Dermarolling with the Homies

Aren’t we all in the search of “I woke up like this” skin? Since I was teenager I’ve had to deal with acne and because I’m tan, ended up with the dreaded hyperpigmentation. I’ve tried everything over the years: professional facials and peels. And since I’m a beauty junkie with an enterprising spirit, I tried stuff at home too: peels, microdermabrasion systems and serums that contained vitamin C but none of the products gave me the results I was looking for.
Until I read about dermarolling.

Dermarolling looked scary. A roller with needles that you rolled on your face?! In theory, the dermaroller when rolled over the skin, causes micro-injuries that causes the collagen to regenerate, revealing smoothing, plumper skin. Googling images of before and after pictures looked unreal. The before pictures of people with old scars revealed after pictures of people with blemish free and smooth skin. I knew I had to give it a try.

Perusing the web I came back with a few takeaways:

1. Make sure you disinfect your dermaroller with alcohol (the higher percentage, the better)
2. Keep the needle size between 0.25-0.50 mm anything greater, and you’re going into professional grade territory, which if used improperly, may cause damage.
3. Do not use serums that contain Vitamin C or retinol to roll as they may be too harsh for your skin

I tried it out and within 2-3 treatments my skin was brighter and smoother and the scars did seem to be fading. Ecstatic, I started rolling every 2-3 days and convinced one of my co-workers to try it with me.

We went Target to stock up on essentials: serum and alcohol to disinfect the dermaroller. A lady overheard us talking about it and offered her sage advice as she was an aesthetician that performed it at her office (perfect timing, right?!).

Her advice was as follows:

1. Roll every 3 weeks at MOST, to give your skin time to cycle through and regenerate collagen
   Do NOT roll on active acne
2. Make sure to disinfect your dermaroller with alcohol prior to using your dermaroller and after
3. Your serum should be simple, like a hyaluronic acid serum
4. Wait 15 minutes before you moisturize to allow time for your pores to close
5. Limit your physical activity the next day as your skin may be sensitive and sweating may sting.

Aggregating what I’ve learned from the internet and from the aesthetician we fortuitously ran into, I’ve narrowed down a dermarolling routine that I’ve had good results with:

1. Disinfect your dermaroller with alcohol prior to using it.
2. Wash your face really well and use toner to make sure that your skin is clean. (I use Cetaphil Cleanser and The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution.
3. Place a few drops of serum on your face. I use the Hyaluronic Acid from The Ordinary.
4. To start using the dermaroller, start vertically and then horizontally (like a hashtag). Make sure not to drag the dermaroller on your face. Continue for approximately 2-3 min. It’s slightly uncomfortable, you can feel the needles, if it becomes to uncomfortable STOP!
5. Add another layer of serum and wait 15 minutes before using your moisturizer. I use The Ordinary’s 100% Cold Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil.
6. Make sure to disinfect your dermaroller again before putting it away.

Keep your dermarolling to once every 3 weeks to give your skin time to rest. Don’t apply too much pressure, the dermaroller should glide onto your skin. It will feel uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t feel intolerable. You know your skin, so roll cautiously. Happy rolling!!!!