Dermarolling Is Buzzy As Ever—But Is It Safe? Experts Weigh In

So all of those benefits sound great, but is it worth investing in an at-home tool? Well, it all depends on how committed you are to the process and what your goals are, as this is nowhere near a one-and-done deal—there are in-depth cautions, techniques, and cleaning protocols you have to follow. 

And if you don’t, you may risk damaging your skin, triggering infection, etc. Plus, “The tools used by dermatologists are often electric-operated and can penetrate deeper, stimulating more robust rejuvenation,” Henry says. 

We’d be remiss to not mention the fact that there are plenty of other at-home steps you can take to tend to light acne scars and hyperpigmentation, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and help your products penetrate deeper into the skin, sans tiny rolling needles. 

Also, deeper acne scars, often referred to as “ice pick,” or “indented,” scars are extremely difficult to treat at home, even with a dermaroller as the depth of professional needles generally leads to the best results—and it often takes more than one session. 

However, if you still want to experiment with dermarolling and give the DIY method your best shot before investing in a professional microneedling treatment, that’s fair—but still, proceed with caution.