Sarah Vaughter answers questions about OwnDoc products
Forums => Dermarolling / Microneedling => Topic started by: SarahVaughter on January 21, 2010, 05:57:47 PM
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Infadolan is a medical grade, regenerative, protective ointment with vitamins A+D and Lanolin. There are several reasons why we chose INFADOLAN.
First of all some other A+D ointments contain Zinc oxide, which is a mild astringent. An astringent is a chemical substance that shrinks and constricts body tissues. Zinc oxide acts as a skin-drying agent and can act as a skin anti-inflammatory. Astringents cause mild coagulation of skin proteins and that causes the skin to dry up. Zinc's "drying" properties are very beneficial in treating diaper rash, oily skin with acne or any other skin condition where drying the skin is desirable. Zinc oxide is also an excellent sun protection because it reflects the UV rays.
After dermarolling though, the "open" skin should be kept as moisturized as possible and that's why substances with astringent and dessicating (drying) properties are not suitable. Secondly, some A + D ointments contain a strong antinflammatory ingredient and which should not be put on your skin after rolling. The reason is that the dermaroller basically causes a mild, controlled inflammation of your skin, that inflammation triggers certain responses in the skin such as collagen induction and that's why a mild inflammation is desirable and should not be suppressed with strong anti inflammatory ingredients. The third reason is that Infadolan contains Lanolin, which is a very good occlusive and an outstanding moisturizer. It is especially useful to occlude the scars with an occlusive ointment after dermarolling scars, to postpone peeling. For reasons we do not fully understand, the occlusion of the scars has been proven to be beneficial in medical trials.
Our ointment contains natural Lanolin. The Lanolin carries the vit. D into the skin. The forth reason was that our ointment contains a high enough percentage of vit. A to have a therapeutic effect and that vit. A is there in the form that doesn't irritate the skin when the skin is "open". Infadolan is therefore used to treat first degree burns. Ordinary "Retin A" (Retinoic Acid) is not a good way to bring vit. A into open skin, because it is acidic. Infadolan contains Retinol Acetate, which is a non-acidic form of vit. A that does not "burn" the skin. The Retinoic acetate is slowly converted to Retinoic acid inside the skin. This process is much better for "open" skin than applying Retinoic acid directly. Infadolan's ingredients: Retinol acetate: 48 000 IU in 30 g Vit. D2: 9 000 IU in 30 g The ointment base is white wax, natural lanolin and white Vaseline.
Some people have reservations about using Lanolin or Vaseline, but all we can say that Lanolin is God's/evolution's ultimate natural skin care product and that it, as well as vaseline, are excellent occlusives. Occlusives prevent natural skin moisture from escaping. This moisture is essential for the healing process after dermarolling. Vaseline is not "made of gasoline" - Vaseline is just as natural as the oil that comes out of the ground. Vaseline is made of oil, and oil is widely assumed to be made of ancient dead sea organisms. Contrary to what some believe, Lanolin allergy does not exist at all or occurs at most in one in a hundred thousand people. Sometimes the good old skin products really still are the best. No need for gimmicks here. This cream is prescribed for first degree burns in its country of origin, the Czech Republic. If we knew a better ointment, we would sell that one. The issue is that it has to be an ointment (= having an oil basis, to prevent the tissue in the skin from getting micro-damaged due to oxygen exposure and drying out. That would interfere with optimal collagen/elastin formation). This ointment is so far the very best we managed to find, with no reported issues - on the contrary, people like the soothing coolness without subsequent irritation. The only drawback is the oiliness, but if you want to be pretty, you have to suffer.. The key is to use very little. As it is oil-based, you need very much less than if it were a cream.
A skin needled with long needles should be treated with caution. You should not use anything that can easily become bacterially contaminated, such as a jar that you had repeatedly put fingers in, etc. Infadolan is in a tube and that ensures no bacterial contamination. Infadolan contains no alcohol and no parabens.
