Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have ordered and used derma rollers from this supplier and been pleased with the quality. There are cheaper sources, but you will have a longer wait to get them since they will be shipped from Asia. (Where they all come from.) I have been derma rolling for the past two years, have studied medical esthetics, keep up on dermatological and health research, and always looking for techniques and products to keep my circa 1955 skin in the best shape possible. What is collagen? It is the 'matrix' of tissue that underlies the surface of your skin, and the gradual disappearance of which happens in aging skin, and gives the 'empty ballooon' appearance, as well as wrinkling. Sun and poor lifestyle (smoking, excess drinking, excess sun, poor diet), accelerate the loss of collagen. The basic idea of the roller is that it creates micro injury to the skin at a deep enough level that the 'rebuilding' of collagen is induced, and then the skin is more tight and plump eventually, analogous to the 'tear down' and build up that happens with weight lifting, but over a longer span of time. Also similar idea as Fraxel laser in a low tech process. Research has shown it to be effective for collagen induction, and I have seen an increase in collagen, evident by more youthful 'springiness' almost like with fillers (and I have used fillers in the past but don't need them as much since using the roller). However, before you undergo derma rolling yourself, I urge you to do your homework, including understanding skin architecture and what the process of collagen rebuilding entails! Just so you can understand the risks and benefits and not put yourself in harms way. Using a needle of this depth is meant to be somewhat invasive in order to be effective in inducing collagen, it is not something to be done casually! They do work, but it is a long term process. Done properly you should expect to start to see some improvement in your skin's appearance in about two months. (You will see some immediate improvement, especially the next day or two post roll, but that is due to swelling from the micro injury and will go away.) Also FYI there is little independent evidence from actual users - that is not generated from the manufacturer - that rollers are effective on acne scars. What has alarmed me in reading reviews of derma rollers, are so many people who are using longer needles like this (above 1mm), several times a week! Collagen rebuilding process takes a minimum of several weeks up to two months, so if you are using a roller frequently for anti aging purposes, you are DEFEATING THE PURPOSE, because the 'rebuilding' phase is interrupted. And you may end up damaging your skin. The protocol is, the more deep and aggressive the roll, the less often you should do it. If it is a really deep roll (where you apply good pressure, see pinpoints of blood, using 1.5 or 2.0 roller), then I would aim for every two months. If less aggressive, with a 1.0 or 1.5 then every 4-6 weeks. There are really short needles, .5 or less, that are good for product penetration (like applying hair regrowth products or skin serums). Here is a basic 'how to': -Even though the roller should arrive sterile (needles should have a tape over them), just to be safe I would still sterilize the needle before using. You can soak in Efferdent Efferdent Anti-Bacterial Denture Cleanser: 120 Count to remove any micro dust or debris first, then rinse and soak in an antiseptic (alcohol or hydrogen peroxide) for an hour, then let air dry in the covered case. (You can use this same process post roll). -If you have a low pain threshold and are doing a deep roll, apply some prescription Emla cream or tatto numbing cream first, cover with plastic wrap and wait 30 to 45 minutes for it to take effect, then clean all the numbing cream off thoroughly (you don't want to press it into your skin when you roll) -Wash your face at least 30 minutes prior to the roll and your hands immediately prior, and apply a collagen boosting serum like Vitamin C or peptides (this is optional step - you get effects doing this on bare skin too), there is a product here that I have used and reviewed 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum 1 oz., or the Skinceuticals version. Let it sit on your skin a good 30 minutes so that your skin's ph can have time to adjust. -Watch some youtube videos on technique for the roll (generally you roll several times in each direction, vertical, horizontal, diagonal each way, in each quadrant of the face.) You can hold and stretch skin if you like but I would not apply my fingers to the skin personally, unless you have sterile gloves on. Use some pressure but not maximum pressure. The most painful are is the forehead, as the skin is so thin there. -If you have used pressure sufficient to see pinpoints of blood, immediately get in the shower and keep your face under tepid running water for a few minutes, to avoid any scarring that may otherwise occur. If you have done a gentler roll, then you can spray your face with sterile water or some aerosol Evian, and wipe with sterile cotton. -Leave your skin alone for the rest of the evening. I would wait a few hours to apply any cream or serum. -Sterilize the roller in an autoclave if you have one, or a UV disinfectant device, after rinsing first and/or soaking in efferdent to remove any small bits of skin debris on the needles (and there WILL be debris there, even if it isn't apparent to the naked eye), or soak in alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, then let air dry and put back in the case. -You should be able to reuse the roller a few times before the needles become dull. I also recommend taking a good close up 'before' picture. Take note of the lighting, setting, and how far away you are holding the camera so you can duplicate that for your 'after' photo. Also helpful is to apply HDR (high definition) effects from a photo editing software (ipiccy.com is a good one and free -- basically same features as Picasa used to have), if you apply this effect to your before and afters - and put it at maybe 250- 300%, you will see your aging and sun damage in extreme detail - (kind of like the black light boxes that used to be used at cosmetic counters) but this should display any real progress in your skin care regime.