All You Need To Know About Dermarolling


Mark Antony |  7 min read

Some of you may be wondering, "How inserting hundreds of little needles into your face can be called “skincare”? And why would anyone want to do that?" It sounds insane; however, microneedling has a lot of advantages, consisting of:

  • minimized wrinkles and stretch marks
  • lowered acne scarring and skin staining
  • increased skin thickness
  • facial rejuvenation
  • improved item absorption



For anyone who's searching for a way to take on these concerns in your home, microneedling might be your response. Here's what you require to understand about this amazing process.

What is microneedling?

Microneedling, often described as dermarolling or collagen induction treatment, is a cosmetic procedure in which countless tiny little needles are inserted into the surface of the skin through a rolling or marking gadget.

Dermarolling works by producing microscopic injuries which induce collagen and elastin production. If you didn't understand, “collagen” is the most plentiful protein found in the body and is accountable for holding together connective tissue like skin, muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones.

This charming protein is also what keeps us looking young and beautiful. Unfortunately, it's thought that collagen production slows down by about 1 percent annually after the age of 20, which translates to the big A word - aging.

Regardless of how scary dermarolling may appear, it's in fact considered a minimally invasive treatment with little to no downtime. However, the healing procedure does depend largely on the length of the needles used. Certainly, the longer the needles, the much deeper the injury, and that suggests the longer the healing time.

Dermarolling for hair growth

While used as an anti-aging skin treatment, microneedling may also be a method of treatment for hair loss. There’s even evidence that it can help hereditary hair loss, also known as alopecia.

If hair is sparse, such as in men who have lost their hair and have shaved the remainder off, use of 0.25mm to .30mm rollers are considered the best option.

In the treatment of women with thinning of the hair but the hair on the remainder of the head is quite long, use of a dermastamp is preferable to a roller. This will prevent the hair from becoming caught and pulled within the roller.

I have a nice 0.25mm scalp roller that I regularly use on every weekend. Use it just only once a week or once in 15 days. Mark your calendar, like I apply Derma roller on 1st and 15th every month.

What to use?

For male pattern baldness or female hair loss, it is recommended to use smaller sizes. Go for 0.25 mm to 0.5mm. DO NOT exceed 0.5mm. In my personal experience, it gives you side effects.

How to Use?

Roll it gently up and down, side to side and diagonal to diagonal on the scalp. Remember to be gentle; it should never give blood, which means you are applying too much pressure. Maintain a consistent direction and do not roll it slant or inclined directions.

Dermarolling for acne scars

The theory is that new collagen that’s formed will help smooth out your skin’s appearance, helping to fill in fine lines, wrinkles, and scars. To that end, skin needling may be used for:

Please note that microneedling works best for depressed acne scars. This has to do with the collagen-inducing effects. In case you have raised acne scars, you already have excess collagen in the treated area.

The latest studies have also noted that the effects of skin needling on acne scars are even better when the treatments are combined with vitamin C or PRP.

It sometimes takes as long as 7 months to see the results. In 70% of cases, however, you might notice gradual changes before 6 months. For most people, the requirement is between 3 and 6 treatments and return every 2 to 6 weeks for a treatment. It is recommended to follow a skincare plan while undergoing treatment. Research shows that this is a safe treatment for people of all skin colors.

Dermarolling and stretch marks

Many patients reported a reduction of wrinkles and improved skin texture.
Don’t believe claims can be fully removed. Stretch marks are deep scars in the dermis, and there is currently no method that makes them disappear. You can expect after 7-9 months of derma rolling and needling of stretch marks an improved texture, improved color, and slightly less indentation and width.

What size of the derma roller is best?

This will depend mainly on what you're trying to accomplish. Because we're everything about simplicity, here's a table summarizing what length must be utilized depending on what you're attempting to treat.

Note: Microneedling will not assist post-inflammatory erythema (PIE), which is inflammation or pink acnes. And be aware that derma rollers or microneedling instruments that are greater than 0.3 mm in length are not authorized or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.

How to use a derma roller?

Follow these steps specifically to avoid any hazards and unwanted infections.

Step 1: Sanitize your roller

Decontaminate your derma roller by letting it soak in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol for roughly 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Wash your face

Thoroughly clean your face using a gentle pH-balanced cleanser. If you're using a derma roller with needles longer than 0.5 mm, you'll likewise need to wipe down your confront with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol prior to the rolling procedure.

