Let’s Roll Out Those Wrinkles,
Scars & Skin Pigmentation Girls!
Have you heard of derma needling?
Do you know what it does exactly?
It’s been around for a fair few years now and it’s just as popular as ever for various different reasons.
But before we get into all of that – just so you know…
Derma Needling | Micro Needle Roller | Dermaroller
Dermarolling | Micro Needling | Skin Needling | Microneedling
… all mean the same thing
So yes, a derma roller can be used on the skin (mainly the face) as a treatment to counteract various different skin conditions, including wrinkles and the signs of aging.
So if you have any type of skin problem such as acne, scarring or pigmentation, or you just want to get rid of wrinkles, then you might want to read on as I’ve dug pretty deep into derma needling and I’ve covered just about everything there is to know about skin needling at home.
You don’t have to do this treatment yourself at home of course, but you decide at the end of this post if you want to give dermarolling a try yourself, or if you would rather get it done by a professional at a beauty clinic.
Ready?
Good, let’s get started.
What Does a Derma Roller Do?
A micro needle roller is used by skin care specialists in clinics to treat a range of skin conditions and skin problems such as acne, scarring and skin pigmentation. However, it’s more widely known as an anti-aging beauty treatment to rejuvenate skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The technique is carried out by using a small instrument which looks like a little mini roller which is covered with symmetrical lines of tiny microneedles.
These tiny microneedles can either be 0.25 – 1.5 mm in length and once rolled over the face they puncture the top layers of the skin, the epidermis. This then forces the skin to repair itself, and it has to do this by producing more collagen.
There are five layers of skin within the epidermis itself, and it depends on the length of the needle as to how deep they puncture the epidermis layers, and therefore how much collagen is produced
What Size Needle?
There’s a reason why the needles on dermarollers vary as this depends on what type of skin you have and what you’re trying to achieve with your micro needle roller treatment.
0.25 mm – This is the most mild form of skin needling as the needle is so small it only punctures the top layer of the epidermis, therefore not requiring the production of collagen to heal the skin.
Recommended Use: The reason to use the 0.25 mm needles is to open the skin to make it more vulnerable to absorb topical serums and creams (skin care products) at a deeper level.
This size needle will not be painful and will not produce any bleeding on the face.
This is the size needle which is recommended for your personal use at home.
0.5 mm – The next size up needle punctures the skin slightly deeper and this triggers a small amount of collagen production.
Recommended Use: This needle is mainly used for superficial and shallow skin problems such as skin losing its natural complexion as its looking yellow or grey or may look dried-out.
There will be slight discomfort and bleeding with the 0.5 mm microneedle.
0.75 – 1.0 mm – This is when derma needling is taken to the next level.
Recommended Use: If you want to get rid of scars, stretchmarks, acne or deep wrinkles, then this is the size needle which is recommended. This type of dermarolling should be carried out in a specialized clinic.
A good amount of collagen is produced as the skin needs to heal on a deeper level and will take approximately 4-7 days of recovery between treatments. There will be discomfort (although the clinic will likely put a numbing cream on first) and there will be moderate bleeding from the punctures.
Overall Recommendation:
For home use, it’s strongly advised to go with the 0.25 mm needle.
Anything longer should be done at a skin care clinic which specializes in derma needling.
So What Exactly is Collagen?
In a nutshell, collagen is what gives your skin its elasticity.
Collagen is a fibrous protein and is the most abundant protein in your body, and is essential as its the building-block for hair, nails, bones and skin.
When you are young (below 30-ish) and you pull the skin on your face (especially under the eyes) or on the back of your hand and it immediately snaps back into position – then that’s the work of collagen at its best.
If you do this when you’re in your middle years, the skin takes a lot longer to bounce back into position. This is because as we age the production of collagen declines, which is one of the main reasons why we see wrinkles and sagging on our faces.
Try it, pull the skin on the back of your hand and see how fast it goes back to position…
How The Skin Heals With Collagen
Your skin only produces collagen when it needs healing.
And you’ve just intentionally ‘wounded’ your face with a derma roller, now what?
Collagen is the Sergeant Major when it comes to healing wounds on your skin as it’s pulls all its resources together to heal the skin collectively. Other resources being cells such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes.
Related Reading:
Collagen Peptides & 15 Foods With Natural Collagen To Boost Your Skin
Together, these properties get rid of the damaged, dying skin cells and replace them with new healthy skin cells by boosting the growth of tissue in that damaged area.
I’m sure you’ve scraped or wounded your knee when you were younger and it just healed naturally – well that’s collagen in action.
And so if you use a 0.5+ mm dermaroller, then you’ll start producing collagen to heal those tiny punctures.
Dermarolling At Home
Derma rollers are very easy to buy Online, but you have to be careful because you don’t want to get an infection and permanent scarring. And when you start using the longer length needles, this is when your skin gets more prone to infection.