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Is Infadolan safe to use everyday Or should I only use it after dermarolling?
After 24-48 hours of rolling is it alright to resume with my regular facial creams and toner?
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Yes (it's safe to use), and yes, after a while you can use creams again. Creams do not penetrate through ointments, because ointments are oily. But you use only a very small amount of Infadolan so after a day, there are no issues with that.
Infadolan is perfectly safe to be used every day. Nevertheless Infadolan is a protective regenerative ointment, not a cream so it is greasy. For that
reason it is probably not so pleasant to use it as a daily cream all over the face. Many of our customers use it daily just around the eyes and they
are very content with the results. They also apply it on the back of the hands. It will stay there throughout the day. It prevents the skin from drying out. Very little will do.
Apply a little bit of Infadolan just after rolling. It will keep the skin moist, help preventing infection and supply the much-needed vit. A and D. Continue for several days. You should not continue if you're very prone to acne. In that case, apply it just after rolling.
Basically, if you roll anywhere on your body, apply Infadolan after rolling and quite a few days afterwards.
If you roll your face, apply it after rolling and depending on your acne situation, continue or not.
You can start regular facial creams, preferebly containing vit. A.
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Thank you for your quick reply. More power!
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Hi Sarah,
In regard to post on you’re A& D ointment Infadolan:
For those who are normal to oil/combination or just an oil slick, you do NOT recommend those users to continue after the rolling day.
> But my question is: how will the oily/acne-prone skin type users continue to receive cell-communicating benefits of vitamin A and D if they only use it on the rolling day? Plus, for those who roll with 1.5-mm rollers to address their acne scars, I suppose the holes does not close up (completely) or heal right after the first day or, perhaps, even the second day.
> What product should they substitute for the ointment?
> Can lanolin clog pores?
Personally, I am an oil slick. Oil-base products are just not cosmetically elegant in term of texture and they make my face look worse. Granted, I know I should only apply this at night. But gosh, the oil from my face sticks to my pillow sheets and I have to wash them every week because I don’t want to wake up with clogged pores and breakouts from my oiled-up sheets. If I use the ointment regularly, I might have to wash them every day! I wish there is an alternative for oily skin types because the ointment is best and preferred for normal to dry to very dry skin types.
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I'm sorry - I totally overlooked your question!
The best is to pre-treat with vit. A. We now sell Tretinoin gel for pretreatment (also very suitable for acne-prone skin).
However, Tretinoin, AKA Retinoic Acid is acidic and is not suitable to be applied immediately after rolling - especially not on the face - because it will sting and irritate the skin.
Infadolan is a protective, regenerative ointment with a non-acidic form of vit. A and it is suitable for immediate application.
You can replace it with something you know doesn’t cause you break outs but preferably it should be in a tube because creams in tubes cannot get so easily contaminated as creams in jars.
Hydrating creams are not very suitable for this. Hydrating creams saturate the skin surface with water which makes the skin look temporarily better but this very temporary hydration actually increases the evaporation of water from the skin! After several hours you end up with drier skin than you started with. Then you're forced to again apply hydrating cream and the vicious circle continues..
A good moisturizer locks water into the skin, it prevents its evaporation. It needs a certain amount of oil to keep the moisture in. It is very important to keep the skin moisturized after dermarolling. If you are prone to acne, apply a more "heavy" cream at least one or two days after rolling with long needles (longer than 0.5 mm).
If you pre-treat with Tretinoin, then apply Infadolan (or another heavy cream) immediately after, there is no problem to go for a few days without application of vit. A. After 2-3 days you can restart with Tretinoin.
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Hi,
I would like to order some of your Infadolan.
I was wondering how long the shelf life is? Do the tubes have an expiry date?
Thanks
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Infadolan is so popular that we often replenish our stocks. The expiry date is stamped into the base of the tube. Current batches expire around 2014.
