SkinPen Precision is an FDA-cleared microneedling system used at Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics in Santa Maria to improve facial acne scars and neck wrinkles. Treatment takes about thirty minutes. Most people need three sessions, spaced about a month apart, with results building over several months.
What microneedling actually does
Microneedling makes a controlled injury and then gets out of the way. Fine needles create thousands of tiny channels in the skin, each one too small to see and deep enough to matter. Your skin responds the way it responds to any injury, by making new collagen and elastin, and the rebuilding is what changes the surface.
That is why it works on acne scarring when topical products do not. A scar is a depression in the structure underneath. You cannot fill it from above. You have to rebuild it from below.
Benefits:
- Softens the pitted, indented scars that stay long after the acne itself has gone
- Smooths rough texture and refines the look of large pores
- Firms crepey skin on the neck, an area that shows age before the face does
- Works on all skin tones for facial acne scarring, which is not true of every resurfacing option
- No incisions, no heat, and a recovery measured in days rather than weeks
Spaced about a month apart, so the skin finishes one round of rebuilding before the next starts.
What a session is like
Numbing
A topical anesthetic goes on and sits for around half an hour. Most people describe the treatment itself as pressure and vibration rather than pain.
The pass
The handpiece moves across the treatment area in overlapping passes, with needle depth adjusted for the region and what is being treated. The whole pass takes twenty to thirty minutes.
Afterwards
Your skin looks and feels like a moderate sunburn for a day or two, tight and pink. A sterile aftercare regimen goes on immediately and you go home.
Plus about thirty minutes of numbing beforehand.
What it is cleared to do, exactly
Most pages about microneedling say “FDA cleared” and stop there. The clearance is more specific than that, and the specifics are worth knowing before you book.
SkinPen Precision is cleared for two things, and they are not scoped the same way. [1]
| Cleared for | Who |
|---|---|
| Improving the appearance of facial acne scars | Adults aged 22 and over, all skin tones |
| Improving the appearance of wrinkles of the neck | Fitzpatrick skin types II to IV |
Two things follow from that table.
The acne scar clearance covers every skin tone. That matters, because several other resurfacing options carry real risk of pigment change in deeper skin tones and are used cautiously or not at all. Microneedling is mechanical rather than thermal, which is why the clearance is not skin-type limited here.
The neck clearance is narrower, covering Fitzpatrick II to IV. If you are outside that range and the neck is what you came for, that is a conversation to have at a consultation rather than a reason to assume the answer is no. There are other ways to approach it.
Anything beyond those two indications is off-label. That is ordinary and legal in medical practice, and you are entitled to know which side of the line your treatment sits on.
Areas we treat
Cheeks
The pitted, rolling and boxcar scars left behind by years of acne
Forehead
Rough texture and the fine crosshatching that shows up under raking light
Neck
Crepey horizontal lines, within the skin types the clearance covers
Around the mouth
Fine vertical lines, softened without heat or filler
Large pores
Refined in appearance, though pore size itself does not change
A physician-led approach
Microneedling is widely available and very unevenly performed. What changes the result is not the device, it is the judgment behind the settings: how deep, how many passes, over which areas, and how many sessions before you have got what you are going to get.
That judgment is dermatology. At Coastal, the plan is built by clinicians who see acne scarring every week and know what a given scar type will and will not respond to. If microneedling is not the right answer for your scars, we will say so and tell you what is, including radiofrequency microneedling at our San Luis Obispo office, which reaches deeper and adds heat.
The acne scar clearance is not limited by Fitzpatrick type, which is not true of every resurfacing option.
Is it right for you?
A good fit if:
- You have pitted or indented acne scarring that has not responded to topical treatment
- Your texture is rough or uneven and you want change without heat or downtime measured in weeks
- You have a deeper skin tone and have been told other resurfacing carries pigment risk
- You are willing to give it three sessions and several months before judging the result
Worth a conversation first if:
- You are still getting active breakouts, which we would usually settle first
- You take isotretinoin now or finished recently
- You have a history of keloid scarring
- You are pregnant
- The neck is your main concern and you are outside Fitzpatrick II to IV
What to expect afterwards
The first day looks like a moderate sunburn: pink, warm and tight. That settles over two to three days, and some people flake lightly around day three or four.
Keep it simple while it heals. No makeup for twenty-four hours, no active ingredients such as retinoids or acids for about a week, and no sun on treated skin without protection. A gentle cleanser and the aftercare products we send you home with are enough.
Serious problems are uncommon. Call us if you develop spreading redness, unusual pain or anything that looks like infection rather than healing.
Concerns treated
SkinPen is used here for these concerns. Pick one to see how we approach it.
What treatment costs
Microneedling is priced per session, and almost nobody has one session. Most acne scar plans run to three, and we quote the course rather than the single treatment so you can see the real number before you start.
Neck and face are priced separately. If both are on the plan, we will tell you whether doing them together makes sense or whether staging them is better for your skin.
If microneedling is not the right value for what you want changed, we will tell you that too, and point you at what is.
Treatment time
30 minutes, plus 30 minutes numbing
Downtime
2 to 3 days of pink, tight skin
Results appear
Gradually, over 4 to 12 weeks
Results last
Long-term, with occasional maintenance
Offered at
Santa Maria
SkinPen microneedling frequently asked questions
The facial acne scar indication covers adults aged 22 and older.
Offered at
Ready to start? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.
Sources and medical review
1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) Premarket Notification K202243, SkinPen® Precision System, Crown Aesthetics. Indications for Use: “The SkinPen® Precision system is a microneedling device and accessories intended to be used as a treatment to improve the appearance of wrinkles of the neck for Fitzpatrick skin types II – IV and to improve the appearance of facial acne scars in adults with all Fitzpatrick skin types aged 22 years and older.” https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf20/K202243.pdf · Regulatory
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Microneedling Devices.” On which microneedling products are regulated as medical devices because they penetrate living skin, and which are not. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/aesthetic-cosmetic-devices/microneedling-devices · Regulatory
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. SkinPen® is a registered trademark of its owner. Redness resembling a mild sunburn for one to two days, mild swelling on the first day, and dryness or light flaking for a few days afterward are expected. Infection, prolonged redness, lasting light or dark patches, and raised scarring are uncommon but possible, and the risk rises on skin that is tanned or sunburned at the time of treatment. Tell us about a history of raised or thick scars, about cold sores, about anything affecting how your blood clots, and about isotretinoin taken now or in the past year. This treatment is not suitable during pregnancy or where there is an active infection, active inflammatory acne or broken skin in the area. Individual results may vary. Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.