Messages

1966

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Can't find proper disinfection alcohol?

« on: January 21, 2010, 05:40:44 PM »

> I could not find disinfectant with around 75% ethanol.

> most of them were much lower then that.. and the ones

> i found were either creams or gels..what shall I do???

To disinfect the skin, you can use Betadine liquid or cream (containing Povidone-iodine).Wash the Betadine off with tap water  before you roll and don’t forget to clean your hands with soap before you touch  your face. Do not use Betadine if pregnant or breastfeeding. Betadine is for sale in Pharmacies as well  as online.

You can also use Chlorhexidine (around 2%).

   

 To disinfect the roller or the skin, buy ethyl  rubbing alcohol (ethanol  = ethyl alcohol):

In the US



https://http://aarp.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Antiseptics/Apothecary-Ethyl-Rubbing-Alcohol/ID=prod475&navCount=0&navAction=push-product

https://http://www.familymeds.com/p-20123-goodsense-ethyl-rubbing-alcohol-70-16-oz.aspx?affiliateID=10068

https://http://www.discountwholesaleonline.com/product.cfm/hurl/Vitamins-Nutritional-Items/House-Hold-Items/WETS-AND-DRYS/LAVACOLALCOHOLUNSCENTED.html

https://http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=70%25+ethanol+rubbing+alcohol&sqi=2&cid=5987156484765441618#p

https://http://www.amazon.com/ALCOHOL-ETHYL-RUBBING-HUMCO-16OZ/dp/B003085T6Y

In the UK

https://http://www.criticalenvironmentsolutions.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=9917900

Microzone

  70% Ethanol solution

·    It consists of a solution of ethanol in deionised water - a standard disinfecting solution in bioclean rooms.

  ·    It is manufactured with high quality ethanol to ensure excellent performance and the minimum hazard to health.

https://http://www.elexind.it/Eng/Ambienti/Ambienti_prod1cf.htm

               MICROZONE™ Liquid 70% Ethanol Disinfectant Solution contains ethanol and purified water. Excellent for disinfection of dermarollers.

 

In Australia

https://www.medshop.com.au/products/whiteley-microl-70-ethanol-filtered-to-0-2-micron-500ml-2.html

 Do not use disinfection containing more than 80% alcohol  because it evaporates too quickly and as such doesn’t have time to disinfect the  skin properly. You can buy it but dilute it with water. It should be between 50% and 80%. Alcohols are most effective when combined with water to facilitate diffusion through the cell membrane; 100% alcohol typically denatures only external membrane proteins.

   

                       Do not reuse the alcohol used to sterilize the roller with. Pour some alcohol into a container, dip the roller into it and then discard the alcohol.

     

Concerning isopropyl alcohol:

I think it is better to use isopropyl alcohol in combination with ethanol.

We have two customers who soaked their roller in 70% isopropyl bought in a dollar store and their roller got loose needles (isopropyl is a solvent).

Other customers who used isopropyl did not experience this problem but I am not sure what percentage they used.

As a test, we soaked our dermaroller for 48 hours in 45% ethanol and 30% isopropyl without any problems whatsoever.

   



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1967

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Rolling knees and elbows

« on: January 20, 2010, 04:40:10 PM »

> Just to say thank you for my products that arrived today. Also to ask how

  > much benefit would I get on my knees and elbows and which derma roller

  > would you suggest, if affective on theses areas? I'm 54 years old.

       

            If the skin on your knees and elbows is mildly lax or has a wrinkly texture, then you could derive some benefit from rolling it. Nevertheless - do not expect miraculous or quick results. You should dry brush those areas regularly. Brush until the skin turns red. Before dermarolling these areas you should do several mechanical peelings because the skin on those areas is usually tough. Just take some salt or sugar, mix it with olive oil and massage/scrub the skin of your elbows and knees with it.  Do it several times a week and apply your homemade vit. C serum.

      Have a hot bath before rolling to make the skin softer and don't forget to stretch your skin with the other hand when rolling because it makes needle penetration easier.

   

  If you have energy for some exercises to tone the muscles on your upper arms

  and legs, that will  help too.

   

    If your skin is sagging due to excessive skin - a dermaroller cannot fix that.

   

    Skin laxity always needs longer needles: 1.5 mm because you must reach the lower skin layer, the dermis.

   

  If rolling is too painful for you, use an ice pack or buy a numbing cream such as EMLA and use it according to the instructions.

1968

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Can dermarolling tighten the skin?