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I have read that some people notice very quick improvement in lines around their eyes using this product but how can this be scientifically possible?
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If our customers say this (and we do get emails about this) then it may be true, because Lanolin has been found in scientific studies to be such an extremely effective skin moisturizer that they wanted to go to the bottom of it and find out how it could be that this simple, cheap natural product basically outperforms any other product.
My take on it is that Big Pharma, not being able to patent Lanolin, has tarnished its reputation, claiming "allergies" where none existed.
I dug into the scientific research of Lanolin, and Wikipedia has some very interesting info on it, including the "Lanonin allergy" myth and its falsified science. Instead of testing a random group of people for Lanolin allergy, they tested people with existing dermatological problems. And still only 1% had a Lanolin allergy! We found research that a pure Lanolin allergy in fact does not exist at all, and we already posted the link to the relevant scientific research.
So my full answer to your question can be read here (interesting read about Lanolin being an extremely effective moisturizer):
http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Why-Infadolan-works-on-wrinkles&p=962
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I've lost the top off my Infadolan and expect this will damage the ointment so will be ordering another. I'm confused about the application of a sunscreen containing Vit A & C after dermarolling.
I would use the Infadolan daily for its beneficial effect, but am confused as to whether or not I can apply a sunscreen moisturiser on top of the Infadolan. Wouldn't the Infadolan block the moisturiser?
Thanks, Kathy.
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You can close it with a bit of plastic foil (food wrap etc.) and a rubber band. It will be perfectly OK. No need to buy a replacement.
Infadolan is an excellent moisturizer. You do not have to apply an additional moisturizer but if you want to, apply a moisturizer first and Infadolan on top of it.
You must apply a sunscreen because Infadolan doesn't contain any sunscreen (UV filters or reflective agents).
First apply a sunscreen and then Infadolan on top. (If you forget to apply the sunscreen first then apply it on top of the Infadolan).
I think Infadolan is too oily to be used daily on the whole face (unless right after dermarolling with long needles and several days after) but it is very suitable to use it daily on dry parts of the face (around the eyes and on the lips) and on the back of the hands.
Infadolan would block the ingredients in water-based cremes.
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Hello, I am thinking of getting Infadolan as so far I have been rolling for approx 6 months and not seen any improvement on my tummy stretch marks :(. What I was wondering is whether the Infadolan actually helps to repair stretch marked skin rather than just soothing and helping to avoid inflamation after rolling? Can you explain a bit more how vitamin A actually repairs or regenerates stretch marked skin? Thanks!
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Sorry to hear that your stretch marks did not improve. Are they red or white? How old?
Infadolan is not going to make any difference if dermarolling doesn’t work for your stretch marks. It is a regenerative ointment for optimal wound healing and it is very suitable for moisturizing and protection of the skin after dermarolling but it cannot anyhow remove deep cracks in the skin – which stretch marks are.
If you do not have too many stretch marks, you should buy the single needles and do an intensive needling of your stretch marks. You can for example needle every day just one stretch mark, but densely and thoroughly.
If you have too many stretch marks to use the single needles, buy our ONE LINER roller for intensive and targeted rolling of individual scars.
Immediately after needling or dermarolling, apply Tretinoin (the A-Ret gel, we sell it). Tretinoin which is an acidic form of vit. A was found to slightly improve early stretch marks and to a much lesser extent old stretch marks. Infadolan also contains vit. A but it contains the non acidic form in order to be gentle to the skin after dermarolling. If regular dermarolling did not help you, you have to try harsher treatments.
As you can read in the conclusion part of the first study, they do not know why Tretinoin improved stretch marks. If you apply it right after dermarolling, really a lot will be absorbed. Do not apply Tretinoin if pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Topical Tretinoin (Retinoic Acid) Improves Early Stretch Marks
Sewon Kang, MD; Kwang J. Kim, MD, PhD; Christopher E. M. Griffiths, MD; Tai-Yuen Wong, MD; Harvinder S. Talwar, PhD; Gary J. Fisher, PhD; David Gordon, MD; Ted A. Hamilton, MS; Charles N. Ellis, MD; John J. Voorhees, MD
Arch Dermatol. 1996;132(5):519-526.