Step 3: Apply numbing cream, if required

Depending upon your discomfort tolerance, you might require to use an anesthetic cream. Nevertheless, you'll most certainly desire some numbing cream for anything above 1.0 mm, because that needle length will draw blood by means of identifying bleeding.

If you utilize numbing cream, follow the directions the manufacturer offers, and make sure to entirely clean it if off prior to when you begin rolling! Numb Master Cream 5% Lidocaine ($ 18.97) is a fantastic choice.

Step 4: Begin derma rolling

The strategy is extremely important, so listen carefully! Dividing up your face into areas makes the entire procedure easier. Please have in mind that some cosmetologists and medical professionals have some concerns about the following:

1. Washing your face is not enough prep. After washing your face the entire treatment area should be wiped down with a sterile wipe soaked with alcohol, otherwise, you will totally be pushing bacteria from your washcloth or towel into your skin.

2. Never put your derma roller/microneedle in tap water prior to treatment. Tap water contains bacteria, so you have literally undone your disinfection by the following alcohol with tap water. This practice could cause irritation or worse, skin infection.

3. The professional practice is to do multiple passes in one direction, then do your crosshatch directions, again multiple passes (5). But you should always roll in one direction, never back and forth. 

4. Avoid rolling in the shaded location, which represents the orbital (eye sockets) area.

5. Roll in one direction 6 to 8 times, depending on your skin tolerance and level of sensitivity, and ensure to lift the roller after each pass. So, roll in one direction. Lift up. Repeat.

6. Raising the derma roller after each pass avoids the feared "track marks" that make you look like a feline clawed your face.

7.  After you roll in the very same place 6 to 8 times, change the derma roller somewhat, and repeat. Do this till you have actually covered the whole section of skin you're treating.

8. After rolling in one direction, it's time to return over the location you simply rolled and duplicate the procedure in the perpendicular direction. For example, state you finished rolling throughout your forehead vertically, now would be the time to go back and repeat that entire procedure horizontally.

9. By the end of this whole procedure, you must have rolled over each area 12 to 16 times - 6 to 8 horizontally, 6 to 8 vertically.

Here's an informative video by Kim Sevy of what that looks like despite not keeping all of the above-mentioned rules.



Contrary to common belief, we do not need to roll diagonally. Doing so develops an unequal pattern circulation with more stress on the center. If you decide to do this, please beware and take additional preventive measures.

Follow up derma rolling with a basic skincare routine. That implies no chemical exfoliates or active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, tretinoin, and so on.

How frequently should you derma roll?

How often you derma roll likewise depends on the length of needles you'll be utilizing. Below is the optimum quantity of times you can utilize a derma roller within an offered timespan.

Use your best judgment here, and ensure your skin is totally recovered prior to beginning another session!

Rebuilding collagen is a sluggish procedure. Remember it takes the skin a fair quantity of time to restore itself.

How to enhance the results of microneedling with aftercare

To take your outcomes to the next level, use items that focus on hydrating, healing, and increasing collagen production. The single finest thing you can do post-rolling is to utilize a sheet mask.

The Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence ($ 19.60) is packed with fantastic active ingredients for collagen induction, anti-aging, even skin tone, and barrier function.

Not into sheet masks? Look for serums or products with:

  • vitamin C (either ascorbic acid or salt ascorbic phosphate).
  • niacinamide
  • epidermal growth elements
  • hyaluronic acid (HA)


Here's a list of item recommendations that include the active ingredients listed above:

If you choose to utilize vitamin C (ascorbic acid), relax! Its naturally low pH may irritate your skin. Rather, load up on it a few days before a microneedling session. Remember that it just takes three daily applications of 20 percent ascorbic acid to saturate the skin with vitamin C.

What can I expect after microneedling?

  • be red for a couple of hours, sometimes less
  • seem like a sunburn
  • swell at first (very small)
  • feel like your face is pulsing and the blood is distributing
Individuals often error the minor swelling they experience for overnight success, but the plumping impact you see at first will go away within a couple of days. However, as pointed out previously, duplicated rolling does have permanent results!

There will be some small erythema (soreness) for about two or three days, and the skin may begin peeling. If this does occur, do not choose it! The peeling will fall off naturally as time passes.

Related  products:

Derma Roller