Derma rolling (also known as micro-needling) might seem counterintuitive at first - after all, puncturing your skin with tiny needles doesn't seem like the most obvious way to create a smooth, radiant complexion!
However, derma rolling is a powerful skin care technique that can help rejuvenate skin by:
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Stimulating cell turnover and activating the skin’s natural healing response
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Enhancing product delivery and improving product absorption
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Boosting collagen and elastin production
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Encouraging blood circulation
Pretty impressive for a little skin pricking, right?
To get a better understanding of this practice and get you rolling, we’re going to cover how derma rolling works, offer guidance on needle depth sizes for different areas around your face, and include some surprising derma roller benefits you may not have known!
The benefits of derma rolling
Stimulates cell turnover, and activates the natural healing response
Derma rolling stimulates cell turnover by activating the skin's natural healing response through micro-injuries.
This prompts the release of growth factors, cytokines*, and other molecules that promote cell growth and tissue repair, which leads to the shedding of old skin cells and their replacement with new, healthy ones.
*small proteins that act as molecular messengers, regulating inflammation, immune response, cell growth, and tissue repair within the body
Derma rolling also acts as a physical exfoliant, unveiling radiant new skin for a more youthful complexion!
Enhances product delivery and improves product absorption
The micro-channels created by derma rolling allow for better delivery of skin care products across the skin's surface. This results in a more uniform distribution, ensuring that the product reaches all necessary areas for optimal effectiveness.
These same micro-channels enable skincare products to penetrate deeper into the skin. So, all those active ingredients in your skin care products reach deeper into your skin layers, improving tone, texture, and diminishing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
Boosts collagen and elastin production
Derma rolling stimulates elastin and collagen production (particularly Type I collagen*), by triggering the skin's healing response. Collagen and elastin work to enhance skin elasticity, firmness, and texture.
*Type I collagen is the most abundant type of collagen found in the skin and provides structural support and strength. It also promotes skin elasticity and firmness, which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
Encourages blood circulation
Derma rolling will boost blood flow to treated areas, which supplies the skin with vital oxygen and nutrients for cell growth, repair, and overall health.
This enhanced circulation also accelerates cell turnover and regeneration for a revitalized complexion!
Where can I derma roll on my body?
From the back of your hands to your scalp, you can derma roll it all and reap all the benefits!
However, you should make sure you’re using the right size of needles to get the best results.
Read on to learn the optimal needle size for your delicate skin.
- Scalp: We recommend using a needle depth of 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm for your scalp. This can help stimulate hair growth and improve the overall health of the scalp.
- Hands: Because the skin on your hands is thicker than your scalp, a needle depth of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm is often recommended. This can help improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and promote collagen production.
- Face: For derma rolling the face, the recommended needle depth varies depending on your specific concern. For general anti-aging purposes, a needle depth of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm is often recommended. For more targeted concerns such as acne scars or hyperpigmentation, a needle depth of 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm may be necessary.
- Neck & décolletage: It's important to be extra gentle when derma rolling the neck and décolletage, as the skin in these areas is thinner and more sensitive than other parts of the body. To do that, we recommend a needle depth of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. This can help improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and promote collagen production in these delicate areas.
Surprising benefits of using derma rollers
Aside from all the anti-aging magic and increased product effectiveness, derma rollers have some other surprising skin/scalp benefits like...
- Treating and reducing the appearance of acne scars by stimulating collagen production and increasing cell turnover.
- Reducing hyperpigmentation and evening-out skin tone by promoting skin cell turnover.
- Enhancing hair growth by increasing blood flow and stimulating the production of growth factors and proteins.
- Treating stretch marks by stimulating collagen and elastin production and promoting cell turnover.
- Smoothing rough skin texture by promoting cell turnover and exfoliation.
