Microneedling (MN) is a novel therapeutic modality in dermatology. Through physical trauma from needle penetration, MN induces a wound healing cascade with minimal damage to the epidermis. This allows for enhancement in the absorption of mainstay topical therapies across the thick stratum corneum. MN has become increasingly utilized over the last several years as it is a relatively simple procedure that is cost-effective, well tolerated, and offers both cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. The ability to treat localized areas of disease has led to numerous studies gauging its potential in focal diseases of inflammation, dyschromia, and photodamage. This review discusses the principles and evidence behind the expanding applications of MN. It has shown promising results as an adjuvant therapy for enhanced drug delivery in the treatment of atrophic scars, alopecia, actinic keratoses, and disorders of pigmentation such as melasma. The efficacy in treatment of vitiligo remains limited. Overall, the procedure has few adverse sequelae compared to other therapies, is highly efficacious, and is a viable resurfacing option for skin of color. Future research is needed to determine the frequency, interval, and specific device settings that foster optimal results. Additionally, large controlled trials are needed to shed light on the utility of MN as an evidence-based regimen for the treatment of various dermatologic conditions.

Acral pigmented Spitz nevi are seldom reported in the literature. We report a new case on the palm of a 4-year-old girl that demonstrated correlation between features observed on dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Histopathology revealed a benign intraepidermal Spitz nevus with transepidermal elimination of melanocytes that showed on RCM as focal atypical bright cells concerning for malignancy. This case is one of few reports in the literature combining dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy, and histology for an acral Spitz nevi, which are rarely evaluated by RCM given the thickness of the stratum corneum in acral sites.