Skin needling and dermarolling for scars and wrinkles
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- What is skin needling and dermarolling?
- Why skin needling and dermarolling can be effective
- Needling depths matter
- The advantages of skin needling and dermarolling
- How to needle and dermaroll safely and effectively (and a word of warning!)
What is skin needling and dermarolling?
Skin needling is a 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 for 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 lasts for several months and up to a year. This natural healing process is when the real skin 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 depressed scars and deep lines
- break down and reorganize scar tissue
- realign and stimulate new pigmentation
- After a few months, this new collagen will start to shorten. This leads to a 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 visible results can include the following:
- Hard or raised scars will soften and flatten
- Indented scars such as 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 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. (However, it is also more risky. ) The breaking of blood vessels appears to be key in 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—there may be improvements, but no dramatic results. This is also less risky. 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 that 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 skin peeling 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
A word of warning — when done incorrectly, needling CAN and HAS led to scarring.
Thus, I urge you to tread carefully. It may be prudent to test an area on your body before taking the plunge as this will give you an idea of its effects. Results also seem to vary widely across individuals, so take positive testimonials as a guide only.
Results may differ widely for several reasons such as:
- needle length and the amount of pressure used when rolling
- the frequency of the needling
- your own skin’s thickness
- your skin’s propensity to scarring or forming keloids
- age (your real/biological age rather than chronological age) and state of health
The last point may be the most critical. If you’re in poor health (e.g. drink alcohol, smoke daily, ingest excessive caffeine, have a poor diet with lots of processed food, stressed, constipated, suffer from a chronic lack of sleep, have vitamin/mineral deficiencies), you may not be an ideal candidate for dermarolling as your body’s healing mechanisms will be stymied. This would increase the risk of scarring (which is “incomplete” healing).
- 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 allows 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) if you are treating a very small area (e.g. a scar).
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 it 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 can 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. Take light 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.
Even maintaining a happy and relaxed state of mind can improve your body’s healing ability. Sleep enough hours so that you don’t feel tired when you wake up the next day.
- Use a Vitamin C-enriched topical
Applied topically, Vitamin C will also boost collagen and can make a great difference in your results. The Vitamin C will also penetrate deeper 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 for 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.
Dexter,
If you read through my posts you will see I wrote that I had the procedure done by a well respected plastic surgeon in NYC and he used a 3mm roller. The brand used from the medical roll cit made by Des Fernandes (the creator of the roll cit in the first place.) I paid $5,700.00 to have the procedure done. So as you can see, I went to one of the best qualified people to perform rolling. I went to a doctor to have the safest conditions possible, under the care of a plastic surgeon who was trained by Des Fernandes. The protocol of needle length and serums used afterwards is all set up by Des Fernandes. I trusted the doctor and his assistants when they said this would improve my skin. I have never rolled on myself and would never use anything cheap on my face. I am not misleading anyone. This is my true experience with a device that is being advertised as a good thing for skin, whereas in my case in changed my skin in a bad way. I would never recommend anyone do this procedure. Unless its on the body and you have very loose skin. The skin on the face is too thin. There is a reason why this procedure is not that popular…there is not enough long term evidence showing improvement. As someone who has gone thru this procedure, this is my opinion based on my experience.
Eve
Eve, thanks for the answers. A .3mm needle is extreme and especially if used on the face. I have never done the procedure but i have read and done a lot of research on it. The general consensus is that a .25 home roller does not do anything to induce CIT. To begine inducing collgen on the face, a minimum roller size of .5 is needed.I really hope that your situation will improve and return to normalcy.
Not only am I a bit surprised at the needle length, the cost is rather extreme, regardless of whom is performing the procedure. I’m sorry you had such negative results. I am also curious as to the details of your experience and why you don’t like the outcome.
