Your First SkinPen Microneedling Treatment: What Actually Happens, Step by Step

If you've been thinking about booking a microneedling facial but keep putting it off because you're not quite sure what you're walking into — this one's for you.

Here's exactly what happens at your first SkinPen appointment with me, start to finish.

Arrive clean-faced

The only thing I ask before you come in is to fill in your consultation form with your current skincare and goals and make sure you come with clean skin and no makeup so we can make full use of your appointment time.

We start with a proper skin assessment

When you arrive, I take a look at your skin and we go through the consultation form you'll have filled in beforehand — your skin history, your concerns, what you're hoping to see change. In here, we also know in advance if you have any contraindication (i.e. anything stopping you from getting a treatment like pregnancy or an open sore — see full contraindications via our T&Cs here).

We go through your goals properly and I get a real picture of your skin before anything else happens. There's time for questions before we get started.

A word on numbing cream

I don't routinely use numbing cream — it can affect the efficacy of the treatment and in my experience, most clients don't need it. If you're particularly nervous, we ask that you let us know in advance so we can plan accordingly; numbing cream takes 20 minutes to take effect, so it needs to be organised ahead of time.

What the treatment actually feels like

The most common thing I hear afterwards is "that was so much more comfortable than I expected."

The sensation is like little fingernails passing over your skin. I always start on a lower setting and gradually increase the depth — so your comfort is the guide. We're looking for erythema (the red, sunburnt flush) as confirmation that the skin is responding the way we want it to. When we see that, we know it's working.

After the needling

I apply a bio-cellular mask which instantly calms and soothes your skin.

Next, I apply RESCUE Calming Complex to your skin straight after. It's specifically chosen by SkinPen for post-treatment skin — it settles the redness and supports healing. You'll take plenty home with you to apply as liberally as you need whenever your skin feels tight over the next 24 hours, as you won't be able to use anything else on your skin during this time for risk of complications.

We talk through your aftercare

Before you leave, we go through everything you need to know for the next few days. The key things:

• No skincare of any kind for the first 24 hours — no cleanser, no SPF, no moisturiser. Just the RESCUE Calming Complex.
• No washing your hair (anything running down your face is a risk)
• No sauna, sweating, or swimming for 72 hours
• No makeup
• Avoid active ingredients — retinoids, vitamin C, exfoliating acids — for the first week
• After 24 hours: back to SPF and your gentle routine. After a week: back to everything, actives included.

Your skin will be red for up to 24 hours after the treatment. That's normal — it's the healing response that makes the treatment work.

What to expect in the weeks that follow

Week 1

Redness settles within 24 hours for most of the face. Areas where we've used a higher needle depth — typically over deeper acne scarring — can stay red for a little longer, and that's completely expected.

Around weeks 4–6

This is where things start to get interesting. Collagen production takes time to build, and by this point most clients start to notice a real shift in their skin's texture and tone. It's also around now that we'd schedule your next session.

After your full course

Most clients do a course of 3, but for deeper scarring a course of 6 is often where we see the most meaningful results. Three sessions is a great starting point — and if your skin needs more, we'll tell you honestly.

The collagen remodelling that's been building across each treatment starts to show up clearly after a full course — smoother texture, reduced scarring, skin quality that feels genuinely different to where you started.

Once you've completed your course, you move onto our maintenance rate of £170 per session to keep things going.

You won't be left to figure it out alone

I'm contactable between appointments if questions come up.

Curious whether microneedling is right for your skin? DM me on Instagram or email me and we can chat it through. Amy x

When will I need to come back after completing a course?

For most clients, a maintenance session every 6–12 months keeps the results going. But if you've fallen in love with your skin and want to stay on top of collagen production, you can come back as regularly as every 4–6 weeks. No hard rule — it's whatever works for your skin and your goals.