Abstract
Background and Design
Stretch marks are disfiguring lesions usually caused by excessive stretching of skin. We investigated the response of early, clinically active stretch marks to topical 0.1% tretinoin (retinoic acid) cream. In a double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled study, 22 patients applied either 0.1% tretinoin (n=10) or vehicle (n=12) daily for 6 months to the affected areas. Patients were evaluated by physical examination monthly and by analysis of biopsy specimens of stretch marks obtained before and at the end of therapy in comparison with untreated normal skin.
Results
After 2 months, patients treated with tretinoin had significant improvement in severity scores of stretch marks compared with patients who received vehicle (P<.05). After 6 months, eight (80%) of the 10 tretinointreated patients had definite or marked improvement compared with one (8%) of the 12 vehicle-treated patients (P=.002). Targeted stretch marks in patients treated with tretinoin had a decrease in mean length and width of 14% and 8%, respectively, compared with an increase of 10% (P<.001) and 24% (P=.008), respectively, in patients who received vehicle. There were no significant differences in various measures of quality and quantity of dermal collagen and elastic fibers in stretch marks when tretinoin and vehicle treatments were compared.
Conclusions
Topical application of tretinoin significantly improves the clinical appearance of early, active stretch marks. The processes that are responsible for the clinical improvement remain unknown.
Topical tretinoin 0.1% for pregnancy-related abdominal striae: An open-label, multicenter, prospective study
Onésimo Rangel, Isabel Arias, Edith García and Sergio Lopez-Padilla
Abstract
In an open-label, multicenter, prospective study, 20 women applied tretinoin (retinoic acid) cream 0.1% daily for 3 months to pregnancy-related stretch marks in the abdominal area. Efficacy was evaluated by analysis of one preselected target lesion, which was rated on a six-point scale (−1 = worse to 4 = cleared). At week 12, significant global improvement was noted from baseline in all stretch marks, and the target lesion decreased in length by 20% (P = .01). Erythema and scaling, the most common adverse events, occurred in 11 patients, decreased in severity after the first month of treatment, and were controlled with continued application of tretinoin and petroleum jelly ointment. In this small study, topical application of tretinoin significantly improved the clinical appearance of pregnancy-related stretch marks.
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Yes, Infadolan would be beneficial and it will keep the area moisturized.
Your first Infadolan tube is OK but do not use the first half centimeter of it.
You can close it with a piece of aluminum foil.
The second tube is OK.
Infadolan is oil-based so it is not permeable to air, that is why the Infadolan itself acts as protection for the rest - as with Aluminum oxide forming a protective layer over Aluminum.
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hi there i am new to dermarolling i have stretch marks on my inner thigh. i am skinny and i have no idea why i have so many! maybe it was growth spurt.. i have no idea. but i am wondering if retin A will help my white scars? seems to me my scars were NEVER red... maybe its my skin tone or something :confused: i am white/tan-ish
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The A-Ret is certainly worth trying even with white stretch marks.
Needle or dermaroll (with a one-liner dermaroller) the stretch mark and apply the A-Ret immediately afterwards.
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Hi Sarah!
I just started rolling both hips for stretch marks two days ago. However, I shower twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening after the gym. Should I apply vit c and infadolan to my treated areas after both showers for best effect? Is there a danger of overdoing it, or is applying them twice a day redundant and wasteful? (I suppose the vit c could be, so I could do vit c and infadolan before bed and just infadolan in the morning if I needed to keep the areas covered with vit a.)
Thanks!
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There is no need to apply it more than once a day but there is no danger in applying it more often.
