Disclosure: This is my own personal experience with Dermarolling and using a Dermapen and is in no way a message to people to go ahead and jump into dermarolling or using a dermapen without first educating yourself or being trained in how to use a Dermapen.
*This Post is only about Microneedling. If you’re interested in Nano-needling, check out this post here.
What You’ll Need
• Derma Roller/ Microneedling Pen
• Pure HA with no additional ingredients
• Sanitized One-Time use Gloves
• Rubbing Alcohol (70%)
• Hand Sanitizer Wipes
• Aquaphor for Aftercare
• A sterile surface
Areas of Application
So actually dermarolling or collagen induction therapy can be performed almost anywhere on your body, probably with the exclusion of your eyelids, balls and Asshole (Ouch! Lol). Although relatively inexpensive to perform at home, it’s way too much effort for me to focus on areas other than the ones that I’m looking to improve.
This is just a couple minutes after finishing the third session and just finding my face with water. Your face will be red and feel like a sunburn, but just make sure you apply only HA and Aquaphor afterwards as anything else will irritate.
Face
This one should be obvious. When we talk skincare 9/10 we are focusing on our face rather than other areas of our body. And rightfully so as our face is visible at all times lol.
Dermarolling can be beneficial for many things including fine lines and some wrinkles, I haven’t actually gotten any yet- thanks for Tretinoin and Botox but, for those who are at that stage, the results defiantly speak for themselves.
Things like complexion and texture can also be improved even with visible changes after a couple of sessions.
Buttocks
I’m not gonna lie, I love it for this reason. It really actually gives you a nice glow and evens out the complexion down there over time. Obviously, the lengths of needles your use needs to be adjusted as this area has quite more fat then your face does. Combined with Vitamin C prep prior to usage and with a good nightly lotion (I use Paula’s Choice BHA/AHA alternating them, or sometimes just basic Cerave) the results can be awesome, keep that Butt ready for anything 🤫
Hair Loss
So I don’t really deal with hair loss per se in the family, my dad is 60 and still has all his hair- but I defiantly can notice a thinning since my teenage years, mostly because at that time I was obsessed with constantly changing my hair colour and have gone blonde many times, sometimes orange haha.
I would more recommend going the Dermaroller route with scalp applications as you are able to stop and slow down as you go and exercise a greater amount of control rather than with a Dermapen. I also find that using a Dermapen on the scalp it’s sometimes annoying can you have to change the angle as you go along, and sometimes the hair will get caught up in the needle, ouch. Also, you can’t really apply HA to your scalp so just a gentle rolling over the area that your working on with a Dermaroller, in my opinion, is much easier and comfortable than using a pen.
Dermarolling alone has its benefits for your scalp but many will choose to combine this than with something like Rogaine as it will create micro-channels in your scalp and allow for better absorption of the product.
You don’t want to go super deep here anyway because you’re just looking to increase product absorption and not induce collagen or anything. Also, it goes without saying that your scalp has almost no fat and anything deep here would seriously hurt. That being said if you roll and use the right length needles you won’t experience any discomfort at all. It’s almost like an enjoyable scratch to me.
The most annoying part is the Rogaine because you need to apply it twice a day and they recommend to apply indefinitely in order to stop hair loss and stave off any hair loss in the future. I’m not sure that something I’m really comfortable about, so for me, I’m more leaning towards just Dermarolling itself. My mom is a nurse and I and my sister have always been taught growing up that like, taking medicine or pills is not always the best solution and that you should allow your body to sort things out itself instead of pumping it with drugs.
When we got the flu In school it was like, suffer it out cough syrup doesn’t really do shit lol. If we got a headache, it’ll pass or lie down, don’t just always take Advil, that kind of thing. Don’t mistake this for anti-Vax mindsets, we literally vaccines for anything we could haha.
Basic
With the exception of the scalp, your going to want to make sure you’re using a good Hyaluronic Acid with a high molecular weight, and with minimal ingredients, because you don’t want to be introducing irritants into the deeper levels of your skin, and this is mostly just for slip.
Also after doing some research I’ve decided against and don’t recommend applying things like Vitamin C serums immediately after you’ve finished and channels are open as research has shown that this can actually create granules under the skin.
A granuloma is a type of inflammatory process where the immune system tries to wall off to substances that it perceives as foreign but is unable to eliminate. A granuloma can form in response to organic or inorganic material, microorganisms, chemicals, etc. Granulomas can be infectious or sterile. They can undergo necrosis. They can inflame and distort nearby tissues.