So to re-iterate what I said above about the size of the needles, here’s the scoop again with some time-lines…
1.0 mm is not safe for home use as you greatly increase the odds of infection and scarring. Go to a specialized clinic for the more in-depth micro needle roller treatment.
0.5 mm is all you need for collagen induction and you should never microneedle more than once every 4 weeks to allow collagen production to do its job. The reason being is that you can actually cease collagen production since the enzymes that break it down peak at the 2 week mark of post needling.
0.3 mm and below (0.25 is the standard size) can be used to increase penetration of skincare products and should only be used once per week.
How To Use a Microneedle Roller
How To Clean & Sterilize Needles
As you can appreciate, because you’re using needles on your face and puncturing your skin, you have to be very conscious of keeping the micro needles clean by sterilizing them.
You do this each and every time you use your derma roller.
- Fill a bowl with water and soap and agitate the used derma roller in the water to remove any blood, skin or sebum as just steeping the roller in alcohol will not remove this.
- Be careful not to hit the needles against the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, steep the dermaroller in 70% alcohol solution for 10-15 minutes, remove from alcohol and allow to dry.
However, if you buy a dermaroller, please read the instructions from the manufacturer very carefully as to the care and sterilization of the needles to avoid infection.
Serums and Creams To Use
Here’s the serums or creams you may wish to use:
- A numbing cream
- Skincare creams or serums
- After-use Serum
You won’t necessarily need a numbing cream with the at-home 0.25 mm micro needle dermaroller, however if you have really sensitive skin, then you may want to get some numbing cream.
Use your chosen skincare product which you want to penetrate into your skin at a deeper level.
Some people like to spread either a Vitamin C serum or a firming serum on their face after a 0.25 mm roll.
Price of Derma Rollers
Derma rollers are actually very inexpensive with the cost being anywhere between $10-$25.
Don’t forget that you’ll also need to purchase:
- Sterilizing solution
- Numbing cream (optional)
- Skincare creams and serums
- After-use cooling moisturizer.
However, this is still very low cost as compared to that of going to a beauty clinic.
Skin Needling At Beauty Clinics
The cost of this treatment at a beauty clinic will vary depending on the type of treatment you want, what you want to accomplish and where you live.
However on average, a one-session treatment would cost anywhere between $100-$700, again this is dependent on what you want done, your skin condition and your age.
It’s recommended that you have 4-8 sessions which will last approximately 30 minutes each.
Remember, if you want to get rid of deep wrinkles and other skin problems which require a 0.75 needle or above, then you must go to a clinic to get this done. Don’t do this at home yourself.
Conclusion
Derma Needling for Skin Problems
The same derma roller procedure applies to all of these skin conditions:
- Wrinkles
- Pigmentation
- Acne
- Scars
- Stretch Marks
So if you suffer from any of the above, then micro needling may just be able to help you.
Please note, I’m not a dermatologist nor a skincare specialist, so please consult your GP or your own skincare specialist before you try the derma roller at home, especially if you have acne.
Remember; there are three ways in which you can treat your skin condition:
#1 At Home: [Strongly Recommended] Use the 0.25 mm micro needle roller to ‘pin prick’ the top layer of your skin so your chosen skincare cream or serum can penetrate at a much deeper level. I’ve read that people have good results doing this using Vitamin C and firming serum.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps brighten the skin and even-out the skin texture and tone as it helps enhance collagen production. And for this reason, it’s a very popular choice to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles and sun damaged skin.
#2 At Home: Use a roller with 0.5 mm needles and this will produce some collagen. You should also apply your skincare serum after you’ve wiped your face. This will give your face both the collagen boost and the deep penetration of your Vitamin C serum.
#3 Skincare Clinic: Go to a skincare clinic and get it done professionally with a 1.0 mm microneedle. This will puncture your skin on a much deeper level, producing more collagen for new skin renewal.
Collagen
Collagen is used to repair skin wounds and the production of collagen will start immediately after the skin is wounded. Collagen and it’s fellow ‘cell-menders’ will work together to get rid of the dead and damaged skin cells and start laying new skin tissues to repair and build the needle ‘wounds’, which will in-turn create new, firmer skin cells leaving you with a more toned and firmer face.
So if you have skin pigmentation, acne or scars then this works in the same way in that the top layer of your (damaged) skin will be sloughed off and replaced with new, stronger skin cells.
Buying a Derma Roller
If you want to look into doing skin needling at home, then take a look at the Sdara derma roller. There are nearly 3,000 positive Amazon reviews about this roller and there are people using it for all the above skin conditions i.e. wrinkles, acne, skin pigmentation, scarring etc..
Click here for more information and
customer reviews about the SDARA Derma Roller
And don’t forget your Vitamin C Serum for after you use the derma roller!
Let me know how you get on!
Claire