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Microneedling for Facial Skin Neck Rejuvenation: ASummary of the Research

Writer: Nicole Wolfe
Nicole Wolfe
Aug 18
5 min read

What Is Microneedling?


Microneedling (also called percutaneous collagen induction therapy) is a minimally

invasive skin treatment that uses a device with very fine needles to create tiny,

controlled punctures in the skin's surface.


These micro-injuries trigger your body's natural wound-healing response, which stimulates the production of new collagen and elastin — the proteins that keep skin firm, smooth, and youthful.


Unlike more aggressive treatments such as laser resurfacing or deep chemical

peels, microneedling preserves the outer layer of skin (the epidermis), which means

less downtime, fewer side effects, and a lower risk of skin discoloration — making it

suitable for a wide range of skin types and tones.

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Study 1. Systematic Review Meta-Analysis: Microneedling for Facial

Rejuvenation — 21 Studies, 723 Patients (Foppiani et al., 2025)


What they did: Analyzed 21 studies involving 723 patients who underwent

microneedling for facial rejuvenation.


What they found:

- 83% of patients reported satisfaction with their treatment

- Most studies (90%) used multiple treatment sessions, typically 3–6 sessions

spaced 2–4 weeks apart

- Side effects were mild and temporary: redness (6.8%), scaling (1.7%), burning

(1.5%), itching (0.4%)


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — High satisfaction rate across a large patient pool.

Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong — Large systematic review and meta-

analysis.


Reference: Foppiani JA, et al. Microneedling for Facial Rejuvenation: A Systematic

Review. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2025. Available at:

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Study 2. Clinical Trial: Microneedling for Facial and Neck Wrinkles — Biopsy-

Confirmed Results (Wamsley et al., 2021)


What they did: 35 subjects (ages 44–65) received 4 monthly microneedling

treatments on the face and neck. Skin was measured with ultrasound, optical

imaging, elasticity testing, and tissue biopsies.


What they found — measured improvements at 3 months after the final

treatment:

- Facial dermal (deep skin) density increased by 102%

- Epidermal (surface skin) density increased by 19%

- Facial skin elasticity increased by 28%

- Skin light-scattering (a measure of collagen quality) increased by 17%

- Blood flow decreased by 26% in the face and 42% in the neck (indicating reduced

inflammation and healthier skin)

- Collagen type III and elastin gene activity were significantly higher

- New muscle formation was found in 58% of biopsies (compared to only 15%

before treatment)


Recommended treatment: 4 sessions, 1 month apart. Results measured 3 months

after the last session.


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Dramatic, objectively measured improvements

confirmed by tissue biopsies.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong — One of the most rigorous microneedling

studies ever conducted.


Reference: Wamsley CE, et al. A Single-Center Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and

Tolerability of Four Microneedling Treatments on Fine Lines and Wrinkles.Aesthetic

Surgery Journal, 2021;41(11):NP1603–NP1618. Available at:


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Study 3. Prospective Study: Multiple Microneedling Sessions — Biopsy

Analysis (El-Domyati et al., 2015)


What they did: 10 patients with moderate-to-severe wrinkles received 6

microneedling sessions at 2-week intervals. Skin biopsies were taken at baseline,

1 month, and 3 months after treatment.


What they found — biopsy-confirmed changes:

- Collagen types I, III, and VII all significantly increased

- Newly synthesized collagen significantly increased

- Tropoelastin (a building block of elastic fibers) significantly increased

- Total old, damaged elastin significantly decreased — meaning damaged fibers

were being replaced with new, healthy ones


Recommended treatment: 6 sessions, 2 weeks apart. Improvements continued at 3

months post-treatment.


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Biopsy-confirmed evidence that microneedling

replaces old, damaged skin proteins with new, healthy ones.

Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate — Unique biopsy data. Small sample size

(10 patients).


Reference: El-Domyati M, et al. Multiple Microneedling Sessions for Minimally

Invasive Facial Rejuvenation. International Journal of Dermatology,

2015;54(12):1361–1369. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26096653


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Study 4. Clinical Trial: Microneedling for Neck Wrinkles — FDA-Cleared

Device (Alqam et al., 2022)


What they did: 35 adults received 4 monthly microneedling treatments on the

neck at depths up to 2.5 mm. Two blinded raters assessed wrinkles at 90 days after

the final treatment.


