Dermaplaning
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Dermaplaning vs Microneedling
Superficial cosmetic dermaplaning removes peach fuzz and outer dead cells. Standard microneedling aims at gradual remodeling for selected scars or wrinkles. These procedures address different goals; RF microneedling is outside this comparison.
At a glance
| The difference | Dermaplaning | Microneedling |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low end of clinic pricing | Sold as a course, not one visit |
Microneedling
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
Dermaplaning
A blade drawn across the skin
A sterile blade is drawn across the skin at an angle. It scrapes away dead surface cells and the fine vellus hair. It is a manual technique, not a device.
Microneedling
A pen of fine needles, 3 to 6 visits
A motorised pen makes thousands of tiny vertical channels. No heat or energy is involved. The effect comes from the injury plus the body's repair response.
How it works, illustrated
Dermaplaning
Microneedling
Conditions treated
Dermaplaning
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
A blade scrapes off surface dead skin and fine hair, so makeup sits better and skin looks smoother for a week or two. There is no evidence it affects wrinkles, and it does not make hair grow back thicker. It is a finish, not a treatment.
Microneedling
Ice Pick Scars
Narrow and deep, like a puncture. A needle passing over the surface cannot reach the bottom of the tract. These need TCA CROSS, punch excision, or a laser.
1 / 10→
Stretch Marks
Fine needles make controlled micro-injuries that prompt new collagen in the scarred layer. Improvement is modest and needs a course of sessions, but it carries a lower risk of leaving dark marks than lasers do, which makes it the more sensible first device on deeper skin tones. It works on both red and white marks.
←2 / 10→
Acne Scarring
Fine needles injure the skin just enough to trigger new collagen. It does most for rolling and shallow boxcar scars, and very little for icepick ones. It is the gentlest of the resurfacing options, which also makes it the slowest — expect four to six sessions and judge it at a year, not at a month.
←3 / 10→
Male Pattern Hair Loss
Fine needles rolled or stamped into the scalp, used alongside minoxidil rather than instead of it. The small trials that exist favor the combination over minoxidil alone. Sessions are spaced weeks apart, and doing it too often or too deeply irritates the scalp without adding anything.
←4 / 10→
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Fine needles make controlled injuries that prompt the skin to lay down collagen. Improvement in fine lines and texture is modest and builds over three to six sessions. Its advantage here is a lower risk of pigment problems on deeper skin tones than lasers or deep peels carry, which makes it a common first choice.
←5 / 10→
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Fine needles make controlled channels that help topical treatments penetrate and encourage the skin to remodel. It is mainly a scarring treatment, and its effect on pigment alone is small. It is a reasonable choice when true scars and dark marks sit together, but it can inflame reactive skin, so conservative depths are used on deeper skin tones.
←6 / 10→
Melasma
Fine needles make temporary channels that help tranexamic acid or other treatments reach deeper, and that combination is where the evidence sits — not needling on its own. It has to be done gently. Aggressive needling inflames the skin, and inflamed skin with active pigment cells makes more pigment, not less.
←7 / 10→
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Thickens the skin slightly over a course of sessions, which can make the vessels underneath a little less visible. The evidence around the eye is thin and the change is subtle. It will not fill a hollow, and on deeper skin tones it carries its own risk of leaving marks, so it is not a first choice here.
←8 / 10→
Rolling Scars
←9 / 10→
Boxcar Scars
←10 / 10
How deep it goes
Dermaplaning
The outermost dead layer only
It does not reach the dermis. So it does not set off the wound-healing response that builds new collagen.
Microneedling
Up to about 2.5 mm, adjustable
The needles adjust from 0 to 2.5 mm. Your provider sets the depth.
What you can expect to see
Dermaplaning
Smoother skin the same day
Skin feels smoother, the peach fuzz is gone and makeup sits flatter. The change is on the surface, and it is there when you get up from the chair.
Microneedling
Shallower scars, better texture
Dented acne scars, rough texture, fine lines and large-looking pores all improve. The change builds under the surface over months.
What it will not do
Dermaplaning
Not for scars or lines
It cannot remodel a scar or soften a line that lives in the dermis. It never reaches the tissue where those things happen.
Microneedling
Not for sagging
It does not tighten loose skin, and it does not reach fat, so it does not contour. It will not make your skin smoother on the day either.
Related topic illustrations
Dermaplaning
Laser hair removal
Strong evidence. The only option that reduces hair long term, and the sensible choice for coarse dark facial hair. It does very little for fine light fuzz, needs a course, and needs a device suited to your skin tone.
1 / 2→
Microdermabrasion
Limited evidence. Sands the dead layer rather than shaving it, with a similar short-lived polish and no hair removal.
←2 / 2
Microneedling
Fractional CO2 laser
Strong evidence, and the most effective single option for indented acne scars. In exchange it brings a week of real downtime, higher cost, and a genuine risk of lasting pigment change, especially on deeper skin tones.
1 / 4→
RF microneedling
Moderate evidence. Adds heat at depth, which does more for laxity and can do more for scars, at the cost of more discomfort, more downtime, and a higher price. Still safer on deeper skin tones than ablative lasers.
