Cartridge Hygiene & Safety

Good hygiene is the most important part of safe microneedling. A few simple habits keep your skin, your pen and the people around you safe.

Single use only

  • Use a new cartridge every session. Once opened and used, a cartridge is no longer sterile, and the needles start to dull. Reusing one raises the risk of infection and can scratch the skin.
  • Never share cartridges, even with family. Sharing can spread blood-borne infections.
  • Don't try to clean and reuse a cartridge. Alcohol and other cleaners don't make a used cartridge sterile again.
  • If you treat several areas in one session, such as the face and then the scalp, it's fine to switch to the right cartridge for each area. Never go back to a used cartridge later.

Check before you use

Before opening, check that the seal is intact and the packaging is undamaged and in date. Don't use a cartridge if:

  • the seal is broken or the packaging is torn or wet
  • you can see bent, broken or uneven needles
  • the housing is cracked or misshapen
  • it won't sit securely on the pen
  • it makes an unusual rattling or grinding sound, or the needles don't move smoothly
  • it feels scratchy or catches on the skin during use

If anything seems wrong mid-session, stop, remove the cartridge and use a new one.

Cleaning and storing your pen

  • Before and after every session, wipe the outside of the pen with a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe.
  • Never submerge the pen or run it under water.
  • Keep the cartridge connector clean. Wipe gently around it and let it dry before attaching a cartridge.
  • Store it in its case in a clean, dry place, out of reach of children.
  • Store unopened cartridges in their packaging, somewhere cool and dry.

Disposing of used cartridges

Used cartridges contain needles, so treat them as sharps.

  • Put each used cartridge straight into a sharps container as soon as you remove it. Never put loose cartridges in household rubbish or recycling.
  • Many pharmacies sell sharps bins. Your local council can tell you how to dispose of a full bin in your area.
  • Keep the sharps container closed and out of reach of children and pets.

Keep your skin safe too

  • Wash your hands before every session.
  • Cleanse and disinfect the skin first (see preparing your skin).
  • Never microneedle over broken, infected or irritated skin.

For more on who shouldn't microneedle, see our safety guide.