Would You "Needle" Your Face for Beauty? Hong Kong Warns Against Derma Roller

Princess 19 on 19 Aug 2011 at 3:57pm

Would you voluntarily poke your face with needles just to get younger-looking skin?  Apparently, many women are willing to - so much so that in Hong Kong the government is issuing strict warnings against it.

Microneedle therapy - also known as the brand name Derma Roller - has been gaining a following amongst the celeb set.  Angelina Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt are rumored to be fans.  The process consists of rolling a needle-laden device over the skin with or without a skin cream or anesthetic.  Sounds painful.

"The tiny wounds created in this way stimulate new collagen synthesis leading to the desired improvements," says RealSelf contributor, New York-based dermatologist, Dr. Nelson Novick.

Apparently, the treatment has a laundry list of conditions it can cure, such as hair loss, wrinkles, cellulite, stretch marks, and hyperpigmentation.  Chinese women have taken to using it for the face to fix anti-aging issues.  As reported by the Daily Mail, the Hong Kong city council has issued stern warnings after many complaints - such as skin that is worse off than before the treatment.

"It is unwise to risk your life for a prettier appearance," says Hong Kong's community relations officer Philip Leung Kwong-hon.

derma roller before and after

The council's warnings also stem from the fear of unsterile equipment being used - as salons are rarely measured for sterility procedures.  This inadequacy could lead to a bevy of problems - including the contraction of diseases like hepatitis.

Some RealSelf readers have tried this "less than comfortable" treatment.  With a Worth It Rating of just 50%, the thoughts are mixed.

"Immediately post procedure, it plumped up my skin and so yes, my acne scarring looked 'diminished,'" says reader MissSydney.

"I have used the derma roller 5 times a week for the past 7 weeks and have seen no improvement what so ever..All the reviews i have read say its worked within days ..well it hasnt for me at all what a waste," says reader kenz.

With no scientific research to back-up the usefullness of this device, RealSelf doctors agree, try things that are proven effective.

"Dermaroller is intended for finer lines, scarring and perhaps as an anti-aging mechanism," says Virginia-based dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Oppenheim.  "Why use something with questionable benefit to address your concern when there is the perfect solution in Botox or Dysport?"

Whatever you may think, the Derma Roller (and copycat products) is getting a lot of attention due to the unconventional method of treatment.  It has been featured on shows such as Rachel Ray and The Doctors.  One thing, however, can be assessed from all the hype.  It is painful.  Maybe one prick from a Botox needle really is the way to go.

See The Doctors' entertaining discussion about this trend below.

Would you ever try a product like Derma Roller? 

Photo credit:  derma-roller.com

Comments (11)

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kitty cat kathy 31 Aug 2011
I love my derma roller and I feel the results are better than any treatment I have had in the past(peels,lasers,thermage)My facial skin looks red for a few hours afterwards, but for the first time in my adult life I can go without makeup.It smooths and firms.I am also using it around my navel to firm the skin which just recently began to look a little loose.I am using it on my inner thighs and seeing amazing things .This is the only area where I get little petechiae from the needles.This goes away in a a couple of days.
Yccerod 17 Feb 2013
What derma roller do you use? I have been looking All over the Internet And I find a lot of them that are cheap and crappy. Any suggestions would help thanks!
Happy Dermaroller patient! 25 Aug 2011
I've seen that knockoff roller among others & have seen the damage it has done. This is a great anti-aging/scar treatment in the hands of a trained medical provider, not a lay person or people acting like doctors & providing it's the Original Dermaroller from Germany the true inventor is Horst Libel. His Dermaroller is onetime use only, because they are not able to sterilize the roller, not only that it is consider to be real medical procedure, because it does go into the dermis. I've had the treatment done, due to my acne scars with GREAT success, my doctor did it in her office and there was no down time. I was thinking about laser and acid peels until I found out about the pigmentation problems and other issues associated w/that type of scar removal, not only that the Original Dermaroller is safe & works on any type of skin color.
miranda30 22 Aug 2011
I agree with the above comments. Cosmetic medical treatments need some respect. There are no risks if Performed by a Doctor or Dermatologist trained in this procedure. At home dermaroller kits have smaller needles and don't penetrate enough to cause any new collagen formation or scar reduction. I have used the genuine dermaroller on people with acne scars and I have seen a significant improvement.
Makenzie 24 Aug 2011

Good to know! 

This reminds me of those dead-skin eating fish... they are hugely popular overseas, but have started to be banned in some US cities (like Seattle) because it's too hard to regulate how sterile the salons keep them. They may work great, but are only worth it under the right conditions. Sounds like Hong Kong feels the same way about microneedling.

Princess 19 21 Aug 2011
Per above comments, this clarification is needed.  The article refers to the microneedle therapy being performed in salons, day spas and beauty spas in China – specifically in Hong Kong.  THOSE procedures are the ones that are not strictly regulated.  I would assume - and one would hope -  that if this procedure is done at a Chinese doctor's office, it is done with new sterile equipment and a trained physician.
Patient of Dermaroller 22 Aug 2011
Here is the US you can buy these rollers from all over the internet. I have not seen this any other countries. I spoke to my dermatologist about these sales online derma rollers and he told me that any needle or micro-needle that reaches the dermis, that layer I spoke to on my last post, is then considered a medical procedure and only medical professionals can perform this procedure. He also said that he had the same issue, bacterial infection, with a patient that bought a derma roller from the UK. Since the company was not in the US the patient could not have any legal action to cover the costs that she incurred while trying to stop the infection from this micro-needling device. All I know is that the dermaroller that my doctor used did the job and I am satisfied with my results!
Patient of Dermaroller 21 Aug 2011
I hear your point. It took me three months to uncover information about this odd procedure. After areating your lawn you are left with bits and pieces of the lawn on top. When I had the procedure performed by my dermatologist there was no bits and pieces of my skin left on top of my skin. So this is not the exact same as lawn areation. The micro-needling holes that the needles create need to only reach a certain level of the skin called your dermis. These holes fill in within five minutes and after, I was left with no burns, risk of infection, or anything about what was said in this china article. I give Dermaroller from germany thumbs up due to the fact that they only sell these derma rollers to doctors after they have trained these dermatologists, plastics, and family doctors. This was important to me that it wasn't from a garage from a seller over the internet.
Eric comment test2 (unregistered guest) 20 Aug 2011
Aerating your lawn makes sense, but I'm not sure about your face.
Patient of Dermaroller 20 Aug 2011
Ahhh. This china article was talking about consumers buying micro-needling rollers and doing this procedure at home. There are many well known doctors here in the US that have and are getting great results using the Official Dermaroller from Germany. Frankly, this micro-needle roller is one of the only researched and which shows great improvement with acne and burn scars. In fact the last article published was in an american plastic surgery journal. Doctors need to start reading their own journals. I have seen great results by having this procedure done thru a qualified doctor.
Makenzie 19 Aug 2011

OW! I am open to acupuncture, but that little tool looks plain scary. I would maybe try it with a very light hand...but I doubt that would even do much. Ow.

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