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Hi Sarah,
I am new to derma rolling and just tried the 1.5 mm roller for the 1st time 4 days ago, I used the infadolan for the 1st few days and woke up yesterday to a pretty bad breakout :( feeling very depressed today. I don't want to stop rolling as I am hopeful it will improve my mild acne scarring and hyperpigmantation issues. I want the benefits of the vit a, but am scared to use the infadolan again, even though my skin usually responds well to very oily substances...... I often use grapeseed oil and pure vit e oil as a moisturizer at night w no problems. would that be a better alternative? what about using a regular ret A after rolling? I think I could stand some irritation for a day or two more than I could stand a break out, what would you recommend?
Thanks!
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Sorry about your experience. Infadolan usually doesn't cause breakouts in acne-prone individuals if used for a day or two but obviously sometimes it does. Rarely, dermarolling itself can trigger a few breakouts, especially at the beginning before the skin gets used to rolling.
Using A-Ret all over the face after dermarolling is not a good idea. It contains an acidic form of vit. A and it would unnecessarily irritate the skin and cause pain. You should pre-treat your skin with the A-Ret cream /gel prior to dermarolling and restart using it about two days after dermarolling with a 1.5 mm dermaroller.
Grapeseed oil or vit. E oil are good alternatives. The skin's protective layer is partially compromised for a day or two after dermarolling (especially if using needle length > 0.5mm). To enable optimal healing and protection, the skin should be kept as moisturized as possible after rolling/needling.
I explain here why oils are excellent moisturizers:
http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Is-this-all-I-need-for-a-successful-dermarolling-treatment
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Thanks so much for the quick reply!
I will try just the infadolan for the 1st day after rolling next time and then switch to my pure vit e oil.
Also, I am using a cream called meladerm by civant for hyperpigmentation, it is all natural extracts, no bleaching agents that are harmful to the skin. Would it be okay to use something like that the 1st day after rolling to get the benefits of it really getting into the skin, or would it be best to wait until the following day? And any other suggestions you might have on hyperpigmentation would be appreciated :)
Thanks again!
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Because that question is off-topic here, I answered your question in a new thread:
http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Meladerm-and-dermarolling&p=2934
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Hi there!
I have a question: I read vit. a is photosensitive.
Does the vitamin a in Infadolan cause mild sunsensitivity as well?
Could it theoretically support the formation of sun spots if I put it on my face in the morning and then go out in the sun (if I don't dermaroll of course)?
I know it's just a little concentration, it gets converted slowly and vit a is actually said to be evening out the complexion: But I wonder about the combination with sun rays, as I have very sensitive skin.
Is it better to use Infadolan in the evenings only (for daily use) to play safe?
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Infadolan does not contain a sunscreen and you should apply a sunscreen prior to Infadolan if you apply it in the morning.
All Retinoids make the skin more sun sensitive but the amount of vit. A in each Infadolan application is not high enough to warrant sun sensitivity concern. From my own experience, I do notice sun sensitivity after applying Tretinoin (Retinoic acid) 0.025% but not after applying Infadolan.
Infadolan is a protective ointment and due to its oiliness it is not very suitable to be applied dally, except for dry areas such as the top of hands, around the eyes or on the lips.
Some of our customers actually do apply a little Infadolan on their face daily after shaving.
Tretinoin in many cases normalizes the distribution of skin pigment melanin and thus helps diminishing pigmentations; nevertheless it makes the skin more sensitive to the sun. There is however no ideal and completely side-effect-free substance that helps with hyper-pigmentation.
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I would like to dermaroll my face, arms and back of hands to fix crepey sun damaged skin and wrinkles but I am breastfeeding a baby and also plan on getting pregnant.
I would like to know if it is safe to pre-treat skin with vit. A Tretinoin gel and use Infadolan for after rolling when breastfeeding and pregnant. I have heard Vitamin A is not safe when breastfeeding or pregnant? Thank you!
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Yes, our instructions mention that Tretinoin cream should not be used ifpregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy.
