Scar Reduction

Skin needling and dermarolling for scars and wrinkles

Last updated on 19th December 2009

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What is skin needling and dermarolling?
Why skin needling and dermarolling can be effective
- An overview of the needling/dermarolling healing process over a 12-month period
Needling depths matter
The advantages of skin needling and dermarolling
How to needle and dermaroll safely and effectively

What is skin needling and dermarolling?

Skin needling is the method of pricking the skin with tiny needles to :

tighten loose skin and reduce lines or wrinkles,
reduce scarring (e.g. acne scars, surgical scars, pitted scars/indented scars, raised scars/hypertrophic scars)
restore normal skin pigmentation (e.g. hypopigmented, hyperpigmented or uneven skin)

Dermarolling is skin needling done with a dermaroller. A dermaroller is a hand-held roller with a surface of tiny needles. They come in different lengths and sizes.

A look at what happens to skin during and after needling

Why skin needling and dermarolling can be effective

To understand why skin needling or dermarolling can be so effective to all the conditions above, it’s necessary to have a basic understanding of what happens after skin is pricked by a needle deep enough to cause pinprick bleeding.

To the human eye, after the skin is pricked by tiny needles, the pinpricks will bleed slightly, scab and then heal. This appears to be the end of the story. But it isn’t.

Beneath the skin’s surface, much more is going on. In fact, the healing response which begins immediately upon the injury kick-starts a healing process that last for several months, and up to a year. This natural healing process is when the real improvements take place.

An overview of the needling/dermarolling healing process over a 12-month period

Fibroblast will migrate to the injured site and produce and deposit new extracellular matrix
The new matrix cross-links and organizes itself
Over time, new collagen will:
- fill in any depressed scars and deep lines that are present
- break down and reorganize any scar tissue
- realign and stimulate new pigmentation
After a few months, this new collagen will start to shorten. This leads to the slow tightening of the skin.
After a year, this healing process will eventually lead to the formation of a thick layer of collagen, healthy elastin and improved blood flow at the initial injury site. Nestled in a small area, each needle prick’s healing process will blend seamlessly together to lay down an almost continuous sheet of collagen below the epidermis.
The visbile results of these can be that:
- Hard or raised scars will soften and flatten
- Indented scars like acne pits will fill in and appear less depressed
- Lines and wrinkles will soften, revealing tighter and smoother skin
- Hypo-pigmented areas will regain coloring, while hyperpigmented (darkened) skin will lighten to the color of normal skin
- Restored nerve endings will renew the skin sensitivity for badly damaged areas

Depths matter

If you decide to start skin needling and intend to do it yourself, you should be prepared for some amount of pain. The pain can range from mild discomfort and redness (for shallow pricking) to that of getting a tattoo (for needle pricks that penetrate about 1.5 mm into the dermis and cause slight bleeding).
In general, deeper needle penetrations into the dermis produces better collagen and elastin production. The breaking of blood vessels appears to be key to kick-starting the 12-month healing and reorganizing phase. Anecdotal evidence supports this as some people have reported that treated areas that bled and scabbed led to better results than ones that didn’t.
With very short needle lengths, the needle only reaches the topmost layer and there may be improvements but no dramatic results. However, even with very short needle lengths you may find improvements as any topicals you use after needling will penetrate deeper and become more effective many times over.

The advantages of skin needling and dermarolling

The surface skin remains intact. Unlike lasers which burn through the skin’s layers, including the topmost surface layer that is visible to us (the epidermis), needling does not destroy the surface layer. The tiny pinpricks will bleed with the initial injuries but these heal quickly, leaving the visible skin intact. As the skin is intact, there is no peeling or molting involved. And with that, very little downtime (roughly 5 days).

Low maintenance. The long healing process underneath will happen without any intervention. You may have to needle the site a few times for the best results, but other than that, your own body’s healing mechanism will do all the work.

Needling results in thicker and healthier skin. Needling does not permanently damage skin like lasers can. In fact, the skin’s natural healing mechanisms leads to healthier and thicker skin.

Low cost. If you choose to, needling can be done at home very inexpensively.

How to needle or dermaroll safely and effectively

Use the right tools – Dermarollers or individual needles

The most immediate question is which tool should be used? The two most common options are dermarollers (also called skin rollers or CIT rollers) and individual needles. Some people have also reported good results treating acne scarring with a tattoo gun.

Using individual needles allow you to control the depth of penetration and target specific locations (like a particular scar or a wrinkle). Individual needles can also be used for subcision needling. However, if you wish to treat a larger area, using them may prove to be too time-consuming. Dermarollers, on the other hand, make it much more convenient to treat larger areas.

Use the right type of needles. These should not be sewing needles or hypodermic needles, as the kind needed for skin needling are extremely thin. You can use acupuncture needles or tattoo needles (if they are thin enough).

Use the right type of rollers. Most sites will market the use of skin rollers, dermarollers or the like. Note that these will have varying needle lengths, thicknesses, and uses. Some of these can be used again and again while others are meant for single-use only.

Keep things sterile

Whichever tool you choose to use, keep them clean and sterile. You can do this by soaking the tools in a sterile saline solution before and after use.

Stay out of the sun until the redness subsides

As needling or dermarolling will lead to reddened skin which can be highly photo-sensitive, keep out of the sun during the first week. This will reduce your chances of developing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Sun exposure is safer only after your skin has lost its redness, which can last for 5 days. However, you can use makeup or coverup safely.

Space out your dermarolling/needling sessions

Space out your dermarolling sessions to give your skin sufficient time to heal. If you’re using longer needle lengths (to treat scars and wrinkles), taking a one-month break between rolls is recommended. You should continue to see changes during the break.