What they found — patient-reported results at 90 days:

- 93.8% reported improvement in wrinkles

- 87.5% were satisfied with results

- 80.6% would recommend microneedling to friends and family

- Wrinkle assessments by blinded raters showed statistically significant

improvement (p 0.001)


Recommended treatment: 4 sessions, 1 month apart. Results assessed at 90 days

post-treatment.


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Microneedling is effective for the often-difficult-to-treat

neck area.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate — Good sample size with blinded raters.


Reference: Alqam M, et al. Efficacy and Tolerability of a Microneedling Device for

Treating Wrinkles on the Neck." Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2022;42(10):1154–1160.


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Study 5. Review: Microneedling for Neck and Décolletage — Collagen

Production (Pająk et al., 2022)


What they did: Reviewed 52 publications on microneedling for the neck, face, and

chest area.


What they found — key measurable outcomes:

- Collagen and elastin production can increase by up to 400% after 6 months

- Skin thickness continues to increase for up to 1 year after treatment

- Optimal results require 2–4 weeks between sessions


Recommended treatment: Multiple sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart. Full collagen

benefits develop over 6–12 months.


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Dramatic long-term collagen and elastin production.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐½ Moderate-Preliminary — The 400% figure comes from

limited data and should be interpreted with caution.


Reference: Pająk J, et al. Prevention of Ageing — the Role of Micro-Needling in

Neck and Cleavage Rejuvenation. International Journal of Environmental Research

and Public Health, 2022;19(15):9055. Available at:


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Study 6. Randomized Trial: Microneedling vs. Microneedle Radiofrequency for

Eye Wrinkles (Hwang et al., 2025)


What they did: 30 women aged 60+ with visible eye wrinkles received 4

consecutive treatments — standard microneedling on one side of the face,

microneedle radiofrequency (MNRF) on the other.


What they found:

- Both sides improved wrinkles from baseline

- The MNRF side showed greater improvements in wrinkles, elasticity, hydration,

and water loss

- Biopsies showed MNRF increased healthy fibroblasts and reduced aged, non-

functioning fibroblasts more effectively

Recommended treatment: 4 sessions. Standard microneedling works, but adding

radiofrequency energy enhances the effect.

Impact on skin: ⚠️ Mixed — Microneedling alone works, but MNRF produces

superior results.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong — Randomized split-face trial with biopsy

confirmation.


Reference: Hwang JM, et al. Comparison of the Effects of Fractional Microneedle

Radio frequency and Microneedling on Modulating the Senescent Fibroblast Milieu in

Aged Skin." Scientific Reports, 2025;15(1):18296. Available at:


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Study 7. Systematic Review: Safety Profile — 85 Studies (Chu et al., 2021)


What they did: Reviewed 85 articles to evaluate the safety of microneedling across

all uses.


What they found — side effect rates:

- Most common: Temporary redness/swelling and mild pain lasting up to 7 days

- Uncommon: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (darkening), dry skin/peeling

- Rare: Tram-track scarring (visible needle marks), granulomatous reactions (small

bumps)

- Risk factors for complications: Active infections, darker skin types, metal

allergies


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Favorable safety profile confirmed across the largest

safety review.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong — The largest safety-focused systematic

review.


Reference: Chu S, et al. Safety Profile for Microneedling: A Systematic Review.

Dermatologic Surgery, 2021;47(9):1249–1254. Available at:

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Study 8. Review: Microneedling in Skin of Color (Cohen Elbuluk, 2016)


What they did: Reviewed all published literature on microneedling in patients with

darker skin tones (Fitzpatrick skin types IV–VI).


What they found:

- Microneedling has a significantly lower risk of post-inflammatory

hyperpigmentation compared to laser or chemical peel treatments

- Effective for skin rejuvenation, scarring, and discoloration in darker skin tones

- No reports of permanent skin lightening or darkening


Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Particularly well-suited for patients with darker skin

who may not be candidates for laser treatments.


Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate — Important review for an underrepresented

population.


Reference: Cohen BE, Elbuluk N. Microneedling in Skin of Color: A Review of Uses

and Efficacy. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology,

2016;74(2):348–355. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26549251

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