Can home dermarolling with .25 roller cause inflammation of skin or other problems?

Question

I'm 38 with normal skin and no skin conditions. I've done 3 BBL facials to help with hyperpigmentattion (from sun exposure) and I still have a significant amount. I plan on having my first Halo in one month. In the meantime I'd like to continue home dermarolling to increase product absorption (vit c, tretinoin, and skinmedica recovery complex). My aesthetician recommended I stop home dermarolling, however all the research I have done says this is harmless and great for product absorption.

Mitchell Schwartz, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Micro-needling, even with 0.25 mm needles, creates micro-channels in the skin which enhance penetration of topical serums and medications, dramatically increasing their effectiveness. Up to 80% of product can penetrate the skin compared to 7 to 10% with normal topical application. Therefore, it is very important that anything put on the skin after micro-needling has been tested to be safe to use after this procedure.However, because of their rolling action on the skin, I do not like rollers as they create a more erratic pattern of "tears" through the skin rather than the clean, more evenly distributed vertical punctures seen with the motorized micro-needling machines.
In my office, we use the ProCell Therapies system which combines motorized micro-needling with concentrated human growth factor serum from human stem cells.
This serum is made specifically for this treatment. Other products, such as vitamin C and tretinoin, are not.

Davin Lim, MBBS, FACD - Account Suspended · Answer

OK, everyone's view will differ with at home use, for me, if you are going to use a .25 mm at home with banal products I do not have a problem. Yes, it can be beneficial, and if you do not have any underlying skin conditions such as melasma (unique type of pigmentation), or rosacea, then it should be OK. The only comment I would make is be careful if you are using tretinoin cream/ gel. This can be irritating on its own, but post needling or rolling you are skating a thin line, depending on the concentration. I often advise 'homework' rolling for patients with a .25 mm needle in between my laser sessions, I think I maybe one of only a few Specialist that do so. With my regime, I start the low dose tretinion cream 4 days after low pass .25 rolling. I do believe this can augment your skin care regime, and give the patient some ownership of looking after their skin... along with SPF, sun protection etc... this is my holistic approach, and may not be shared by others. Dr Davin S. Lim. Brisbane. Australia.

Can home dermarolling with .25 roller cause inflammation of skin or other problems?

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Can home dermarolling with .25 roller cause inflammation of skin or other problems?

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Everything you need to know about Derma Roller

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.