The Benefits of Dermarolling at Home: A Complete Guide
Microneedling may reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles and support the overall health of your skin. But it’s best handled by a professional.
You may wonder, “How in the world is inserting hundreds of little needles into your face relaxing? And why would anyone want to do that?” It sounds unusual, but microneedling has a ton of benefits, including :
- reduced wrinkles and stretch marks
- reduced acne scarring and skin discoloration
- increased skin thickness
- facial rejuvenation
- enhanced product absorption
For anyone who’s looking for a way to tackle these concerns at home, microneedling might be your answer. However, microneedling is best when done in an office by a skin care professional.
Generally, your home is not as sanitary as a skin care professional’s office. Doing this procedure at home does pose safety risks, such as infection.
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Here’s what you need to know about this process.
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Microneedling, often referred to as dermarolling or collagen induction therapy, is a cosmetic procedure in which thousands of tiny little needles are inserted into the surface of your skin via a rolling or stamping device.
Dermarolling works by creating microscopic wounds that induce collagen and elastin production. Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the human body and is responsible for holding together connective tissue like skin, muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones.
It’s believed that collagen production slows down as you age, which translates to skin thinning and impaired barrier function.
Despite how alarming dermarolling may seem, it’s actually considered a minimally invasive procedure with little to no downtime. However, the recovery process does depend largely on the length of the needles used.
The longer the needles, the deeper the wound — and that means the longer the recovery time.
This will depend largely on what you’re trying to accomplish. Generally, a needle length of 0.25 millimeters (mm) to 1.0 mm works best. Since we’re all about simplicity, here’s a table summarizing what length should be used depending on what you’re trying to treat.
| Concerns | Needle length (millimeters) |
|---|---|
| shallow acne scars | 1.0 mm |
| deep acne scars | 1.5 mm |
| enlarged pores | 0.25–0.5 mm |
| postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (blemishes) | 0.25–0.5 mm |
| skin discoloration | 0.25–1.0 mm (start with the smallest) |
| sun damaged or sagging skin | 0.5–1.5 mm (a combination of both is ideal) |
| stretch marks | 1.5–2.0 mm (avoid 2.0 mm for home use) |
| surgical scars | 1.5 mm |
| uneven skin tone or texture | 0.5 mm |
| wrinkles | 0.5–1.5 mm |
Note: Microneedling won’t help postinflammatory erythema (PIE), which is redness or pink blemishes.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any microneedling instruments for sale over the counter.
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Follow these steps precisely to avoid any hazards and unwanted infections.
It’s important to remember that the following recommendations are generalized for almost everyone. Most studies on microneedling are case reports or very small studies . Treatment sessions and settings like needle length, depth, and the number of passes need to be further explored.
Consider starting with the shortest needle length, depth, and number of passes until you understand how dermarolling affects your skin.
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Step 1: Disinfect your roller
Disinfect your dermaroller by letting it soak in 70% isopropyl alcohol for approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 2: Wash your face
Thoroughly cleanse your face using a gentle pH-balanced cleanser. If you’re using a dermaroller with needles longer than 0.5 mm, you’ll also need to wipe down your face with 70% isopropyl alcohol before the rolling process.
Step 3: Apply numbing cream, if needed
Depending on your pain tolerance, you might need to apply an anesthetic cream. However, you’ll most certainly want some numbing cream for anything above 1.0 mm, since that needle length will draw blood via pinpoint bleeding.
If you use numbing cream, follow the instructions the manufacturer provides, and make sure to completely wipe it off before you start rolling!
Step 4: Begin dermarolling
The technique is very important. Visually splitting up your face into sections makes the whole process easier. Here’s a visual of what that looks like:
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Avoid rolling in the shaded area, representing the orbital (eye sockets) area.
- According to one 2015 literature review, roll in one direction about four times, depending on your skin tolerance and sensitivity, and make sure to lift the roller after each pass. So, roll in one direction. Lift up. Repeat.
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Lifting the dermaroller after each pass prevents “tram track” scarring.
- After you roll in the same place several times, adjust the dermaroller slightly, and repeat. Do this until you’ve covered the entire section of skin you’re treating.
- After rolling in one direction, it’s time to go back over the area you just rolled and repeat the process in the perpendicular direction. For example, say you finished rolling across your forehead vertically, now would be the time to go back and repeat that entire process horizontally.
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Contrary to popular belief, we may not need to roll diagonally. Doing so could create an uneven pattern distribution with more stress on the center. If you decide to do this, please be careful and take extra precautionary measures.
Step 5: Wash your face with water
After you’re done microneedling, rinse your face with water only.
Step 6: Clean your dermaroller
Clean your dermaroller with unscented detergent. Create a soapy water mix in a plastic container, then swish around the roller vigorously, ensuring the roller doesn’t hit the sides.
The reason we use detergents directly after rolling is that alcohol doesn’t dissolve the proteins found in the skin and blood, but detergents contain enzymes that can break down these proteins. According to the Cleaning Institute, the enzyme protease is best for cleaning protein stains, like blood.
Step 7: Disinfect your roller
Disinfect your dermaroller again by letting it soak in the 70% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes. Put it back in its case and store it somewhere safe.
Step 8: Continue your basic skin care routine
Follow up the dermarolling with a basic skin care routine. That means no chemical exfoliants or active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, tretinoin, etc.
Use a gentle cleanser and moisturizer.
