Guide entry

SkinPen Clearance for Acne Scars

Clinician examining old acne scars on a man's cheek under a lamp

Two organizations describe SkinPen for acne scars, and they use different words. Here are those words side by side.

Two sentences about SkinPen

Christie Clinic published a news item, How SkinPen Microneedling Helps Reduce Acne Scars. The American Med Spa Association describes SkinPen on its own treatments page. Both mention acne scars, and the sentences are not the same.

Cleared on one side, proven on the other

Christie Clinic describes SkinPen as the first FDA-cleared microneedling device. The full sentence reads:

SkinPen is the first FDA-cleared microneedling device, designed to stimulate your skin’s natural healing process and improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and—importantly—acne scars.

The American Med Spa Association's treatments page calls SkinPen "clinically proven to improve the appearance of facial acne scars for people aged 22 and above in all skin types".

Lined up point by point:

Clearance: Christie Clinic uses the term "FDA-cleared," and the association's sentence does not use that word.
Evidence: the association says "clinically proven." Christie Clinic says "designed to."
Scope: the association limits its sentence to facial acne scars, ages 22 and above. Christie Clinic lists fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars, with no age.

A page at aad.org, Acne scars: Consultation and treatment, is a third description worth holding against both.

What each sentence leaves unsaid

"Cleared" and "proven" are different words, and neither sentence says what stands behind its word. A reader can ask where the proof is published, since the association's sentence does not point to it.

The Christie Clinic sentence says "designed to," which describes intent. It does not describe a result. A page at asds.net, Microneedling, gives a fourth wording to compare.

A footnote to read before booking

The American Med Spa Association also published an item titled FDA Releases Final Microneedling Guidance Document. Read it, then read the sentences above again.

When a clinic's page says SkinPen, check which word it uses: cleared, proven, or designed to. Check whether it gives an age or a skin type.