« on: January 20, 2010, 04:35:16 PM »

Yes, but only if the skin texture is a bit lax.  It takes a long time of repeated rolling to achieve results though.

A 1.5 mm dermaroller is required.

        If the skin sagging is caused by receding fat due to aging - because as we age we lose subcutaneous fat - a dermaroller cannot fix it. You'd need fillers (Restylan etc.) to be injected by a doctor into the hollow areas where the fat is missing - such as under the eyes etc.

                                                 

  If you have a lot of excessive skin due to weight loss for ex. and that is why the skin is significantly sagging, dermarolling unfortunately can not improve this.

1969

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermarolling on the upper lip

« on: January 20, 2010, 03:23:03 PM »

> Is your dermaroller safe to use on wrinkles on the upper lip?

   

    Yes. The only place that a dermaroller cannot be used is the upper eyelid area.

   

  But you have to be careful if you are very prone to cold sores on your lips.

  Then you should take antivirals for a couple of days prior to pricking and couple of days afterwards. Don’t prick the lip itself - prick just the skin above it.

   

  > I have some pretty deep wrinkles above my upper lip.  How effective would dermarolling be?

 

    You can't expect them to disappear completely but they should get shallower if you repeatedly use a 1.5 mm dermaroller or a 1.5 mm dermastamp on them. Deep wrinkles need long needles of 1.5 mm.

   

 Or use our single needle, and every month make several pricks into your wrinkles. That will trigger new collagen growth in them. You will get some tiny pinpoint bleeding with a single needle. That’s OK - just wipe it off with disinfection alcohol.

          A single needle can specifically target those individual wrinkles much more precisely than a dermaroller can. The area above the lip is extremely sensitive though and it will be painful. You can use some numbing cream such as EMLA and use it according to instructions. Or numb with a small icepack. Buy Xylocaine numbing cream here.

   

  Our instructions how to use a single needle are here:

  https://http://dermaroller.owndoc.com/dermaroller-instructions.pdf

        You use it the same way as for acne scars. But be patient, don’t expect results too soon. The results with needling are permanent though. It will trigger your own new collagen. Your skin will of course continue to age so those wrinkles will form again and you'll have to use the single needle/dermaroller again. It cannot stop aging or prevent the forming of wrinkles! It just improves existing wrinkles and other skin aging problems.

1970

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Using makeup after dermarolling

« on: January 20, 2010, 03:12:38 PM »

> Sarah- just received my dermaroller and am excited to start my monthly

    > dermarolling. I am trying to do everything "by the book" but had to ask

> (since I work public)  if you thought it would be okay to wear the "bare

    > minerals powder" or if I indeed do not need to apply any makeup for 3

> days after dermarolling.

   

    It depends on what size of dermaroller you have bought.

   

    If you are using 0.2 or 0.25 mm long needles for skin product absorption enhancement then you can apply makeup an hour later. The purpose of the 0.2 mm dermaroller is to make the skin temporarily much more permeable for some beneficial skin products such as vitamin creams etc.  Its not your makeup that you want to bring deep into your skin but certain nourishing skin products.  Shallow holes made by a 0.2 mm dermaroller will close completely within say a quarter of an hour - when they have closed you can apply makeup.

   

  After using 0.5 mm long needles you can apply makeup the next morning.

   

      1.0 mm long needles will go into deeper layers of skin, such as the upper dermis and these pricks will trigger new collagen production. Because of this depth, you should wait until it heals before you apply makeup. You should wait at least 24 hours.

   

      A 1.5 mm dermaroller goes into even deeper layers of skin, such as the lower dermis. If you roll quite densely, it will take at least two days for the skin to heal and lose its redness completely. For 24 hours after rolling with 1.5 mm, your skin will look mildly sunburnt, the second day the skin is still bit reddish and then it goes back to normal.

    Micro-injuring the skin with needles causes massive collagen production but I would not recommend any makeup being applied to those micro-wounds for the first couple of days. If you roll on Friday evening, you can apply make up on Monday morning or if you desperately need it then on Sunday morning.

1971

Dermarolling / Microneedling / The same roller for collagen boosting on face neck, and for around eyes and lips?

« on: January 20, 2010, 02:12:23 PM »

You should use a 1.5 mm dermaroller on your face. 1,5 mm long needles will reach the dermis - the deep skin layer where  new collagen production is triggered.

   

        The skin on the neck and under the eyes is quite thin. I recommend a shorter needle dermaroller of 0.5 or 1 mm. Alternatively, you can use 1.5 mm on your neck or under the eyes but do not push the needles in too much.

