by Diane Hoffecker
Aesthetician & Owner, My Skin Devotion
We asked licensed aesthetician and instructor Diane Hoffecker to give us the scoop on a new skin therapy called derma rolling. What is it? How much does it cost? Does it hurt? And most importantly, does it work? Here’s her explanation.
Derma rolling is a treatment available for home use or through an aesthetician or doctor’s office. The derma roller is a revolutionary solution to many problematic skin conditions. These rollers have stainless steel micro needles that penetrate on a superficial level or more deeply into the skin. The needles create microscopic perforations into the layers of the skin, allowing serums, gels, medications, or other form of skin treatments to penetrate deeper into the skin layers for optimal absorption and effectiveness, thus achieving greater results.
The different needle size will determine if the treatment is done at home, through an aesthetician or at a doctor’s office. For home use, a needle size of 0.25 millimeter max is used daily to stimulate blood flow and increase product penetration. The tiny needle length is not painful and can be used on any area of the body. Needle lengths up to 1.0mm are used by aestheticians to treat fine lines, wrinkles, loose skin, enlarged pores, cellulite, stretch marks, skin pigmentation and light acne scars. Doctors’ offices use needles up to 3.0 millimeter. These will penetrate deep into the dermis, with a small amount of blood, and are meant to treat severe scarring.
Superficially, derma rolling is microscopically opening the pores, which allows much greater product penetration. The procedure is also very stimulating to the skin, increasing the blood flow. With the longer needle lengths, the needles will actually puncture the dermis, breaking strands of collagen. When a strand of collagen is broken, it will form into two new strands of collagen. Over time, those two strands of collagen will be fully grown, expanding the “foundation” of our skin. These deeper treatments are ideal for wrinkles, scars and aging skin.
Not all derma rollers are able to be sterilized, and aestheticians do not sterilize objects (we disinfect them). Rollers are also only good for up to 10 treatments, so they are disposable. Therefore, unless you are receiving rolling treatments in a doctor’s office, make sure that you have your own roller that is not being shared with any other clients. This is very important since the needles are puncturing the skin!
Derma rolling is also referred to as micro-needling and collagen induction therapy (CIT). Treatments are available at physicians offices and often range $250-275 per treatment. Aestheticians and nurses are averaged at $125.
Although you will feel results immediately, such as firm, tight skin, long-term results are fully achieved within six months of treatment. A consultation is necessary before treatment begins, and most skin conditions are treated in six sessions.
For questions about derma rolling, contact Diane through her My Skin Devotion site.
Made of medical grade needles attached to a rolling mechanism, these little wonders work by making minute “wounds” on the outermost layer of the skin; in a sense, fooling our bodies into going on healing mode and producing more of the much-needed collagen. The increased collagen created by using these tools go on to heal not just the intentional punctures from the derma roller but also to even out the rest of skin’s treated surface; thereby, helping to fill out fine lines and shallow pitted scars.