This is the HA that I choose to use and one that’s been recommended by professionals as it has nothing but HA, and no additional ingredients to ensure nothing unnatural is getting under your skin. Forget any of those fragranced HA serums from Sephora.
Tools
Dr Pen M8
I went ahead and purchased this one since it was the newest unit and the Dr. Pen series comes most recommended by Penny (Check our her YouTube channel here for all kinds of tutorials on at home skincare particularly about Microneedling).
I like this model a lot since it’s wireless as well so you don’t have to deal with cords going everywhere wrapping around your face or body (Think wireless straightener). The unit is adjustable to six speeds and the depth of the needles can be adjusted from .25 all the way up to 2.5mm (Which id never use at home).
The charge actually lasts a long time, I’ve used it for 7 sessions currently and the charge is still running. Please don’t reuse the cartridges, they are disposable and meant to be tossed after one use.
Important Reminders
Your literally putting needles into your skin. This is not something you want to eh reckless about because there is always a chance of infection.
Make sure you first sanitize needles with rubbing alcohol and the same goes for your face (pads are better) or whatever part of your body that your needling.
Wear gloves. This goes without saying but keep in mind just putting on gloves isn’t enough. Think of McDonald’s or other fast food places. They don’t wear gloves because they constantly wash their hands. If your wearing gloves and touching unsanitized surfaces then you’ve then got those on your gloves as well. Pay careful attention to sanitizing anything you use and if you touch something that’s not, put on another pair.
Recommended Needle Lengths
You don’t have to have blood pouring out everywhere for Microneedling to be effective and that has been backed by numerous research articles. I rarely get any pinpoint bleeding even at depths up to 1.5mm, with the exception of the forehead area where you would never use this length anyways. Men happen to have thicker skin so sometimes I adjust on this basis but we aren’t talking that much thicker.
I’ve included a chart here to just reference what are the recommended depths. Keep in mind you know your own face and these are max depths, not ones you have to go as deep as it indicates.
Treat your Microneedled skin like a sunburn. You wouldn’t apply Vitamin C to burned skin or serums. Keep it basic. HA and then before bed a thin coat of Aquaphor to seal in your skins moisturizer and calm down the redness.
Aftercare
Okay I should just tell you not to use Tret after Microneedling or prior too, but I do this personally it’s up to you. Some people encourage it. But you should be weary of using any of these products when Microneedling or directly afterwards:
• Vitamin C
• Serums
• AHA/BHA Exfoliants
• Products with fragrance or essential oils
• Facial Oils
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference in needle counts?
You’ll see different needle heads coming with Derma pens from 8-45 usually, also Nano heads. What’s the difference with more needles? The amount of pressure needed and the penetration of those needles. There is actually science and research to this.
How frequently can I Microneedle?
This depends on the length that you’re using. For example, if your going anything above 0.5mm on your face, you shouldn’t repeat this again for a minimum of four weeks. You be the judge of your own skin but no more frequently then once every 4-6 weeks. Otherwise you’re being counter productive and actually disrupting collagen production.
The exception to this rule is Nano-needling, you can do this as often as you like, just watch your skin and if it becomes irritated, lean off it. Also nano needling with Vitamin C should be fine, you’re not doing anywhere as deep as Microneedling.
Why am I not seeing superficial bleeding?
You don’t need to be looking for superficial bleeding, this isn’t an indicator of how deeply your penetrating of how effective your Microneedling session is. Men, in particular bleed less then women who have thinner facial skin. This varies from person to person and you should stick to the guidelines and not increase needle depth because you want to induce bleeding like those wack YouTubers with a degree in streaming and absolutely no knowledge of Microneedling.
Can I roll or needle over acne or boils?
New research indicates that there isn’t an issue with needling over acne. It’s long been said to avoid these areas, and most guides will suggest you do.
If you have a large pimple or boil you need to be careful, a boil in particular if needles is going to bleed, sometimes a lot. It’s better to see a doctor and have them drain a boil, or prescribe antibiotics rather then going over a boil. Tretinoin will also help with clearing these from skin, although it will take time.
KESEN+
Canadian born , Asia grown. Kesen is a personal blog with a focus on Asia Pacific, SEO, Wordpress & self-composed music. KPU Asian Studies.
0コメント