SkinPen microneedling in Chicago, IL for Acne Scars, Wrinkles And Uneven Texture
Microneedling sounds worse than it feels. A handpiece with very fine sterile needles passes over your skin and opens thousands of microscopic channels. Your body treats those as injuries worth repairing, so it floods the area with collagen and elastin. Over the following weeks your skin rebuilds itself firmer and smoother than it was.
We run microneedling services in Chicago out of our Old Town studio at 1315 N Larrabee St, and we do it with SkinPen. Not a dermaroller. Not an unbranded pen off a marketplace listing. There is a real difference between those things and we get into it below, because it changes your result more than you would think.
Most clients come to us for acne scarring or for the fine lines that showed up around their eyes and mouth sometime in their thirties. Some come for enlarged pores. Some for twenty summers of sun damage. Consultations are free and take about twenty minutes; we hold the slot with a $50 deposit.
Why We Use SkinPen, And Why It Matters If You Want The Best Microneedling in Chicago
Microneedling results depend on the device far more than most clinics will admit. Depth control is the whole game. Too shallow and nothing happens beyond a temporary glow. Too deep, or inconsistent across a single pass, and you risk marking the skin you were trying to repair.
SkinPen was the first microneedling device to earn FDA clearance, and it is still the benchmark the rest of the category gets measured against. There are over 90 validation studies behind it covering quality, safety and performance. More providers in the United States use SkinPen than any other microneedling brand, across more than 3 million patients, and 9 out of 10 of those patients said they would recommend the treatment to family and friends.
Three things about the hardware make a difference in the room:
- The cartridge is sterile and single use. We open it in front of you and it goes in the sharps bin when we are done. Microneedling draws blood at the capillary level, so this is not a small detail.
- Needle depth is adjustable and it holds that depth. We run shallow across the forehead and around the eyes where skin is thin, deeper on cheeks where boxcar and rolling scars sit.
- The needles travel straight in and straight out. A dermaroller drags across the skin at an angle, which tears the channel open instead of making a clean one. That is why home rollers cause more irritation and less collagen.
Compare that to a $40 roller or an unbranded motorized pen from an online marketplace. No clearance, no published safety data, and no way to verify the needles sit at the depth printed on the box. Plenty of people try it at home. We see the results of that, and it is usually the reason they end up in our chair.
So when someone asks what makes the best microneedling near me worth paying for, the honest answer is not the room or the branding. It is that the device does the same thing on session four that it did on session one.
Microneedling For Acne Scars in Chicago
Acne scars are stubborn, and ice pick scars are the worst of them. They are narrow, deep, and no topical product reaches the bottom of one.
Microneedling handles scar tissue differently than it handles ordinary texture. The needles break up the fibrous bands tethering the scar to the tissue underneath, and the healing response fills that released space with new collagen. SkinPen holds FDA clearance specifically for improving the appearance of facial acne scars, which is not something most microneedling devices on the market can claim.
For years the standard answer to acne scarring was ablative laser resurfacing. Studies comparing microneedling against laser have found comparable improvement in skin texture with substantially less downtime. Laser can take you out of circulation for a week or more. Most of our clients are back to normal in a day or two with nothing worse than a flush.
In our experience rolling and boxcar scars respond fastest, usually with visible change by the third session. Ice pick scars take longer and sometimes need to be paired with another approach. We will tell you which category you are in at the consultation instead of selling you a six-pack and figuring it out afterwards.
If you have been searching for microneedling for acne scars near me and calling around, ask every place two questions: what device do you use, and how many sessions do you honestly expect this to take. The answers will separate them quickly.
Microneedling For Wrinkled Skin In Chicago
Collagen production drops by roughly one percent a year after your mid twenties. Nothing dramatic happens on any given day. Then one winter you notice the lines beside your mouth are still there after you stop smiling.
Microneedling deals with that by getting your skin to make collagen again rather than adding volume from outside. It works well on fine lines, crepey texture, smoker’s lines around the lips, and the horizontal banding on the neck. SkinPen is FDA cleared for improving the appearance of neck wrinkles, an area a lot of practitioners avoid entirely because the skin there is thin and unforgiving.
It does not replace Botox. Botox stops the muscle from folding the skin. Microneedling rebuilds the skin itself. They solve different problems, which is why a lot of our clients do both. If the lines that bother you only appear when you make an expression, Botox in Chicago is probably the better first conversation, and we will say so.
One thing to know before you book: your skin keeps improving for three to six months after the final session. The photo you take the week you finish is not your result.
