Microneedling vs Laser

If you want to give your skin a boost with a clinically backed, medical aesthetic treatment, you’ll come across two main options: Microneedling or laser.

Both treatments are proven to help with some of the most common skin concerns, including signs of aging and texture issues. It’s no surprise that they’ve surged in popularity over the last two decades.

At SEV, we’re proud to offer both services at most of our locations: gentle Laser Facials with the Nd:YAG laser and FDA-approved microneedling with SkinPen. In this guide, we explain how each treatment works and help you decide between microneedling vs laser.

What is Microneedling?

Microneedling is a treatment that uses extremely fine needles to create micro-injury in the skin. The minuscule punctures are enough to stimulate the skin’s healing response without causing any real damage.

Microneedling treatments help trigger faster and healthier collagen and elastin production within the dermis, helping to firm the skin, reduce lines and wrinkles, minimize scarring and pore size, and create overall smoother, more even-toned skin.

At SEV, we offer microneedling with SkinPen, the first FDA-approved microneedling device. At select locations, we also offer treatments that combine radiofrequency and microneedling, like Potenza and Morpheus8.

What is a Laser Treatment?

Laser treatments use light energy to stimulate the skin. The light gets absorbed by melanin, water, and hemoglobin in the skin, and once absorbed it converts to heat.

Depending on the intensity of the laser treatment, it can do anything from lightly stimulating the skin (non-ablative laser) to removing its outer layers (ablative laser).

The SEV Laser Facial is a gentle, non-ablative laser treatment that uses an Nd:YAG laser to stimulate the dermis without affecting the epidermis. It’s the type of laser facial treatment we’ll focus on throughout this post.

The heat has a corrective and therapeutic effect. It stimulates the fibroblasts that produce collagen and elastin, disperses melanin and hemoglobin to reduce hyperpigmentation and redness, and brings the skin to a therapeutic temperature to eliminate acne bacteria.

Laser vs Microneedling at a Glance

Laser vs Microneedling: Which Gives Better Results?

Microneedling and laser facials are both extremely effective for addressing common skin concerns like fine lines, loss of firmness, and texture.

The SEV Laser Facials are milder, so they’re especially well-suited for preserving skin health and ensuring healthy renewal, while SkinPen microneedling is a little more rejuvenating yet intense, making it ideal for actively correcting texture-related concerns.

If you’re looking for profound results and dramatic renewal, your best option is to combine microneedling and laser facials.

Here are the kinds of results you can expect from each one, based on your specific skin needs.

Fine Lines & Wrinkles

Both microneedling and laser facials can help reduce or prevent visible signs of skin aging, but microneedling is the more powerful of the two.

Microneedling is especially effective at correcting existing loss of elasticity, as it stimulates fibroblasts much more intensively. It can visibly reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity in just a handful of sessions.

Laser Facials are gentler, so they’re ideal if you’re focused on preventing signs of aging. That said, they can still create transformative results if performed frequently.

You can see more rapid results with intensive treatment like the CO2 laser, but that comes with more significant downtime.

Pigmentation

Both laser treatments and microneedling can help with hyperpigmentation.

Laser facials are more commonly recommended because they can target and disperse melanin directly. The only exception is for those with melasma, where the heat from the laser may actually worsen the condition.

Meanwhile, microneedling is a safe option even for those with melasma or other pigmentation conditions. Its ability to stimulate the skin’s healing response can still lead to noticeable improvement, especially in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Acne-Prone Skin

If you’re prone to acne, laser treatments deliver the best results. Laser treatments help with acne by targeting both bacteria and the sebaceous glands, helping to control breakouts. They’re best done at times when your skin is not actively inflamed.

Microneedling should also be avoided in areas with active breakouts. However, once you have your acne under control, it can significantly help with post-acne marks and scarring.

Scarring

Whether you’re dealing with small acne scars or larger depressed scars, microneedling is an excellent treatment to start with. It not only boosts collagen production, but it also helps it form in less uniform bundles, allowing softer, smoother skin to replace inflexible scar tissue.

