Dermaroller – DIY Microneedling for Beautiful Skin

If there is a sentence you can’t casually slip into conversation, it would be “I’m regularly stabbing needles into my face to make my skin look pretty.”

But it actually makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t have to be very painful. Using dermaroller is easy and straightforward and it gives amazing results! Why not give it a try?

What Is Dermaroller?

Dermaroller is a beauty tool you can use to perform at-home microneedling. It looks like an around 5 inches long paint roller covered in hundreds of tiny needles. Its use is very straightforward – you roll it over your face, penetrating the upper layer of your skin over and over again.

This triggers an inflammatory response which forces your skin to work to repair itself. Simply put, you’re creating a trauma which your skin is trying to solve by putting all its might into a healing process, whose one part is rebuilding collagen.

As a result, collagen and elastin production is boosted to the max. Your skin is rebuilding itself, creating new skin, young, bright and perfect, to replace old, injured one. So, you are pretty much getting new skin.

Unlike microneedling you can get in a salon, dermaroller for DIY use is less intense (unfortunately, the results are also less striking), less painful, no bleeding involved and you don’t have to spend a fortune on monthly appointments.

10 Benefits of Using a Dermaroller

Since it encourages your skin to rapidly repair itself, dermaroller can be used to treat many skin issues. Just go to YouTube and check out how amazing results some girls achieved. Some of the major benefits of dermarolling include:

1. Dermaroller treats acne and fades acne scars and discoloration.
2. It can smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.
3. Pores are less visible.
4. It gets you rid of old, dull looking skin.
5. Dermaroller improves the texture of the skin.
6. It can help in fading scars and stretch marks.
7. The skin absorbs the products much better.
8. Your skin is silky soft and smooth.
9. Your face is better hydrated and radiant.
10. With regular use, your skin becomes firm, plump and younger looking.

How to Choose a Good Dermaroller?

Getting the right tool to get the job done is crucial. But, with so many dermarollers on the market, this is not an easy task. There are, however, a couple of things to pay attention to.

First, depending on the results you want to achieve, you get to choose between many different lengths of needles.

Though the needle length ranges from 0.25 – 2.55 mm, most professionals suggest using 0.3 – 0.5 mm needles and never over 1.5 mm on your face. That is enough to punctuate the skin and trigger the reaction, but the chances of damaging the skin are much lower than with longer needles.

If you still want to try out longer needles, better go to a professional and let him do the job.

You should change your dermaroller after 10 – 15 uses. If you don’t get the needle length right the first time, every next time you’ll have a much stronger sense of what suits your skin best.

As for the material, stainless steel and titanium are two the most common choices. They both have their advantages over the other. The biggest difference is that titanium needles are much stronger than any others, which makes these rollers more durable.

On the other hand, stainless steel needles are finer and sharper than titanium needles, which makes them safer for the skin, especially for the sensitive areas.

Though better for the skin, this also means you’ll have to replace your dermaroller often – stainless steel needles tend to lose their sharpness after only 2 – 3 usages.

The Procedure

If you are considering using a dermaroller, it would be best to first visit your dermatologist to check if your skin is not too sensitive and whether you are the right fit for this treatment.

You should also ask him for advice on how often you should use this treatment. This could vary a lot, depending on the condition of your skin. While some girls can use dermaroller a couple of times a week, others shouldn’t use it more than once a month.

Using it rarer than you should won’t give you the desired results. On the other hand, if you use it too often, it could lead to broken capillaries or even give your skin a plastic look.

You shouldn’t use dermaroller on fresh pimples.

Other than that, the procedure is very simple:

1. Cleansing

If you’ve decided to give dermaroller a try, you are going to have to adopt a very strict cleansing routine, both of your face and of your roller. Basically, you will be creating a lot of tiny holes all over your face.

That is great because it means your serum and moisturizer can reach much deeper. But it also creates entry points for any bacteria that come in touch with your face. Simply put, there is a high risk of infection.

Remove any makeup off of your skin and cleanse it well. Wipe your face with alcohol or antibacterial toner.

Disinfect your dermaroller using isopropyl alcohol.

2. Dermarolling

Place your dermaroller on your face and roll it without applying too much pressure. Find a pace you are comfortable with and pay attention to your skin’s reactions.

After every 5 – 10 rolls, lift your dermaroller and change direction (horizontally, vertically and diagonally) for each area of your face you want to treat.

3. Aftercare

At this point, your skin will probably be red, sensitive and slightly swollen, but all of that should subside in a couple of hours. Apply your topical product (serum or moisturizer).

Wash your dermaroller thoroughly and soak it in alcohol.

What to Apply after Dermarolling?

The tiny channels you create in your skin allow anything you apply to be absorbed much faster and deeper into the skin. This is a great opportunity for you to supply your skin with high-quality ingredients.

However, this also means that all the bad stuff will be absorbed easier as well. So pay special attention to any parabens, preservatives, artificial color or scent or any other harmful and irritating matters your products contain.

Some experts also recommend caution with vitamin C, retinol, AHA and BHA. Though these ingredients are more than desirable in your skincare products, after dermaroller their impact on your skin will be much more powerful and they might irritate or even damage your skin.

Opt instead for serums, masks or moisturizers that are gentle and hydrating (for example, with hyaluronic acid), and especially products that stimulate cell renewal. Perhaps you could try out some organic line. You can even find products created especially for treating the skin after a dermarolling session.

Thinking about trying out dermarolling? Check out these rollers below, suitable for every skin type and every budget (the prices mentioned are from February 2018):

• Beauty Bioscience GloPro Microneedling Regeneration Tool ($199.00)
• ORA Microneedle Face & Full Body Roller Kit ($85)
• Nurse Jamie Beauty Stamp ($50.00)
• SDARA Skincare Microneedle Derma Roller ($16.97)

Want to see how microneedling with a dermaroller actually looks like? Huda Kattan, the founder of Huda Beauty makeup line has made a video tutorial, explaining pretty much everything you need to know. You can check it out below. And, of course, don’t forget to watch Huda’s other tutorials – she has some amazing ideas for you!