←2 / 4→
Subcision
Strong evidence for one specific job. It cuts the fibrous bands tethering rolling scars downward, which needling cannot reach. Often done alongside microneedling rather than instead of it.
←3 / 4→
Chemical peel
Strong evidence for pores and brown marks, none for indented scars. Superficial peels work on the surface and cannot lift a scar floor.
←4 / 4
How long before you see anything
Dermaplaning
Straight away
The result is immediate and reliable.
Microneedling
Months, and only after a course
The first few days are the opposite of smooth. The collagen change comes later.
How long it lasts
Dermaplaning
Until the skin renews
It is a top-up, not a course with an endpoint. You repeat it as maintenance, like a haircut.
Microneedling
A course of 3 to 6 sessions
Commonly 3 to 6 sessions, about 4 weeks apart. That spacing is clinical convention.
The downside
Dermaplaning
Brief redness or sensitivity
There is no real recovery beyond a short spell of redness or sensitivity.
Microneedling
Red like a sunburn for 1 to 3 days
Roughly 24 to 72 hours of redness, plus mild swelling and pinpoint bleeding on the day.
Cost
Dermaplaning
Low end of clinic pricing
It is quick, it needs no consumable beyond a blade, and it needs no recovery.
Microneedling
Sold as a course, not one visit
A longer appointment, and each session uses a single-use sterile needle cartridge. Budget for the whole course.
The at-home or drugstore version
Dermaplaning
Face razors and dermaplaning tools
Home tools work the same way the clinic one does. A blade takes off dead surface cells and fine hair. Neither reaches the dermis. This is a slower, less even version of the same treatment.
Microneedling
Rollers and home pens
A roller drags sideways instead of going straight in and out, so it tears more than it punctures. Home needles are shorter, and they blunt quickly. A blunt needle does more damage than a sharp one. This is a different thing wearing the same name.
Who tends to be happy with it
Dermaplaning
- Best for — Someone who wants smoother skin and a better makeup finish today, with no recovery and a small spend.
- The mindset — Maintenance, like a haircut.
Microneedling
- Best for — Someone with acne scarring or rough texture. You need to be willing to be red for a day or two, several times over, for a change that builds slowly.
- The mindset — A course of treatment with a slow payoff.
Which is better for acne scars
Dermaplaning
Dermaplaning is not aimed at scars. It works only at the surface, so it cannot remodel a scar. That is not a criticism. It is simply not a collagen treatment.
There is very little published research on dermaplaning. What this page says about it describes the technique, not trial results.
Microneedling
Microneedling is the one aimed at scars. It improves dented acne scars and texture. A review of 24 trials in 1,546 people found microneedling works better when it is paired with another treatment, such as a chemical peel, than it does alone.
The fine print
Dermaplaning
Dermaplaning has no FDA cosmetic indication to cite. It is a technique performed with a blade, not a cleared aesthetic device, so the usual regulatory comparison does not apply.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a regulated device category. It sits under 21 CFR 878.4430, product code QAI, a category created by SkinPen's De Novo authorisation, DEN160029, in March 2018. SkinPen's indication (K202243, April 2021) names two uses: facial acne scars and neck wrinkles. Dermapen 4's clearance covers facial acne scars and has no neck indication.
Putting it together
What this means for you
Choose dermaplaning for temporary peach-fuzz removal and surface smoothness if your skin is suitable. Consider clinical assessment for microneedling when the concern is selected acne scars or wrinkles. Dermaplaning should not be presented as an equivalent scar-remodeling treatment.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is dermaplaning just shaving my face?
Mechanically it is close - a blade removes dead surface cells and fine vellus hair. The differences are the tool, the angle and the setting, not the depth. Neither reaches the dermis.
Does dermaplaning build collagen?
No. It removes material from the surface and does not create the controlled injury in the dermis that drives new collagen. If collagen is the goal, it is the wrong treatment to compare against microneedling.
Does the hair grow back thicker after dermaplaning?
Cutting a hair does not change the follicle it grew from, so the same hair returns - though a blunt-cut end can feel coarser at first. That is how it works in principle — we could not find a study that measured it.
Which one helps acne scars?
Microneedling. Facial acne scars are named in SkinPen's FDA authorisation, and the treatment has been studied for scarring in randomised trials. Dermaplaning works only at the surface and cannot remodel a scar.
Can I have both?
They are different in kind rather than in competition, and clinics often use dermaplaning as a maintenance step between other treatments. Timing matters, though - dermaplaning over freshly microneedled skin is not the same as dermaplaning over settled skin, so ask the person treating you.
Which has more downtime?
Microneedling, by a wide margin. Expect redness like a moderate sunburn for roughly one to three days. Dermaplaning has essentially no recovery beyond brief redness or sensitivity.
If dermaplaning does so little, why do people like it?
Because the thing it does, it does immediately and reliably: skin feels smoother, peach fuzz is gone, and makeup sits flatter. Being modest is not the same as being useless - it is just not a collagen treatment.