At-home microneedling just got WAY better

I’m a huge proponent of DIY microneedling, and I give this treatment a fair share of credit for keeping my skin in tip-top shape. I generally roll my face two to three times a week and follow with one of the many supercharged serums I have lying around, and although my skin is sometimes red for an hour of so afterwards, I always wake up the next morning with radiant skin. That’s why I was intrigued when I received information about a new skincare line called MesoLyft, and I requested samples so I could try them for myself.

With dedicated versions for discoloration, the eye area, lips and neck, these little rollers incorporate potent serums so you get the collagen-stimulating benefits of microneedling and powerful active ingredients that target specific concerns. It may sound slightly complicated, but I promise these rollers are super-easy to use. You just press the button to dispense the serum and start rolling the tool over targeted areas.

I received the Skin and Eyes to test, so here’s the skinny on those. The Skin serum is formulated with guava and papaya extracts to help prevent pigment production along with kojic acid to improve the appearance of existing discoloration (as well as jojoba and meadowfoam oil for hydration and skin-calming benefits). The Eyes serum contains a muscle-relaxing peptide called Argireline to smooth the appearance of crow’s feet, a complex of skin-plumping ingredients, collagen-boosting retinol and vitamin C plus anti-inflammatory gingko biloba. Remember, the microneeding action helps push these ingredients deeper into the skin than they’d get by just applying the serums with your fingers or hands.

To be completely honest, I was skeptical when I first unboxed these products. The needles on the roller I usually use are WAY longer, so I didn’t think these would make a difference, especially on my pre-conditioned skin. I proceeded anyway, and didn’t feel a thing—zero, zilch, nada—so I was convinced I was wasting my time. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

After I had finished, my skin was red and it felt like I had a pretty bad sunburn. (I’m not exaggerating—see below.) In my eyes, this is a good thing and I see this as proof that the MesoLyft rollers are getting all up in my collagen’s business. In fact, the post-treatment redness and slight swelling are enough to make me limit my use to once a week (and I have very resistant skin).

Let’s try to ignore the fact that I look like I have Bell’s palsy in this picture. And FYI, I’m wearing the Sara Happ Sweet Clay Lip Mask.

I busted out the MesoLyft rollers for a second time on Monday night and met a friend I haven’t seen in a while on Tuesday morning for breakfast. No joke, the first thing she said to me was, “OMG, your skin looks amazing. What did you do?” (It really did—and I only used my super-sheer Laneige BB Cushion Hydra Radiance.)

If you subscribe to the “if it hurts it works” philosophy like I do, MesoLyft is well worth the $80 to $90 (depending on the version you choose). And if you want to go all in, you can get all four roller-serum combos for $270.