Compare · Procedures

Microneedling vs RF Microneedling

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.

RF Microneedling: Microneedling with heat added. Insulated needles carry radiofrequency energy to a set depth in the skin, so the healing response comes from both the puncture and the heat. It is used for indented acne scars, texture, and mild sagging.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, Board-Certified Dermatologist
Last updated: 10/22/2026
Editorial illustration for Microneedling, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.Editorial illustration for RF Microneedling, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.
Choose ifKey differencesWhat is it?What it treatsTreatment areasSkin tonesHow it worksBefore your treatmentDay of treatmentAfter your treatmentRisksCostQuestionsRelated

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

Choose RF Microneedling if…

Choose for acne scars and texture with some tightening, with a lower pigment risk than resurfacing lasers.

  • Rolling or boxcar acne scars
  • Mild sagging too
  • Deeper skin tone where lasers are riskier
Alternatives, not combined

Can you have both?

RF microneedling is a stronger version of microneedling. One is chosen per plan.

Key differences

● Microneedling
● RF Microneedling
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
1–2 days
3–7 days
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Mild
Moderate
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
1–3 months
1–3 months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
Years or permanent
Years or permanent
Visits neededOne → Every few months
A longer series (4–6+)
A short series (2–3)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$
$$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
No, permanent
No, permanent

What is it?

Microneedling

RF Microneedling

What is it?

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.

It combines needles and energy.

Radiofrequency energy is delivered into or beneath the skin.

It is a medical procedure.

It differs from conventional microneedling and home rollers.

Serious complications are reported.

The FDA has noted burns, scarring, fat loss and nerve damage.

Device and depth matter.

These should be discussed before consenting.

What it treats

Evidence level
Microneedling
RF Microneedling
Strong evidenceMost established uses
Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

Rolling Scars.

Rolling Scars

Good results with a series.

Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

Rolling Scars.

Rolling Scars

Heat remodels soft dips.

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
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.

Sagging Skin on light skin.

Sagging Skin

Mild tightening.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
—
Enlarged Pores on light skin.

Enlarged Pores

May shrink pores.

Little evidence
Ice Pick Scars on light skin.

Ice Pick Scars

Too deep for needling alone.

Ice Pick Scars on light skin.

Ice Pick Scars

Needs TCA CROSS or punch excision.

A relaxed forehead with pronounced deep horizontal furrows.

Deep Wrinkles

Modest change on deep folds.

Can make it worse
Inflamed acne on light skin. The spots sit in a patch of pink, and the ring of redness around each one is easy to see. A few have a yellow-white head, and the skin between them is dry and flaking.

Acne

Can spread active breakouts.

—

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

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

Face and neck; depths and coverage depend on the treatment plan.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● Microneedling
● RF Microneedling
Lighter skin
Low risk
Redness like a mild sunburn.
Low risk
Redness and swelling for days.
Medium skin
Low risk
One of the safer scar treatments.
Low risk
Insulated needles protect the surface.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Lower pigment risk than lasers; dark marks are still possible.
Some risk
Lower pigment risk than lasers; grid marks or dark spots possible.

How it works

Microneedling

RF Microneedling

How it works
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.
RF Microneedling mechanism diagram. Needles enter the skin: A device places fine electrodes at a selected depth. RF energy heats nearby tissue: Controlled heating occurs around active needle segments. Repair remodels tissue: The healing response can change collagen and skin texture.
Diagram explanation

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.

Needles enter the skin: A device places fine electrodes at a selected depth. RF energy heats nearby tissue: Controlled heating occurs around active needle segments. Repair remodels tissue: The healing response can change collagen and skin texture.

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

Before your treatment

Microneedling
RF Microneedling
2–4 weeks before

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

Pigment cream and sun: Do not arrive tanned or sunburned.

Pigment cream and sun: On deeper skin tones, many providers prescribe a pigment-blocking cream for two to four weeks first.

The week before

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.

Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids, benzoyl peroxide and exfoliating acids about 5 days before.

Actives and hair removal: No waxing or hair removal creams on the area.

Day of treatment

Microneedling
RF Microneedling
Before you arrive

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.

Clean face: Clean face, no makeup.

Clean face: If injected anesthetic is planned, expect a long appointment and a ride home if anything sedating is used.

Arrival & prep

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

Skin is examined and photographed, and the provider maps depths for each area — shallower around the eyes and forehead, deeper over scarred cheeks and the jaw.

Treatment

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.

The handpiece is pressed on the skin and fired one stamp at a time in a grid, not glided.

A full face takes 20 to 45 minutes, often with passes at several depths. With cream alone the sting is sharp, worst on the forehead and jaw; with injected anesthetic it is mostly pressure and heat.

Before you leave

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

Red, hot and swollen, with a visible grid of small dots.

After your treatment

Microneedling
RF Microneedling
First 24 hours

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

Days 1 to 2: Swelling is worst the first morning, especially around the eyes and jaw, enough to change how your face looks.

Days 2–7
Not specified

Days 3 to 10: Swelling drops, redness fades to pink, and the skin feels sandpapery with the grid faintly visible.

Weeks 2–4

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

Not specified
Beyond 1 month

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.

Months 1 to 6: Firmness and texture keep changing after the visible healing.

Time to results

1–3 months after each session

1–3 months, improving to 6

How long results last

Years for scars

Years for scars

Risks

Risks
  • Dark patches
  • Tracking lines
  • Prolonged redness
  • Bumps that will not go
  • A cold sore outbreak
  • Dark patches
  • A visible grid that will not fade
  • Prolonged swelling or redness
  • A hollow or a change in face shape
  • A cold sore outbreak

Cost

Per session

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.

In the US, a full-face session generally runs about $700 to $1,500, and a package of three commonly falls between $2,000 and $4,000.

Insurance

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

Insurance does not cover it, since it is classed as cosmetic.

Questions

Microneedling

RF Microneedling

Individual Questions
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.

Is Morpheus8 the same as RF microneedling?

Morpheus8 is one brand of radiofrequency microneedling device. Profound, Vivace, Genius, Secret RF, Scarlet and Sylfirm X do the same job. Needle insulation, depth, energy and the operator determine the outcome.

Does it work on acne scars?

Partly, and over a course. Rolling and boxcar scars become shallower across about three sessions. Icepick scars respond poorly. Expect improvement, not clearance.

Will it tighten my jawline?

Modestly, if the laxity is mild and early. It firms rather than lifts. Skin that visibly hangs will not respond, and a surgical consultation is the more honest next step.

How much does it hurt?

More than plain microneedling. Numbing cream alone leaves a sharp hot sting, so many providers add injected anesthetic or nerve blocks at deeper settings. With those it is mostly pressure and heat.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Generally safer than ablative lasers, since melanin does not absorb the energy. Dark marks are still possible from the heat, sometimes in the grid pattern, and they fade over months. Ask about insulated needles and conservative starting settings.

Can it cause fat loss in the face?

Yes, and it is the risk worth understanding. Deep, high-energy settings in a thin face can shrink the fat under the skin, leaving a hollow that does not reliably return. Conservative settings built up over sessions, and a provider who takes the question seriously, are the protection.

Dermapedia on YouTube