Yes — microneedling has been shown in published, peer-reviewed research to increase collagen and elastin production in the skin, which is why it's also known as collagen induction therapy. The effect isn't anecdotal; it's been documented through histology, the microscopic study of tissue samples taken before and after treatment.
What's the study behind the treatment?
One of the foundational studies on microneedling, published by Aust and colleagues in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2008, examined skin biopsies before and after a series of microneedling sessions.1 The researchers found substantially increased collagen and elastin deposition in the treated skin, with some analyses reporting increases of up to 400% in collagen fibers around six months after a course of treatment. Later reviews of microneedling research have continued to report increases in collagen types I, III, and VII, along with measurable epidermal thickening.
How microneedling triggers this response?
Microneedling works by creating thousands of controlled, microscopic punctures in the skin using fine needles. These micro-injuries are too small to cause visible damage or significant downtime, but they're enough to trigger the skin's natural wound-healing cascade — the same biological process that repairs any injury, just at a much smaller scale.
That healing response includes the release of growth factors and cytokines that signal fibroblasts, the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin, to ramp up production. Because this process unfolds gradually over weeks to months as the body rebuilds tissue, collagen improvements from microneedling tend to appear progressively rather than immediately — and they tend to continue improving for months after the last session.
What this means for results?
Because microneedling stimulates your own skin to rebuild itself, results tend to look natural rather than "done," and they build gradually with a series of treatments rather than all at once. This makes it a popular option for fine lines, acne scarring, overall skin texture, and mild laxity, often as part of a broader treatment plan that may also include radiofrequency energy or platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) to further support the healing and collagen-building process.
Most protocols call for a series of three to six sessions spaced several weeks apart, with visible improvement in texture and tone continuing to develop for up to six months after the final treatment, in line with the timeline seen in the histology research.