The microneedling device that had to prove itself.

A single SkinPen Precision session is £180 at The Face Lab, and a course of three is £500 — a saving of £40. Prices are the same at the Lytham-St-Annes and Leigh studios, and every new client gets a free consultation first. Interest-free finance is available on courses.

The Face Lab has two private studios. The Lytham-St-Annes studio (FY8 1BQ) is convenient for St Annes, Blackpool, Kirkham, Preston and the wider Fylde Coast. The Leigh studio (WN7 2EH) is convenient for Wigan, Bolton, Warrington and Greater Manchester. Both are treated by Becci personally, and prices are the same at each.

Honestly — the device, the depth and the protocol. The £75 treatment is a very good general skin refresher for texture, glow and early fine lines, and for a lot of people it is all they need. SkinPen Precision is a regulated medical device used at greater depth on a clinical protocol, and it is what Becci will recommend if you are treating established acne scarring, neck lines or anything that needs a real structural change rather than a freshen-up. She will tell you at your consultation which one your skin actually needs, including if that is the cheaper one.

The device and its cartridges are CE-marked Class IIa. Its US FDA clearance is specific: for improving the appearance of facial acne scars in adults aged 22 and over across all skin tones, and for improving the appearance of neck wrinkles in Fitzpatrick skin types II to IV. It is widely and safely used for other concerns such as texture, pores and fine lines, but those sit outside the formal clearance and Becci will always be straight with you about what the evidence does and does not cover.

A topical numbing cream is applied for around 30 minutes beforehand, which makes a considerable difference. Most clients describe the sensation as a light scratching or vibration rather than pain, and find it more comfortable than they had braced for. Bonier areas like the forehead and jawline are the ones people notice most.

Expect redness and a warm, tight feeling much like mild sunburn for 24 to 48 hours, occasionally up to four days. Most people are comfortable going about normal life the next day, and mineral makeup can usually go on after 24 hours. Becci will give you a written aftercare plan including sun protection and what to avoid in the first few days.

For general skin quality, a single session gives a visible improvement. For acne scarring, neck lines or anything structural, a course of three spaced four to six weeks apart is the protocol the clinical evidence is based on, and it is what Becci will recommend. Collagen keeps building for months after the final session, so the full result is not something you judge on the day.

Yes — this is one of the reasons the device is worth the money. Because microneedling is mechanical rather than heat or light based, it carries a much lower risk of pigmentation problems than lasers do, and the facial acne scarring clearance covers all Fitzpatrick skin types. Becci will still assess your skin individually and discuss any history of pigmentation with you first.

Yes, with sensible spacing. SkinPen works well alongside anti-wrinkle injections and polynucleotide skin boosters as part of a longer plan, and Becci will sequence them so nothing is working against anything else. Treatments are not performed on the same area on the same day.

Becci, every time. She is an NMC registered nurse with over six years of clinical experience, a member of the ACE Group for aesthetic complications, fully insured, and certificated on the SkinPen Precision device. There are no other practitioners at The Face Lab and your treatment is never handed to anyone else.