       

            Please be careful under your eyes. Do not roll directly under your eyes but a bit more down where there is bone underneath. When you feel your skin directly under your eyes, it is very soft and when you go a bit further you can feel the bone. You start rolling where the bone begins.

   

    Never roll your upper eyelids! That is the only area where a dermaroller can never be used.

 

          The skin around the lips is super-sensitive and rolling it may be too painful for you. You can either numb it with ice or you can buy a numbing cream such as EMLA.

                      Individual deep wrinkles such as frown lines between your eyebrows, on your forehead or around your lips can be treated with our special single needle.  Make a couple of pricks in the wrinkle every month.  It will take a long time to make the wrinkle shallower but the results are permanent. The skin will continue aging of course and new wrinkles will appear but pricking the skin with needles will trigger your own collagen production and that collagen stays. Contrary to fillers such as Restylane that people get injected by a doctor to fill their wrinkles. Those fillers have an immediate effect but our body slowly eliminates it. You have to have it re-injected regularly.

          If you trigger your own collagen, it will remain for a very long time. Nevertheless: You can't expect that a dermaroller is equivalent to a facelift. It is not. It can improve skin texture, improve wrinkles to a certain extent and can slightly improve skin laxity.  If there is a lot of excessive skin, it needs a facelift.

         

You may notice some "hollow" places on your face caused by receding fat- as we age we are loosing fat from our skin. A dermaroller cannot fix this. In that case you would really need some fillers to be injected  into those areas where the fat has gone missing - such as under the eyes etc.

     

  Have a look at our detailed dermarolling instructions:

  https://http://dermaroller.owndoc.com/dermaroller-instructions.pdf

   

  Do not expect results too soon. Collagen production is a very slow process that takes months.

1972

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermarolling to promote hair growth (without Minoxidil)

« on: January 20, 2010, 01:57:38 PM »

This is about using a dermaroller to cause a controlled micro-injury of the scalp to promote hair growth. This method is still at an early experimental stage.  Dermarolling also increases blood flow to the hair follicles. The easiest way to roll the scalp is to roll in one direction only. Direction from the hair roots to the hair ends.

 

Yet there are promising indications:

                  "The latest research by Intercytex, performed with Dr. Bessam Farjo as principal investigator, has shown that patients receiving superficial injections grow new hair, which may solely be a result of the controlled skin wounding itself. This surprising result is correlated by the pioneering work published by Dr. George Cotsarelis of Pennsylvania University, who found that stimulation of the Wnt protein by wounding leads to hair regeneration. Wounding by microneedles would potentially start this Wnt protein mediated growth stimulation, and prevent synthesis of TGF-?2, a protein known to induce hair loss."

https://http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may07/hair-follicle-regeneration.html

1973

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Rolling Minoxidil into the scalp

« on: January 20, 2010, 01:51:55 PM »

You can use a 0.2 or a 0.5 mm regular dermaroller to enhance the absorption of Minoxidil.  Just roll over your scalp and immediately apply Minoxidil. Those tiny needles will temporarily create "channels" in your scalp and the skin will become temporarily much more permeable to the Minoxidil. Those channels will close within at most half an hour, twenty minutes so speed is of the essence.

Please be careful!

A dermaroller significantly enhances the absorption of any skin products.

Minoxidil can have quite serious side effects when overdosed. If you use a dermaroller, don't apply too much Minoxidil on your scalp. At least not in the beginning. When you don't experience side effects, you can slowly use more Minoxidil. But start with just a little bit and then slowly increase if you feel fine. Carefully read the Minoxidil instructions and inform yourself of possible side effects.  Most people experience no side effects but some do and they have to stop using it or use lower concentrations.

When you stop using Minoxidil, your hair will return to its original pre-Minoxidil state. So you should keep using it.

Related forum posting:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/dermarolling-to-promote-hair-growth-(without-minoxidil)/

1974

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Using acidic products after rolling

« on: January 20, 2010, 01:43:00 PM »

People have been asking about the difference between our vit. A & D ointment and Retin A. Our ointment contains Retinol Acetate instead of Retin A (containing Retinoic Acid).

You can use Retin A but I would not recommend it right after the rolling or even some days later. Retin A is too acidic to be used on "open" or newly regenerating skin. Retinol Acetate brings just as much vitamin A into the skin as Retinoic Acid does, without the damage of the acid.

