Let's be clear, no one chooses to do microneedling because they love getting tiny needles poked into their face. You do it for the results: Smaller pores, a more even skin tone, reduction in scars, and a smoother texture. But after recently going through an in-office microneedling treatment myself, I'm here to tell you that it actually doesn't hurt as badly as you might think. Here's what you need to know.

Microneedling stimulates collagen.

I decided to book an appointment with Morgan Rabach, MD, dermatologist and Co-Founder of LM Medical in NYC, who is a major microneedling advocate. "The science behind microneedling is decades old, and is similar to the science for fraxel lasers," explains Dr. Rabach. "fraxel lasers use heat energy to make tiny microscopic holes in the skin, whereas microneedling uses mechanical energy to make the same tiny injuries. With this controlled injury in the skin, I can decide how deep or shallow to stimulate the skin, and I can use different depths depending on how thick the skin is. For example, near the eyes and forehead is much more shallow than parts of the cheek." These tiny injuries stimulate growth factors and healing factors to help the collagen grow.

You have to sit with numbing cream on for one hour.

After removing all of my makeup, Dr. Rabach applied a heavy duty numbing cream that she left on for about an hour. She admitted that 30-40 minutes would probably be fine, but she likes to give it a little extra time on the skin to ensure the procedure is as painless as possible. TBH, I'd rather spend an extra thirty minutes in the doctor's office than feel the needles but if you're short on time you could do it for less.

After the numbing cream, she applied a thick layer of serum. She used SkinMedica's TNS Recovery Serum , which contains peptides, antioxidants, and growth factors that also help boost collagen production"it's basically like a health food shake for your skin," says Dr. Rabach. It's applied before microneedling so that the needles can push the serum deeper into the skin for even better results (similarly to how you apply a serum before microneedling at home).

Microneedling sounds more painful than actually is.

Dr. Rabach turned the microneedling machine on and the drill-like sound that ensued almost sent me running. Then, I remembered the hour I had given to the numbing cream and thought better of it. Thank goodness I did, because as Dr. Rabach pressed the device to my cheek and asked how it felt, I couldn't believe the treatment had already begunI hardly felt a thing!

I hardly felt a thing!

The device literally felt like holding the base of your electric toothbrush to your cheeka very slight vibration. While Dr. Rabach was very happy to hear my response, she did warn me that the cheeks are the least painful in general because of the cushioning they have between the skin and the bone. She was right. The forehead was definitely the most painful out of all the areas on my face (think about it; there's no paddingjust skin and bone), but even then it really wasn't that bad.

In-office microneedling does make you bleed a little.

Immediately after the procedure, Dr. Rabach wiped away the bloodyes, microneedling draws some bloodand handed me a mirror to show me a certain spot already appearing lighter than before. As for the rest of my face, it felt pretty raw and definitely looked raw and like it had just had needles poked into itan overall pink flush with a few red dots, though not quite as bad as I was expecting. Regardless, she covered my face with some medical grade makeup (it was Isdin Skin Drops in case you're in the market) that she assured me would not irritate my skin (I had a work event to go to, otherwise I wouldve left my skin bare), and sent me on my way.

Microneedling made my skin majorly smoother.

The next few days, I was told to take it easy on my skin and just stick to the basicscleanser and moisturizerto prevent irritation. The pin prick marks stuck around during that time but it was nothing my usual tinted moisturizer couldnt cover up. My skin was slightly more sensitive to touch but even by day two, I could already tell a major difference in the texture of my skinit was so much smoother when I applied my moisturizer and makeup!

As I write this, its been about three weeks since the appointment, and all the evidence of having done microneedling has disappeared. My skin is still smoother than before, a few spots have lightened and my pores definitely seem tighter.

You'll get results after one session.

While the results vary depending on your baseline and goals, everyone will see results after just one session. However, Dr. Rabach suggests four to six sessions one month apart if youre trying to target deep acne scars. If youre just doing it for maintenance to keep up collagen production, once or twice a year is all you need.

The appointment itself lasted about an hour and a half (most of which was spent numbing), and the cost ranges from $500-$750 per session depending on where you go. For me personally, Dr. Rabach suggests a combination of chemical peels and microneedling to target the pigmentation both on the surface and deeper within. As for if Id do it again... Ive already booked my appointment.