be spent. A microneedling treatment is an extravagant cost in itself. So you are already pushing the limits of your wallet when you are doing it. Only a fool would ignore all the red flags even after becoming aware. So make sure you don’t spend more money after finishing your fortune on micro-needling, because then it will be like paying your money to people to create troubles for your skin. 

Final Verdict 

In the end, we all do what we truly want. So before doing that, weigh your scales and see if the pros and cons are worth it at the risk to your skin. But there is also a significant reason why the whole business of Microneedling seems to be teeming. Most people’s POV will agree that if you are fully committed to it and qualify as someone who can get this beauty treatment done, go for it.

But if you are entertaining second thoughts of aunty kind, it’s a sign. Remember that what works out for you might not work out for other people, and at the same time, what has worked out for them, might not look the same way on your skin. So be prepared for what you are walking into. However, these Skin Looks Worse After Microneedling stories are real and happening to people around you. No one wants to be remembered as a tragic case of cosmetic malfunction!