Microdermabrasion vs Microneedling

Microdermabrasion: A handheld device sands the dead top layer off the skin with fine crystals or a diamond tip while a vacuum lifts the debris away. It leaves skin smoother and brighter for a few days. Newer treatments now do more for acne, pigment and scarring.

Microneedling: A pen or roller of fine needles makes thousands of tiny controlled punctures in the skin, which sets off healing and new collagen. It is used mainly for indented acne scars and rough texture. It makes them shallower over a course of sessions, not gone.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, Board-Certified Dermatologist
Last updated: 10/22/2026

Editorial illustration for Microdermabrasion, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.

Editorial illustration for Microneedling, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.

Choose if Key differences What is it?What it treats Treatment areas Skin tones How it works Before your treatment Day of treatment After your treatment Risks Cost Questions Related

Choose Microdermabrasion if…

Choose for a quick, comfortable brightening with no downtime — newer treatments do more for acne, pigment and scars.

Dull skin before an event
You want no downtime
No active acne or rosacea

Choose Microneedling if…

Choose for indented acne scars and rough texture with little downtime and low pigment risk — shallower, not gone.

Rolling or boxcar acne scars
Deeper skin tone, where lasers are riskier
You can plan 3–6 sessions

Alternatives, not combined

Can you have both?

Microdermabrasion works on the surface; microneedling goes deeper for scars and collagen. Most people choose one, spaced at least a week apart if alternating.

Key differences

● Microdermabrasion

● Microneedling

DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks

None

1–2 days

PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation

Minimal

Mild

Results showImmediately → 3+ months

Immediately

1–3 months

How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent

Weeks

Years or permanent

Visits neededOne → Every few months

A longer series (4–6+)

Cost per visit$ → $$$$$

ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent

No, wears off

No, permanent

What is it?

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

What is it?

It is mechanical exfoliation.

An abrasive tip or crystals with suction remove surface skin.

Results are modest.

Changes are cosmetic and temporary.

It is superficial.

It differs from surgical dermabrasion.

Some skin is unsuitable.

Active disease, infection and fragile skin need assessment.

It creates controlled punctures.

Fine needles puncture the skin in a controlled way.

It treats scars and texture.

Results depend on device, depth and technique.

It differs from RF microneedling.

No radiofrequency energy is involved.

Added substances change the risk.

Devices are not cleared for use with every serum or blood product.

What it treats

Evidence level

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

Strong evidenceMost established uses

—

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

Rolling Scars

Good results with a series.

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research

Dull Skin

Brightens with a series.

Two areas of fair skin side by side on a hip. New pink-red bands sit above, and older flat silvery-white bands below, with only a small difference in color between the pale marks and the skin around them.

Stretch Marks

Softens older marks.

A relaxed forehead with faint shallow horizontal fine lines.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Improves texture.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies

Uneven Skin Tone

Mild improvement.

—

Little evidence

Acne Scarring

Too superficial for most scars.

Flat tan patches with soft irregular edges across the forehead and upper cheek of an adult with light skin, the surface completely smooth.

Melasma

Small, temporary change.

Ice Pick Scars

Too deep for needling alone.

Can make it worse

Redness and fine superficial vessels across a light-skinned cheek and nose.

Rosacea

Friction worsens redness.

Acne

Can spread active breakouts.

Treatment areas

Face; the selected area depends on the concern and treatment plan.

Skin tones

Skin tone

● Microdermabrasion

● Microneedling

Lighter skin

Low risk

Brief pinkness.

Low risk

Redness like a mild sunburn.

Medium skin

Low risk

Gentle settings.

Low risk

One of the safer scar treatments.

Deeper skin

Some risk

Aggressive passes can leave dark marks.

Low risk

Lower pigment risk than lasers; dark marks are still possible.

How it works

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

How it works

Microdermabrasion mechanism diagram. A handpiece buffs the surface: Abrasive material or a diamond tip loosens outer cells. Suction collects debris: The device removes loosened material from the surface. Superficial texture may improve: Smoother skin can be temporary; deep scars are not removed.

Microneedling mechanism diagram. Fine needles create tiny punctures: A device makes controlled channels in selected skin. Healing signals are released: The tissue response activates repair processes. Collagen remodels gradually: Healing may improve selected scars and skin texture.

Diagram explanation

A handpiece buffs the surface: Abrasive material or a diamond tip loosens outer cells. Suction collects debris: The device removes loosened material from the surface. Superficial texture may improve: Smoother skin can be temporary; deep scars are not removed.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Fine needles create tiny punctures: A device makes controlled channels in selected skin. Healing signals are released: The tissue response activates repair processes. Collagen remodels gradually: Healing may improve selected scars and skin texture.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Before your treatment

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

2–4 weeks before

Not specified

Pigment cream: On deeper skin tones, some providers start a pigment-blocking cream a few weeks ahead.

The week before

3 to 5 days before: Actives: Stop retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene, retinol), benzoyl peroxide and exfoliating acids.

Hair removal: Stop waxing, threading and hair removal creams on the area.

Actives and hair removal: Do not arrive tanned or sunburned.

Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene, retinol), benzoyl peroxide and acids 3 to 5 days before.

Actives and hair removal: No waxing, threading or hair removal creams.

Day of treatment

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

Before you arrive

Skin condition: Clean skin, no makeup.