   

  Vitamin C is essential as is vit. A. You should make homemade vit. C serum according to our instructions and regularly use it on your skin. Vit. C stays in the skin for up to 70 hours so you don't have to do it every day.

   

  Don't put vit. C on your skin just after rolling with long needles because vit. C is acidic. You should use vit. C on the days before you roll and you can restart when the skin rolled with 1.5 mm is completely healed.

1975

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermarolling around the eyes

« on: January 20, 2010, 10:42:50 AM »

Can I use a 1.5 mm roller around the eyes?

Yes, if you are experienced in dermarolling.

I personally wouldn't recommend a complete beginner to use 1.5 mm long needles on thin skin around the eyes. I would prefer to stay on the safe side. Safer is 1.0 mm or even 0.5 mm. Before you start around your eyes, definitely try the dermaroller on a safer part of your body so that you get used to it and get the hang of it.

 
When you put your finger under your eye, you'll feel a bone. Do not roll closer to your eye than where that bone is. Pull/stretch your skin downwards from the eye with your other hand and roll it with the other.   

Please read my posting (mine is #2):   
https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/can-i-use-a-dermaroller-on-this-area-under-the-eye-(pic-included)/



The best for wrinkles and crepey skin is to use a 0.2 mm dermaroller for skin product penetration. Dermarollers  shorter than 0.5 mm do not trigger collagen because they do not reach the dermis but it significantly enhances the penetration of skin products into the skin. In that case, you can use any of your skin products, even a product with anti-inflammatory ingredients because 0.2 needles don't cause the inflammation that triggers collagen production. You need longer needles for that.

   

A 0.2 mm  dermaroller is extremely useful though because it will make your skin product "sink" deep into your skin where it is needed.

   

Don't forget to thoroughly clean the dermaroller with dishwashing liquid every time and soak it in disinfection alcohol every now and then.

   

  Then once in 4 weeks, you can roll with 1.5 mm needles around your eyes and that should trigger collagen production. Then put a very small amount of our vit. A & D ointment on it immediately after dermrolling and for around 10 days after that. The ointment is very greasy but it has to be - both vit. A and D are fat-soluble vitamins and it also should be occlusive). Use a tiny little bit, you shouldn't apply a thick layer.

1976

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermarolling on dry skin

« on: January 20, 2010, 10:32:04 AM »

Dermarolling on dry skin is no problem. But be aware that for some days after dermarolling, the protective skin layer is compromised and the skin is even drier than normal. The skin will even peel. The skin will revert to normal when it heals and collagen will continue to be produced.

   

  Directly after dermaroling and for approx. ten days afterwards, use our regenerative vit. A & D ointment.

   

  This ointment is very greasy but it has to be, both vit. A and D are fat-soluble vitamins and the ointment should be occlusive (preventing air from reaching the skin). This will prevent the drying out of the skin. Use a little bit, you don't have to apply a thick layer at all.

1977

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermarolling on skin with eczema

« on: January 20, 2010, 10:23:54 AM »

In principle, a dermaroller can only be used on healthy skin. Stretch marks are an aesthetic problem but they are not an illness or a disease. However, a skin that has some kind of medical problem such as eczema should not be rolled. You'll want to avoid rolling any eczema deeply into your skin. Therefore, only roll when your skin is eczema-free.

   

  Alternatively you can use our single needle. That needle is used only on stretch marks and not on any surrounding skin. It is a laborious job but it's worth it in the end.

   

  Nevertheless, not even a single needle should be used on skin areas with active acne, fungal infection, eczema etc.

1978

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Just bought your dermaroller

« on: January 04, 2010, 04:28:16 PM »

A 1.0 mm dermaroller reaches the lower skin layer (Dermis) where it will trigger new collagen production, so 1.0 mm is long enough.

About the Aloe Vera:   When you needle the skin, the body will immediately start the healing process. This healing has several stages: Hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling.

  The reason why needling improves the skin is because needling causes a short lasting, controlled inflammation and new skin cells are produced as a result. In case of dermarolling, a mild inflammation is a desirable event and you should not put apply strong anti-inflammatory products right after rolling with long needles. A day or some hours after is already OK.

  Aloe Vera is an anti-inflammatory, so no, you should not use it right after dermarolling

                The inflammation doesn't last long, after dermarolling:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/showthread.p...h-long-needles  

 

1979

Dermarolling / Microneedling / Dermaroller for bodybuilding stretchmarks

« on: December 10, 2009, 05:37:38 PM »

The problem with stretch marks is that although they are called marks, they are in fact not marks. Our skin (when I simplify it) has 2 layers. The top layer is the Epidermis and then there is the Dermis underneath.