Laser treatments can also help diminish the appearance of scarring, but are generally considered less effective. More intensive lasers will work faster, while gentler treatments like the SEV Laser Facial can be done alongside microneedling to compound effects.

Lastly, raised scars can be more complex to treat, so we recommend speaking to a scar specialist about your options.

Redness

Facial redness can present in different ways, from diffused, visible capillaries to localized red spots after acne or other skin trauma. Lasers are incredible at targeting this kind of redness because they’re absorbed by hemoglobin (the red pigment inside the capillaries). The heat helps disperse the redness.

That said, we’ve seen some incredible before-and-after results with microneedling specifically for post-acne redness, likely because they help stimulate a more general healing response that helps to clear away the damage.

Other Consideration Factors

Number of Treatments

With both treatments, you can expect a noticeable improvement in skin plumpness and health within a few weeks to a month after the first treatment.

When it comes to more notable results, like visible reduction in texture or discoloration, microneedling requires a minimum 3-4 treatments, while non-ablative laser typically requires at least 5-8 sessions.

The exact number of treatments each patient will need depends on their starting skin quality and other individual factors. Your provider should be able to give you an estimate and recommendation.

Treatment Experience

Microneedling is considered a minimally invasive procedure, while a laser facial is totally non-invasive.

During a microneedling treatment, the skin is typically numbed first, and then it is cleansed and wiped with alcohol. Thanks to the numbing, microneedling should only feel like a light scratching. If treating the face, the entire process (including numbing) only takes about 30 minutes.

The Laser Facial process is comparatively gentler and quicker. After a simple cleanse, your provider will cover your eyes and brows for protection and then start treating the skin meticulously. The laser’s pulses should feel hot but not painful — no numbing needed.

Side Effects and Downtime

Both laser facials and microneedling are less invasive, so they cause little downtime and have tolerable side effects. The most common responses to either treatment are redness, swelling, and a sunburn-like sensation.

For those with deeper skin tones, there may be temporary and short-lasting pigmentation changes. There is a risk of lasting hyperpigmentation with more intensive, ablative laser treatments, so they may not be appropriate for those with deeper skin tones at all.

With microneedling, there may also be dryness, tightness, or flakiness in the days following treatment, especially if you’ve been treated at a greater depth.

These side effects typically fade within a few hours of a Laser Facial, but may take a few days to disappear after a SkinPen microneedling session.

There is no downtime at all after the Laser Facial at SEV. After microneedling, you may want to spend the rest of the day indoors, since wearing sunscreen immediately post-procedure is not recommended. You can read our SkinPen Aftercare guide to learn more.

Safety and Adverse Events

Laser facials and microneedling are both considered safe when performed by an experienced provider, and pre- and post-care instructions are followed closely.

With laser treatments, the greatest risk is of burns. They can occur if the treatment is performed improperly or if there’s a failure to follow proper pre-care.

With microneedling, there is a small risk of experiencing infection or nerve irritation. Again, this is uncommon and likelier to occur as a result of improper treatment procedures.

Cost

Prices vary widely across different providers and different types of microneedling or laser treatments.

At SEV, we aim to keep our prices as fair and accessible as possible. The Laser Facial is the more affordable option by treatment, with single sessions costing $199, and added savings through packages or membership options.

SkinPen microneedling is more expensive per treatment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more expensive in total. A single session costs $350 (again, with package or membership options that lower the price), but you may find you see the results you want with fewer sessions compared to the Laser Facial.

Microneedling vs Laser Facials: Final Thoughts

Because of its powerful effect on collagen and elastin, microneedling is the preferred choice for scarring, fine lines, and loss of tone. Laser facials deliver a milder, more preventative effect, especially if performed less frequently.

To know which treatment is right for you, consider what kind of concern you wish to treat, and how you want to balance treatment intensity with frequency. Ultimately, consistent and frequent treatment with either treatment will deliver phenomenal results. You’ll often see the greatest transformation by combining both.

If you’re curious about either treatment, you’re welcome to visit us at SEV, where our experienced specialists can recommend the best option for you and make sure to tailor it to your skin type and desired results. You can book online and enjoy your first laser facial for free with code HELLOGLOW.