Skin condition: Do not come with a sunburn, a fresh tan, an active cold sore, a rosacea flare or inflamed acne.

Clean skin: Come with a clean face and no makeup, and plan not to wear any that day.

Clean skin: If you have active pustules or an infection in the area, move the session.

Arrival & prep

If crystals are used: Eyes: Contact lenses come out and eye protection goes on.

Skin is cleaned and dried, the provider picks a crystal or diamond tip and sets the suction, and eye protection goes on, which matters more with a crystal machine.

Skin is checked and photographed, and you confirm what you have stopped using.

Treatment

The handpiece is drawn across taut skin in overlapping passes, usually two or three per area.

A full face takes 20 to 30 minutes. It often finishes with a mask, serum, moisturizer and sunscreen, and is sometimes done just before extractions or a light peel. Not painful, more like fine sandpaper with steady pulling from the vacuum.

The pen is passed over the skin in overlapping passes, one area at a time, with sterile gel or saline as a glide.

It sounds like a small vibrating motor and takes 20 to 30 minutes for a full face. Pinpoint bleeding is normal at deeper settings over scars. With good numbing it is uncomfortable rather than painful, a scratchy dragging with pressure.

Before you leave

Skin is pink, smooth and slightly tight, a little like mild windburn.

Skin is bright red, warm and tight, like a strong sunburn, sometimes with faint tracking lines and dots of dried blood.

After your treatment

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

First 24 hours

Days 1 to 3: Some people get a couple of days of dryness or fine flaking.

Days 1 to 5: Redness turns pink and swelling settles, most noticeably around the eyes the first morning.

Days 2–7

Days 3 to 7: The dead layer rebuilds, and skin looks and feels its best.

Not specified

Weeks 2–4

Weeks 1 to 2: The polish fades.

Weeks 1 to 4: Skin looks normal and nothing appears to be happening.

Beyond 1 month

Not specified

Months 2 to 6: Texture keeps improving after the visible healing finishes, which is why the photograph that matters is taken months later, not the week after.

Time to results

Same day

1–3 months after each session

How long results last

A few days

Years for scars

Risks

Bruising or pinpoint red dots
Grazes or scabs
A dark mark
A cold sore outbreak
Ongoing stinging or redness

Dark patches
Tracking lines
Prolonged redness
Bumps that will not go
A cold sore outbreak

Cost

Per session

In the US it usually runs about $75 to $200 a session, often bundled inside a facial rather than priced on its own.

In the US a full-face session usually runs about $200 to $700, with medical offices at the higher end and packages of three to six cheaper per session.

Insurance

Insurance does not cover it.

Insurance does not cover microneedling for acne scars, since it is classed as cosmetic.

Questions

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

Individual Questions

Is microdermabrasion still worth doing?

It depends what you want. As a comfortable, low-risk polish before an event or for skin that cannot handle acids, it does what it says. For acne, scarring, wrinkles or pigment, other options have overtaken it, and a superficial peel or a home retinoid will usually do more for the same money.

Does it help acne scars?

No. Indented scars sit in the deeper layer and the treatment stops at the dead cells on top. Microneedling, lasers, subcision and filler are what that needs.

How is it different from microneedling?

Microneedling makes tiny channels into the deeper layer to trigger collagen repair, with a few days of redness. Microdermabrasion sands the surface and never breaks the skin. The similar names cause most of the confusion.

Is it different from dermabrasion?

Completely. Dermabrasion is a surgical resurfacing done under anesthesia that sands into the deeper skin, with weeks of recovery and real scarring risk. Microdermabrasion is a surface polish with none of that.

How often should I have it?

Courses are usually five or six sessions one to two weeks apart, then monthly. The effect of each session fades within days, so it comes down to how often you want that day of smoothness.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Yes, and one of the gentler options, because it uses no acid, heat or light and does not reach the pigment cells. The thing to avoid is over-treatment, since irritation can leave a temporary dark mark.

Does microneedling get rid of acne scars?

No. It makes indented scars shallower and less noticeable over three to six sessions. Rolling and shallow boxcar scars respond best, icepick scars respond poorly, and improvement is partial in every study. That is worth having; complete clearance is not what this treatment does.

How many sessions will I need?

Three to six for scarring, four to six weeks apart, then a wait. Texture keeps improving for three to six months after the last session, so do not judge the outcome before then.

Does it hurt?

With numbing cream on for 30 to 45 minutes it is uncomfortable rather than painful, a scratchy pressure rather than a sharp pain. The forehead, nose and jawline are the worst part, and deeper settings over scars are sharper.

Is microneedling safe on deeper skin tones?

One of the better options, because there is no heat or light for melanin to absorb. Dark marks are still possible if the settings are aggressive or the skin sees sun afterward, and they fade over months. Choose someone who treats deeper skin tones routinely.

Can I do this at home with a dermaroller?

Anything at 0.5 mm or deeper is a medical depth and should not be used at home. Needles blunt, home rollers cannot be properly sterilized, and serums through fresh channels have caused lasting lumps of inflammation. Rollers at 0.2 to 0.3 mm are mostly harmless and mostly useless.

Is PRP worth adding?

Platelet-rich plasma is your own blood, spun down and applied or injected during the session. The evidence that it improves scar results is mixed, and it often doubles the price. A course without it is a reasonable course.

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