Microneedling for hyperpigmentation and sun damage
Uneven tone is one of the things people notice about their own face long before anyone else does. Sun exposure over decades, or brown marks left behind from picking at breakouts, and suddenly your skin reads tired in photographs no matter what you do with makeup.
Microneedling helps here in two ways. It speeds up cell turnover so the pigmented surface layer sheds faster, and the collagen response rebuilds the tissue underneath more evenly. We often pair it with a brightening topical between sessions, because the microchannels stay open for several hours after treatment and product absorbs far better in that window.
This is also where the device choice matters most. Heat-based treatments can worsen pigmentation in deeper skin tones. SkinPen uses no heat and no chemicals, which makes it safe across all Fitzpatrick skin types and usable year round, including through a Chicago summer. See our full skin care services for what we combine it with.
What Microneedling Does, And What It Does Not
Every clinic page lists twenty benefits. Here is the shorter, more honest version.
What it reliably improves
- The appearance of facial acne scars, particularly rolling and boxcar types
- Fine lines and wrinkles, including neck wrinkles
- Overall skin texture and firmness
- Enlarged pores
- Uneven pigmentation and sun damage
- The look of stretch marks and surgical or burn scars
- Product absorption, for weeks afterwards
What to expect afterwards
Your skin will be red, similar to a mild sunburn, for 24 to 72 hours. Some tightness, dryness and light peeling around day three is normal and means it is working. Makeup and sunscreen go back on after 24 hours. Most clients treat on a Friday and are fine by Monday.
It is not painless, but it is comfortable. We apply topical numbing beforehand, and the sensation is closer to an electric toothbrush than a needle.
Where we would send you somewhere else
Microneedling will not lift sagging skin, will not replace volume you have lost in the cheeks, and will not remove deep static folds on its own. If that is your main concern, say so at the consultation. We would rather tell you at the front end than take your money for four sessions that were never going to solve it.
Microneedling Cost in Chicago
Our pricing, in full, with nothing you have to buy first to unlock the real number.
- Consultation: free, held with a $50 deposit
- Microneedling, full face: $300
- Microneedling, full face and neck: $500
What people actually want is the total, so here it is. A typical plan for acne scarring or wrinkles is four sessions spaced about four weeks apart. Full face, that comes to $1,200 across roughly four months. Face and neck, $2,000. Some clients are happy after two or three and stop there. Plenty maintain with a single session once a year afterwards.
Around Chicago you will see microneedling advertised anywhere from under $200 to over $600 a session. The low end is usually a roller, a very quick pass with an unbranded pen, or a short add-on tacked onto a facial. The high end is often a dermatology office charging for the address. We sit deliberately in the middle using a device that costs us more per treatment than most of what you will be quoted.
If you are comparing microneedling cost near me across a few places, ask what is included in the number. Numbing cream, a fresh sterile cartridge, and post-treatment product should never appear as separate line items on top of the session price. With us they do not.
Cancellations inside 24 hours are charged at 50% of the service price, and no-shows at 100%. Missed consultations are charged the $50 deposit. Full details are in our booking and arrival policy, and you can see everything else we offer on the prices page.
What a SkinPen Session Looks Like
Start to finish you are with us about an hour, though the treatment itself is closer to thirty minutes.
Before
We cleanse the area and apply topical numbing cream, then leave it to work for around twenty minutes. This is the part nobody warns you about: it is the longest and most boring stage of the appointment. Bring your phone.
During
Once you are numb we open a fresh sterile cartridge and pass the SkinPen across the treatment area in overlapping sections, adjusting depth as we move between the forehead, cheeks and jawline. You will feel pressure and vibration. Plenty of clients talk the whole way through it.
Immediately after
You will look flushed, like you have had a lot of sun. We apply a post-treatment serum and send you home with instructions. No makeup, no gym, no direct sun for 24 hours.
The next few days
Redness fades over 24 to 72 hours. Around day three the skin may feel tight and flake lightly. By the end of the first week people usually start telling you that you look well rested without being able to say why.
The following months
Collagen remodelling is slow. Real change shows up between weeks four and twelve, and continues for three to six months after your last session. This is why we space appointments four weeks apart instead of stacking them.
Who microneedling is right for, and who should skip it
SkinPen is cleared for use on all skin types and tones, which is not true of every resurfacing treatment. Heat and light-based devices can trigger pigmentation problems in deeper skin. Microneedling uses neither.
You are likely a good candidate if you are over 22, generally healthy, bothered by scarring, texture or fine lines, and able to stay out of direct sun for a few days after each session.