Keep healthy

Skin needling and dermarolling will only work as well as your body will heal. And the key to healing well is eating well. Eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce your alcohol intake and avoid smoking and drug use. Exercise and keep your stress levels down. Take extra Vitamin C, it’s been proven to boost the body’s healing response and helps build collagen.

Use a Vitamin C-enriched topical

Vitamin C applied topically will also boost collagen and can make a great difference in your results. The Vitamin C will also gain greater penetration following skin needling or dermarolling, enhancing its effectiveness by many times. You can use a store-bought lotion or make your own. Several sites sell Vitamin C in powder form (eg ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) which you can mix with distilled water to make your own solution.

Be patient (good things come to those who wait)

Finally, it is important to keep in mind when treating scars or wrinkles with needling and dermarolling that the best results will only be seen after a year. One year is a long time to most of us used to marketing pitches that sell quick fixes and miracle creams (and empty promises? lighter wallets?).

If you are interested in skin needling or dermarolling but feel discouraged by the year-long wait for results, then think of it this way – the year will pass whether you do it or not. So if you believe in the science behind skin needling, isn’t it better to try it sooner than later?

Over the year as you get busy with living your life, you may even forget about it completely. But that’s okay, because your skin remembers and is healing itself without any outside help. If you do decide to try it, skin needling can bring long-lasting and dramatic skin improvements.

Copper Peptides for Scar Reduction and Wrinkle Repair

Last updated on 31st July 2009

These days, copper peptides are found in many wrinkle creams. But they have been used for many years in hospitals to treat wounds, especially in patients with specific conditions like AIDS, where their skin is much more vulnerable and heal slowly.

Perhaps the most astounding property of copper peptides is their ability to lessen scars, no matter hold old these scars are. (whereas Vitamin E oil and aloe vera tends to be effective only on fresh scars from recent wounds.)

Unlike other topicals, the use of copper peptides on skin require quite a bit of user understanding for optimum results, and to avoid any temporary side effects.

Read this special guide for more.

Copper Peptides

Last updated on 15th November 2009

This guide follows my earlier post on copper peptides. This post is about the best ways to use copper peptides and the things that you can do to optimise results.

I won’t go into definitions here – I’m assuming you know what copper peptides are and what they’re commonly used for (wrinkles, scar reduction, hyperpigmentation, cellutite). If you don’t, scroll to the bottom of this post for a couple of links that can help you.

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Important Warning on Copper Peptide Overuse:

Some people experience side effects from overuse of copper peptides (either through too much applied, too frequently, or both). These side effects include looseness of the skin and sagging or wrinkly skin.

If you’re using copper peptides for the delicate under-eye area, be especially careful. Excessive use can also lead to irritation and skin redness.

However, the good news is that these side effects are usually temporary and your skin will heal itself over a few weeks. Take Vitamin C and MSM to speed up the healing.

(There have been rare reports of users experiencing wrinkly skin from overuse of CPs and not recovering i.e. having permanent damage from copper peptides. The best advice I can give you is to pay attention to the state of your skin while on CPs. If its suffering from overuse, stop copper peptide use until the skin tightens. Then lower your frequency to every other day or every few days. In other words, be kind to your skin.)

With copper peptides, the old adage is true – less is more.

Before You Start on a Copper Peptide Regimen…

1. Be prepared to stick to a long-term commitment. Scar reduction through copper peptides is a long process of 8 months to a year. Unfortunately, most people get disheartened when they don’t see results within a few weeks and they stop.

2. Progress is slow, so take a ‘before’ picture. Because skin renews itself every 28 days or so, progress can come very slowly so that its not noticeable. So help yourself by taking a good ‘before’ picture and save it. If you’re feeling that there has been no progress after 2 months or more, compare your skin’s current state to the ‘before ‘picture. You might be amazed, and this will help motivate you to stay the course.

3. Keep your regimen as simple as possible. If you keep your regimen as simple and fuss-free as possible, there’s a higher chance that you won’t get tired of it.

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How to Optimise your Results with Copper Peptides

While progress with copper peptides is slow, you can help speed up the results a little by doing the following:

1. Exfoliate. Skin renews itself faster if the top layer of dead skin cells are sloughed off regularly. Exfoliation also helps the copper peptides to penetrate more easily and deeply into the skin layers to target the scar or wrinkle.

You can exfoliate cheaply with a microdermabrasion cloth, or use gentle peeling agents like salicylic acid or lactic acid. Go slow if you have skin that darkens easily with trauma.

2. Take regular breaks from CPs. Copper peptides are excellent for breaking down scar tissue but constant daily use will not give your skin time to rebuild healthy tissue in its place. Find a cycle that works for you. Such as 1st month use CPs, 2nd month take a break, 3rd month use CPs, and so on. If that doesn’t work for you, try a weekly cycle instead. Find what works best for your skin.

The added advantage of incorporating regular breaks is that your skin will remain sensitive enough to copper peptides and you won’t build up a tolerance for it. You’ll notice that when restarting copper peptides after a break, your skin will feel much more tingly and you won’t need to use as much.

3. Take supplements to aid skin healing. I’ve already raved about the wonders of taking MSM before, and this time is no different. MSM coupled with Vitamin C will be especially helpful while you are on a copper peptide regimen.

These two supplements will not only speed up skin renewal and healing, but the MSM will make your skin cells much more permeable to the copper peptides, making the whole delivery process much more efficient.

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Further reading

How copper peptides works is quite complicated, and I do recommend that you learn as much as possible. Copper peptides require some understanding unlike other commercial topicals.

Go to this page for an illustration of how the skin is remodeled with copper peptides.

Here is an excellent history and summary abt copper peptides as well (Copper and Your Skin By William H. Dresher, Ph.D., P.E).