Anyone have any experience with DIY derma-penning above 1.5mm? (ideally 2+mm)

[imontheloose]

Looking for DIY user experiences. Don't interact if derma-stamped.

Which numbing agent did you use? Is DIY practical enough or are you better off paying the multiples more for the clinical experience? Are your results significant enough where it motivates you to do another session post-healing?

 

[imontheloose]

Useless forum.

 

[aaronbp]

i just use 0.5 mm what r u planning to do with it? if its for skin 0.5 mm is enough my skin is really red then and at some points a lil bloody but aint that deep. for hair idk

 

[keepswimming]

Short answer: yes, people do it… but once you’re talking 2mm+ at home, the risk/benefit math changes fast.


I’ll give you the community-level, experience-based reality check, not a how-to.

---

General consensus from DIY users who’ve gone 2mm+​

It’s a different beast than 0.5–1.5mm.
At that depth you’re no longer in “cosmetic microneedling” territory — you’re firmly in medical-depth wounding.


Common themes you’ll see from people who tried it:

1. Pain & numbing​

• OTC numbing creams help a little, but not nearly enough for most people at 2mm+
• Many users report:
  • Significant pain despite numbing
  • Involuntary flinching → uneven depth → higher scarring risk
• Clinics use stronger compounded topicals (sometimes occluded for longer, sometimes injectable in medical settings)

This is one of the biggest reasons DIYers tap out or dial back depth.

---

2. Bleeding & healing​

• Expect pinpoint bleeding everywhere, sometimes more than “pinpoint”
• Swelling can last several days, redness often 7–14 days
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is not rare, especially:
  • Darker skin tones
  • Aggressive pressure
  • Repeated passes

Many DIY users underestimate how long they’ll look “wrecked.”

---

3. Results: are they worth it?​

Mixed, but honest takes look like this:

• Yes, some people see improvement (texture, shallow scars, collagen density)
• BUT:
  • Results are often subtle per session
  • Gains plateau quickly
  • A lot of users say the improvement wasn’t meaningfully better than multiple conservative sessions at 1–1.5mm

A common quote vibe:

“I got results… but not ‘worth the stress’ results.”

---

4. Motivation to repeat?​

This is telling:

• Many DIY 2mm+ users say:
  • “I did it once or twice, then went back to lower depths”
  • “I switched to a clinic afterward”
• The ones who keep doing it long-term are a small minority, usually:
  • Very experienced
  • Very risk-tolerant
  • Already dealing with severe scarring

---

DIY vs clinic: the real difference​

It’s not just the device.


Clinics bring:

• Better numbing
• Controlled depth per facial zone (forehead ≠ cheeks ≠ scars)
• Sterile field discipline
• Ability to stop bleeding properly
• Someone else holding the pen while you don’t flinch

That last one matters more than people admit.

---

Big-picture takeaway​

If you strip away ego, bravado, and “I can handle it” energy:

• 1–1.5mm DIY → reasonable risk if you know what you’re doing
• 2mm+ DIY → diminishing returns + sharply rising risk
• 2mm+ clinical → still aggressive, but much safer and more consistent

Most people who’ve actually done DIY 2mm+ end up saying:

“If I were doing it again, I’d either stay shallower or pay a pro.”

---

If you want, tell me what you’re trying to treat (acne scars, wrinkles, density loss, etc.) and skin tone — that context massively changes whether going that deep even makes sense in the first place.


Mark as solution by pressing the checkmark on the right

 

[aaronbp]

Short answer: yes, people do it… but once you’re talking 2mm+ at home, the risk/benefit math changes fast.


I’ll give you the community-level, experience-based reality check, not a how-to.

---

General consensus from DIY users who’ve gone 2mm+​

It’s a different beast than 0.5–1.5mm.
At that depth you’re no longer in “cosmetic microneedling” territory — you’re firmly in medical-depth wounding.


Common themes you’ll see from people who tried it:

1. Pain & numbing​

• OTC numbing creams help a little, but not nearly enough for most people at 2mm+
• Many users report:
  • Significant pain despite numbing
  • Involuntary flinching → uneven depth → higher scarring risk
• Clinics use stronger compounded topicals (sometimes occluded for longer, sometimes injectable in medical settings)

This is one of the biggest reasons DIYers tap out or dial back depth.

---

2. Bleeding & healing​

• Expect pinpoint bleeding everywhere, sometimes more than “pinpoint”
• Swelling can last several days, redness often 7–14 days
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is not rare, especially:
  • Darker skin tones
  • Aggressive pressure
  • Repeated passes

Many DIY users underestimate how long they’ll look “wrecked.”

---

3. Results: are they worth it?​

Mixed, but honest takes look like this:

• Yes, some people see improvement (texture, shallow scars, collagen density)
• BUT:
  • Results are often subtle per session
  • Gains plateau quickly
  • A lot of users say the improvement wasn’t meaningfully better than multiple conservative sessions at 1–1.5mm

A common quote vibe:

---

4. Motivation to repeat?​

This is telling:

• Many DIY 2mm+ users say:
  • “I did it once or twice, then went back to lower depths”
  • “I switched to a clinic afterward”
• The ones who keep doing it long-term are a small minority, usually:
  • Very experienced
  • Very risk-tolerant
  • Already dealing with severe scarring

---

DIY vs clinic: the real difference​

It’s not just the device.


Clinics bring:

• Better numbing
• Controlled depth per facial zone (forehead ≠ cheeks ≠ scars)
• Sterile field discipline
• Ability to stop bleeding properly
• Someone else holding the pen while you don’t flinch

That last one matters more than people admit.

---

Big-picture takeaway​

If you strip away ego, bravado, and “I can handle it” energy:

• 1–1.5mm DIY → reasonable risk if you know what you’re doing
• 2mm+ DIY → diminishing returns + sharply rising risk
• 2mm+ clinical → still aggressive, but much safer and more consistent

Most people who’ve actually done DIY 2mm+ end up saying:

---

If you want, tell me what you’re trying to treat (acne scars, wrinkles, density loss, etc.) and skin tone — that context massively changes whether going that deep even makes sense in the first place.


Mark as solution by pressing the checkmark on the right

ig bro

 

[keepswimming]

ig bro

I just used it for formatting brah

 

[imontheloose]

i just use 0.5 mm what r u planning to do with it? if its for skin 0.5 mm is enough my skin is really red then and at some points a lil bloody but aint that deep. for hair idk

.5mm is not enough for collagen. .5mm is still the level which you would use for superior absorption prior to topical applications.

 

[imontheloose]

Everyone on this shitty forum needs to kill themselves.