We will ask you to postpone or reconsider if any of these apply:
- Active acne breakouts, cold sores, or any infection in the treatment area
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- You have taken isotretinoin (Accutane) in the last six months
- You have a history of keloid scarring
- You are on blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder
- You have had radiation to the area in the past year
- You have an event in the next five days and cannot be red for it
None of that is a permanent no in most cases. It is a timing conversation, and we will have it with you at the consultation.
Looking for microneedling near you in Chicago?
We are at 1315 N Larrabee St, Chicago, IL 60610, in Old Town just east of Goose Island. Free parking on site, which in this part of the city is not a small thing. The Sedgwick stop on the Brown and Purple Line is about a ten minute walk, and the 72 North Avenue bus runs a couple of blocks north.
Most of our microneedling clients come from Old Town, Lincoln Park, River North, the Gold Coast, Wicker Park, Bucktown and the West Loop, all of which are 10 to 15 minutes out. We also see people regularly from Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie, Arlington Heights and Naperville. A few fly in and stack appointments over a couple of days; if that is you, we keep notes on travel and accommodation.
Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, by appointment only. We do not take walk-ins. Our team speaks English, Romanian and Russian.
To book microneedling services near you, call (252) 722-5006, email [email protected], or send us a message. Directions are on Google Maps.
Book microneedling in Chicago, IL
The consultation is free and takes about twenty minutes. We will look at your skin under proper light, tell you what we think microneedling will and will not fix, and give you a realistic number of sessions before you commit to anything.
Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care
1315 N Larrabee St
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (252) 722-5006
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. By appointment only.
What Our Clients Are Saying
The facility is clean and the ladies are super kind. It's a very judge free, inviting environment. Special shout out to Adriana. She has been so patient and kind to me. And I'm so grateful to have her as my electrologist.
I would definitely recommend coming here for any hair removal procedures.
I did recently try their new ProNox gas, and it certainly took the edge off for me; I don’t think we even used numbing cream, the time also went by much quicker. Finishing up stragglers will be a breeze now.
Natalie is Pro!
Flash forward to beginning of 2024, I required electrolysis again for gender affirming bottom surgery. This time, I wanted to have anesthesia as obviously it's a very sensitive area to receive hair removal. Each time I had a session, Valeria's team of nurses were well-trained and attentive to what I needed as they did my Lidocaine injections. Valeria performed the actual hair removal, taking her time and being open to questions (as I am a blabbermouth during my sessions!). In addition, I got to know from her more about the business and why she started.
It truly meant the world to me when she told me she wanted to purposefully help transgender patients receive hair removal because she recognized a disparity in the availability of electrologists to do that type of work. The website is very upfront and affirming about being a safe space for transgender clients. That's why I felt comfortable going back.
Furthermore, given I was receiving these second set of sessions for surgery, I went through my insurance to get coverage, but I was continually denied. Valeria has been transparent and helpful in sending and resending invoices so that my insurance company will accept cost-sharing of my electrolysis sessions. It has been one of the hardest processes emotionally and financially I've had to go through, and she did not make it any harder for me. She kept asking me how the insurance dilemma is being managed, and during one of our sessions, she even was on a phone call I started with customer service as she did my electrolysis. Eventually, my insurance paid out, and I am currently as of the date of this post trying to get them to fund my remaining sessions.
I definitely recommend going to Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care. I have my bottom surgery in five weeks, and I am beyond grateful for the support and care I received.
Specialized in hair removal, electrolysis and laser. They use the best and the latest equipment for both electrolysis and laser, for fast and permanent results.
Offering large Volume Electrolysis for people who want to spend up their hair removal journey PCOS-related ,transgender LGBTQ. The options for pain free treatments are the best onnd the only one way to go in to electrolysis process. Call them to discuss your options.
I’m slowly working my way towards smooth, hair-free skin. Electrolysis is a time commitment and a costly process but Valeria is great about helping you understand your options to get the best result. The entire team is knowledgeable and takes the time to thoroughly explain every aspect of the process. My questions are always answered with patience and expertise which I really appreciate.
Electrolysis can be painful but thankfully they offer lidocaine injections to help ease the discomfort. This is a game changer for me! With lidocaine I can endure longer sessions, making progress a bit quicker than if I were to go without. If you're considering electrolysis, I highly recommend checking out Electrolysis 100%. Between the service and the added comfort of lidocaine injections, I think they’re the best in the business.
Once I went for my initial appointment, the staff was overly friendly and constantly checked on how I was feeling.
Would heavily recommend!
