Microneedling has been on the skincare radar for a few years, but suddenly, everyone is talking about it.  But does it really work?  And how much does it hurt?

Dermarollers look a bit like a medieval torture device.  It’s a metal cylinder covered with tiny needles that you roll over your face to create tiny punctures in the skin.  These tiny punctures stimulate your skin to produce collagen in order to heal itself, thereby treating existing wrinkles, scarring, stretch marks, etc..  Some aestheticians refer to it as a deeper form of exfoliation, because it removes dead cells and stimulates new ones.

As someone who suffers from serious acne scarring on her chin and left cheek, microneedling is a great option for me.  Three times per week, I roll my face before applying my serum at night.  I also add a session if my cheek is looking especially ruddy that day.

Rolling my face takes 5 minutes, tops.  I roll each section 10x vertically, and then 10x horizontally. (Byrdie has more on proper technique.)  It isn’t comfortable, it feels a bit like rubbing sandpaper on your skin, but it doesn’t hurt.  On rare occasions, my skin is a bit more sensitive the next day, but I just use a soothing mask and it’s back to normal.

First off, dermarolling really helps my serums and expensive face treatments penetrate the skin more deeply.  The GloPro brand (more on that below) claims it improves absorption of beauty products by 200x.  I notice much better results on the nights I pair up my serum and the roller.  And if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on serums and creams, wouldn’t you want them to work their best?

Secondly, while long-term results will be many more months in the making, the short-term results are pretty amazing.  Last week, I flew into D.C. and my skin just looked a mess.  Dry, tired, sallow, ruddy.  I was walking around the first day in twice as much makeup as usual, and every time I looked in the mirror, all I saw was the cheek scarring.

That night, I rolled my skin, put on a moisturizing “sleeping mask”, and drank a bottle of water before bed.  Seven hours later, I woke up to skin that looked 4x better.  I think the mild inflammation the roller causes plumps up skin, and makes my scarring less noticeable.  I felt like a new woman.

I plan to keep microneedling on my schedule for the next few months to see if the long-term results so many reviewers on YouTube have had materialize.  Given that rolling is much cheaper than Fraxel or professional microneedling, I hope I can get satisfying results without making that investment.

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I should tell you that this is not my first run at microneedling.  A few years ago, I bought a $20 dermaroller online (after seeing a YouTube video) and started rolling.  I didn’t see the results I’m seeing this time.  This is partially because I wasn’t as diligent, but I think the type of roller I’m using now is a big part of the improvement.

I bought the Beauty Bioscience GloPro Microneedling Tool ($199) at the Anniversary Sale in August and I am obsessed with it.

Unlike other, fully manual rollers, the GloPro vibrates.  These vibrations are supposed to improve the efficacy of the roller by stimulating the skin.  Additionally, the roller is equipped with a red collagen stimulating light; the brand claims “[c]ells exposed to LED light grow an overwhelmingly 150 to 200 percent faster than unstimulated cells.”

Unlike the last roller, I noticed an improvement in my skin after the first use.  After two weeks, I felt like my skin looked better.  I honestly wish I had snapped a before picture (and I may still since I’m only a month in), but I think the change in six months is going to be extreme enough that I can literally see it.  Even the wrinkles on my forehead are starting to improve, and since I’m not ready for Botox, I’ll take whatever this roller can give me.

But, truth be told, ladies, even if it’s all in my head, I feel so good about my skin after using it, that the emotional boost is worth it.  I’ve spent so much more to get less.  And buying this roller cost the same as one trip to the spa for a micro-needling procedure that required a full day of downtime and needed to be repeated 12 times.

I love this product.  I have no regrets.  I’m happy with the results so far.  I hope they only get better.  And I can’t wait to see where my skin is at in the spring.  I’ll report back then.  If you’re interested, give the brand’s website a look to learn more.

This post was not sponsored or gifted or partnered with anyone.  Bought this myself, used it for weeks, loved it dearly.  Shared it with you.  #notsponsored