I am thoroughly confused about the use of derma rollers. I ordered a 1.5 titanium MRS Roller after reading many positive reviews. Following my first use I experienced the sunburn like redness that I expected. While most the redness had resolved within about 48 hours, the inside of my vertical number 11 wrinkles between the brows remained red much longer, making the problem area look even worse and certainly far more noticeable. Discouraged, I felt I would not likely use the device again. My wishful thinking caused me to do a bit research on how the skin heals following needling and I realized that my expectations for a quick fix was too high…it takes months and months to see results. I continued on with 2 treatments per week and those subsequent treatments didn’t seem to worsen the wrinkles as did the first treament, however, I firmly believe the needling has caused acne blemishes. I had not had break outs in years but following all but one treatment, I developed a huge, painful pimple. I do clean my face well before use and I also clean my roller not just before use, but a couple of times during a single use to avoid injecting bacteria from one area of the skin to another. The truth is that soap and water or a dip in or spritz with alcohol does not sterilize a needle. With repeated use of these devices there is no way to avoid exposure to germs. I would like to believe that in eleven months I will see smoother, tighter, thicker skin but I am highly skeptical at this point. And if there truly is some future benefit from this procedure, I am convinced a one time disposable roller is a safer option. I have not searched for one time use rollers and have no idea whether they are even available. Since I did choose to try derma rolling, I will remain hopeful that something favorable will surface in a few months.
Sir,
How many dermaroller session can do on my face for box scar..(until rid off)
and How much gap between 2 dermaroller session?
I had derma roller procedure by a professional and had the worse acne breakout one week after the procedure. I waited incase they improve. I was advised to leave them alone and they would subside. A week and a half and the breakouts got worse. They resemble small boils, raised, very hard and painful. After twelve red lumps that stayed inflamed day after day, I went to a doctor who prescribed Doryx capsules. My experience so far with derma roller has been a nightmare. I initially wanted the treatment for my pigmentation problem, I know have an acne problem as well.
@Gin, I started dermarolling about 4 mts ago, (I am 43). I am using the 1.5 size dermaroller as well. After extensive research, I learnt that using this length more often than the recommended 1 time per month can actually cause your skin to be in a constant state inflammation, which is not conducive to CIT. Your skin needs time to renew itself and build collagen. I also make my own vitamin C serum and use infadolan cream, which helps immensely. I hope this was helpful to you. By the way, my skin is looking better than ever, and because I don’t have much expendible income every month, this is a sure way to do the best I can with what I have, and I think it’s a truly wonderful product! Good luck!!
How do you make your own vitamin C serum? I’ve been looking for a way to do this and have not found one yet.
I’m a Filipino guy, 29 yrs old. My dermatologist suggested I needed a dermarolling treatment to improve the appearance of my scars. She told me that about 85% of my acne scars would be gone after 5 sessions. Well, I can really say she was right. Most of my shallow scars are gone. Now I only have a few deep scars left but are hardly noticeable. People around me keep telling me that my skin look a lot better now. My confidence leveled-up because I found the answer. I just had my 5th session last monday, 3 days before my last session I started taking collagen supplement which I would probably have to continue because I noticed a faster healing and a glowing effect. I had such a positive effect because I followed my dermatologist’s do’s and don’ts after each treatment.
Hi Fred, thanks for sharing about the collagen supplements and your dermarolling experience. I think you were lucky that you had a good and knowledgable dermatologist. From what I’ve read in some forums, not everyone is as lucky.
3 mm is definitely extreme and has been found to give no better results than much smaller length needles. Using a .5 no more often than once a month, and a 1.0 a 1.5 no more often than every 6 weeks. Longer needles only for acne scars or stretch marks (in which case single needles work best).
Less is more with derma rolling! That’s good news anyway because it hurts!
It really does work but too often is counter productive.
I meant longer needles as in a 2.0 would Befor acne scars or stretch marks. No reason to ever go beyond a 2.0. That’s when you risk creating scar tissue.
i have done the needling treatment for scar but i didnt avoid the the sun exposure after 6 days and i think my face rednedd was reduced abit does it affect the treatment if u dont avoid sun exposure?
I’ve used a 1.5mm stamp the last year and half, for severe acne scarring on the side of neck area. Actual stamped about 4 or 5 times with 1 to 2 months recovery, I was very thorough stamping each acne area 20 times rotating the stamp and careful to sterilize and clean the stamp. I really see no improvement. I’d say I’ve given it a good shot and it doesn’t live up to all the hype..Skin needling sounds like it should work but I can confirm for anything other than maybe the finest of blemishes it don’t work.