Vit. A healthy and very important, even in pregnancy (vitamin supplements intended for pregnant women do contain vit. A because it is so important) but the problem starts when you reach excessive levels of vit. A. Excessive levels can theoretically be dangerous for the fetus (at least they were for rats), especially in the first stages of pregnancy. You have to be careful, particularly with your oral intake.
The companies producing vit. A creams advise not to use it in pregnancy, just to stay totally on the safe side. If you have just a couple of scars, it is OK but it should not be used on large areas. In your case, the areas are large.
In general, in pregnancy and breastfeeding, you must be careful with everything, not just vit. A. (BTW, dermarolling highly enhances the absorption of all substances applied on the skin right after rolling).
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Okay thank you. Is Infadolan also something I shouldn't use due to it's vitamin A content?
Do you have a suggested protocol for how to dermaroll skin when breastfeeding and pregnant? I wouldn't be able to prepare my skin with vitamin A, should I just use C? and would the dermarolling results be poor due to the lack of prepping the skin Vitamin A? I would really like to start rolling now rather than wait until baby is done breastfeeding. Thanks!
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Infadolan has a very low percentage of vit. A and the producer claims it can be used during pregnancy. Infadolan is intended for dermarolling aftercare.
To stay absolutely on the safe side, do not use it very frequently after dermarolling on really extensive areas during pregnancy. You can certainly
apply it (just a little is enough) daily on the back of your hands because it will protect the skin, make it supple and improve its crepeness.
You will get results even without pretreatment.
The best treatment for crepey skin is a combination of a short needled dermaroller (0.2 or 0.5 mm) used several times a week (apply a cream of your choice) and a long needled roller (apply Infadolan afterwards). The more you moisturize after dermarolling the better.
For your arms, prior to dermarolling, give it a good scrub with a pumice stone. Let it heal from the scrub and then dermaroll.
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Thank you so much! Very helpful :).
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Thank you for all this. Helped answer some of my questions.
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Sarah I am thinking of using infadolan for my skin problems like eczema and dry skin, is it good for them?
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It is a very good idea to use it for eczema. Apply just a little; there is no need for heavy application. It will stay on your skin the entire day.
Infadolan forms a semi-occlusive film on the skin which prevents water evaporation from the skin but the skin can still "breathe". Infadolan is indicated for cuts, 1st degree burns, dry skin, atopic dermatitis, for preventing diaper rash, for ulcers etc.
Safe to use for babies.
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Thanks Sarah, the non steroid ointment I am using for my eczema costs me a leg and an arm, I am glad I have found a replacement in the form of infadolan. BTW I am starting my stretchmarks routine very soon too :)
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I am not sure Infadolan can fully replace your ointment. It depends. If you are using an anti-inflammatory ointment now (even a non-steroidal one): Infadolan has no strong anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Infadolan will help dryness and itchiness but I do not think it will affect the redness and pain (inflammation). It may have soothing effect on the skin and thus slightly reduce eczema flareups.
Nobody knows what causes eczemas and that is why, instead of addressing the cause, they can only suppress the symptoms – such as the inflammation, dryness, itchiness etc. How eczema reacts to various creams is quite individual so you just have to try and let us know. In any case, Infadolan is suitable for dermatitis.
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Is infadolan good to iuse after applying retin-a? I don't want to use my regular moisturizer after dermarolling..
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Retin A contains an acidic form of vit. A.
Vit. A is oil-soluble and you can mix it with creams or oils or apply creams or oils on top of it.
Yes, you can apply Infadolan on top of the A-Ret but if you are prone to acne, Infadolan is not really suitable for long term application on the face because it is too heavy. One time application right after dermarolling the face is OK.
If you roll on your body, Infadolan can be applied long term without any problems.
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Related forum positngs:
Amazed at Infadolan
http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/amazed-at-infadolan/
http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/a-tip-on-infadolan/