Isn’t it crazy that as we age, you can physically start to see those signs of aging pop through slowly? I mean this forehead of mine felt like it started getting lines across it what seems like overnight. So let’s talk about the results I’m seeing. Why should you add a dermaroller to your skincare routine and how often to use that dermaroller? I just started using a micro needler or a “dermaroller” two weeks ago and I can already see a difference in the texture of my skin. I took a before picture and will take an edited picture here in a couple months with consistent rolling! I’m going to tell you exactly how I keep my skin looking young and share all the need-to-knows, after all you want to fully research before doing something this “intense.”
As a mom with four littles, I spend a lot of time awake, a lot of sleepless nights and my skin isn’t able to repair like it used to. During the night is when your body repairs itself. It’s when your skin heals, your insides decrease inflammation and you recoup all that energy you lost throughout the day. Not only that, but it repairs your skin! And one of the main staples (and maybe most important staple) of skin repair is collagen! That’s exactly what the dermaroller does for you: encourages the production of collagen to fill in wrinkles and lines.
First of all, what is a dermaroller?
You may be wondering how in the world pricking your face hundreds of times per week is going to help you look better. Though dermarolling seems like it could be harmful or hard to do at home, it’s actually considered a minimally invasive procedure. A dermaroller (otherwise known as microneedler) is a little roller with a handle that has tiny needles on it (.25-.5mm usually). The needles pierce the skin, just enough to trigger the healing collagen your skin naturally produces, but not enough to actually hurt you. The process creates hundreds or thousands of tiny “injuries” and your body’s natural response is to send collagen and elastin to repair – AKA younger skin!
Microneedling or dermarolling is something that you can add to your skin care routine once a week or less often. With consistency, you will certainly see results! See some before and after video results below. Doing it at home can be intimidating, but one professional micro needling session can be anywhere from $700 and up!
Did you know that before the age of 25, your body produces its own collagen. This allows it to quickly and easily fill in wrinkles overnight. After age 25, we need to help our skin along a little bit. Let’s just say if you argued whether Backstreet Boys or NSYNC was better, it’s time for a collagen routine!
BENEFITS OF ROLLING:
- Rolling over wrinkles, scars, stretch marks, rosacea, and most skin imperfections can improve their appearance.
- New collagen and elastin are produced when the needles permeate the skin and if you’ve read anything about skin care, you know that collagen is great!
- Because of the benefits on the above skin imperfections, you will see overall anti-aging benefits from dermarolling.
- Increased product absorption
“Home treatments rarely go deep enough to give dramatic results [for more affected skin] but can enhance exfoliation and product absorption,” says Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital and co-creator of Pure BioDerm. “Patients who are consistent with home treatments over a four to six month period can definitely see improvements.”
How to use a dermaroller?
- Wash your face so we aren’t spreading bacteria around.
- Mentally divide your face into four sections, place a + on your face and those will be your four sections.
- Start with the first section. Roll from bottom to top (not back and forth) with moderate pressure and repeat in the same spot 6x (you can work your way up to 20x on each spot). With a .25-.5mm needle, you should NOT see any bleeding. If you do, you’re pushing too hard.
- Move the roller to the next strip of skin and repeat vertically.
- Then do the same thing horizontally. 20 times in the same spot (always avoiding the eye area).
- Once you’ve rolled your entire face (excluding eye areas), use a good eye cream and face lotion or serum which helps get those antioxidants deep in your skin. A dermaroller will help any product permeate deeper into the skin, so it’s important to choose the product you use following your roll wisely.
- Sanitize your dermaroller in Briotech sanitizer (nontoxic sanitizer) so you don’t risk an infection.
Things NOT to do when rolling:
- Don’t roll more than 20 times on each spot and make sure you work your way up to 20.
- Do not roll more than 3 times per week (once a week for .5mm).
- Make sure your derma roller needles are perfectly straight and don’t have any bent needles because this can cause damage and even scarring
- Know that results aren’t immediate and take time. It takes at anywhere from 3-12 rolling sessions for you to notice a difference.
- Do not use on acne areas, it is likely that your acne will spread to other areas of the skin because you are spreading the bacteria when you roll over the acne effected area. You CAN still acne prone areas to improve acne, just make sure you don’t have any active spots when you roll. If so, just avoid that area.
- Do not apply make up directly after rolling. I recommend rolling before bed.
- Do not expose your skin to exfoliants or direct sunlight for 24-48 hrs after rolling.
- Don’t use the same derma roller for too long. You will want to replace the derma roller after 10-15 uses.
It’s important to note that derma rolling isn’t for every person. “Patients with rosacea tend not to tolerate microneedling,” Welsh says. “While some patients with active acne can benefit, we prefer to not treat active acne patients due the potential for flares. Patients with very thin skin and sensitive skin should avoid microneedling.”
Is Micro Needling for Everyone?
Those with sensitive skin should be careful with how frequently they use the derma roller because their skin may not react as well as others. Take it slow if this sounds like your skin. Those with aging skin will certainly see the most benefits – AKA are you over 25 or 30 years old? This is a great thing to add to your routine if so! Instead of going to get expensive and invasive fillers, you can use derma rolling to fill in those spots. It’s also a very effective treatment for those with dark spots or acne scarring. Note: This does not mean those with active acne should be derma rolling. If you derma roll with active acne, you can actually spread the bacteria around and worsen your skin. Just something to be aware of!
What to Expect After Microneedling
You may experience some redness and swelling immediately after using the derma roller, but it should go down fairly quickly. I always recommend rolling before bed so that your skin has the opportunity to heal and recover overnight. This way, you also won’t have any concern about going out the next day with redness or swelling. You can also expect to be a little tender to the touch, something like a minor sunburn or pulsing. These are good signs because we want to get the blood rolling and circulating to the skin where it is otherwise not as active. This helps with quick healing and collagen production.
How Often to Use a DermaRoller or Micro-needler
How often you should use a dermaroller depends on the size of the microneedles.
- .5mm – 1 time per week
- .75mm – Every 2-3 weeks
- 1.5mm – Once a month (at a salon)
- 2mm – Every other month (this is salon length needles, do not use at home)
Which Needle Length is Best For You?
Research shows that depending on the skin concern you have, there are different needles that are the ideal length to get you the results you want. Find the skin concern you have and check below!
Enhance Your Results: Anti-Aging from the Inside Out
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in the body when you’re young, but it is rapidly depleted after age 25. You need to choose a high quality collagen to ingest as well. I recommend this collagen as it is created from high quality, organic, grass-fed beef. That’s the highest quality collagen you can get for a great price!
The particular collagen I recommended above also has immune benefits because it is full of superfoods and immune boosting vitamins such as zinc and other minerals. See some of the benefits below:
See Others’ Results Below!
What do you think? Time to add a derma roller to your routine? The one I use from amazon is sold out, but here is another one very similar.
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