 

Stretchmarks are not marks but deep cracks throughout the entire epidermis and most part of the dermis. That's why it is such a difficult problem and current dermatology is not capable of removing stretchmarks.

 

Concerning dermarolling, none of our customers attained a complete disappearance of their stretch marks. Lots of our customers achieved a significant improvement though, some a mild one and some no improvement but if they continue they might obtain it. Collagen induction triggered by dermarolling is a very slow process and it can take a year to see improvement. If you are consistent with dermarolling and follow our dermarolling instructions, you have a chance that your stretch marks will get shallower, narrower and improve in color and texture but this takes a long time.

 

To treat stretch marks you need long needles: 1.5 mm. If it is too painful for you, numb the skin with an icepack.

 

Yes, you can use a dermaroller on those area's.

Definitely yes. The only part of skin that a dermaroller must not be used is the eyelids and you have to be extra careful around your eyes.

1980

Dermarolling / Microneedling / acne scars on sensitive skin

« on: December 10, 2009, 04:44:25 PM »

First of all I would like to point out that I am not a doctor. I can give you my opinion based on my research and the experience with our customers. Acne scars are a very big problem and current medicine has not an ideal or even adequate solution for them.  Dermarolling usually improves acne scars but not everyone´s skin reacts the same to dermarolling.

   

  Some people are really prone to bad healing. If you underwent several acne treatments such as dermabrasion, acid peels or certain kinds of laser treatment, it will have made your skin thinner. Dermabrasion and acid peels work by basically removing a small part of the top layer of the skin and the acne scars get shallower but by this your skin gets thinner because the part of the top layer of your skin was removed.

   

  Some lasers also remove the top layer of the skin.  That might be the reason why the needles went too deep in your case (if this is indeed the case). It is because your skin is thinned by the acne treatments.

   

  On the contrary, dermarolling is in fact thickening the skin because it is not removing any part of your skin. It makes tiny micro-holes in your skin and those will heal and if you do it many times it should fill in the the scar. It should trigger new skin growth and fill the scar.  It is a very slow process and you can only dermaroll your skin every 4-6 or even 8 weeks with long needles.

   

  Another problem that happens with dermarolling and scars is that it exposes some semi-hidden acne scars that were below your skin and they were not so visible because there was a small layer of skin covering them. But the scar was there.

   

    Dermarolling uncovered those hidden scars because the dermaroller exposed the scar underneath.  Lots of people report that their acne-scarred skin actually looked worse after several initial rollings because all those "hidden" scars were exposed. But that was the first step to improve the scars. Later their scars improved by dermarolling.

   

  What worries me is that you healed with bumpy skin.  That should not happen with dermarolling and to be honest I do not want to advice you to roll because it seems that either your skin is seriously thinned by previous acne scar treatments or you have a condition of healing badly, or the dermarolling was overdone.

   

  The only advice I can give you is to buy a shallow dermaroller of 0.5 mm needle length and try to roll but not the whole face. Try just a small part of your face. First roll on your décolleté for example and check how it healed. But the skin on your décolleté  is probably thicker than your face so it is not an indication for you how your face will heal. Try to roll a small part of your face. If it goes well try a bigger part.

   

  A 0.5 mm dermaroller can be normally used twice a  week but if your skin is thin, the needles will go deeper than in people with normal skin thickness so please be careful and never roll if the skin hasn't fully healed from previous rolling.

   

      If everything goes well, then later you can buy a dermaroller with longer needles. Normally, acne scars need really long needles to improve. Such as 2 mm needles, but in your case I would be very reluctant to do that because as you said you might heal again bumpily.

   

    What  you could try though is to use our single needle. With that single needle you will do several pricks into one of your acne scar and you will prick it every month. Every month the same scar.  After several months you should see improvement.  Both in depth and the color.

   

  If your skin heals well with this single needle method you can prick more scars but please first try only one, somewhere on the side of your face, because if you have a rare condition predisposing you to bad healing, it might heal badly. It's a very rare condition but since you got bumpy skin from rolling, I am really concerned.

   

  A person with thinned skin will get different results than a person with thick skin so it is really difficult to give some general advice. You have to carefully experiment on your own skin.

   

  We will soon have an improved version of our single needle so you should wait and order about three weeks from now, when we received a new batch of 0.5 mm rollers and an improved single needle that can't penetrate the skin too much.