When it comes to microneedling, not all treatments are created equal. At-home devices won’t provide the same effects as an in-office treatment from a board-certified dermatologist.

“Microneedling that delivers significant, long-lasting results is a medical treatment,” says board-certified dermatologist Tina Alster, MD, FAAD, a professor of dermatology at Georgetown University Medical Center. “That means it should be performed by a trained, experienced physician, like a board-certified dermatologist, in a medical office.”