As a Skin Professionals UK group expert I was asked to explain to newbies/ non- professionals, why it is really detrimental to use home microneedling devices, particularly rollers, 3x per week to a depth of .5mm on unprepped skin as is currently being recommended by a certain celebrity with zero training in skin science. So I thought I'd share it here on my page too!

Firstly a bit of REALLY basic skin science ….

The skin doesn’t know the difference between being grazed, burnt, cut or being microneedled; as soon as it’s injured the inflammatory cascade is initiated and the healing/ knitting back of the skin begins.

The whole point of microneedling is to instigate CONTROLLED skin wounding.

CONTROLLED wounding, as opposed to UNCONTROLLED sets off a CONTROLLED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE which ultimately kick starts lazy fibroblast cells without trauma.

Fibroblast cells produce collagen, elastin and Hyaluronic acid.

UNCONTROLLED wounding will set off UNCONTROLLED INFLAMMATORY responses which are detrimental to skin health and appearance.

For example; CONTROLLED wounding is FANTASTIC for melanin rich, darker skin tones but UNCONTROLLED wounding of melanin rich skins can lead to keloid scarring as the skin tends to over heal itself by producing too much collagen.

We all want to look younger for longer, preferably without the aid of injectables or surgery so, if carried out CORRECTLY, microneedling is the perfect regenerative treatment.

The fibroblasts stop proactively making elastin when we’re 25. Elastin is a protein that gives our skin elasticity- think of the stretch in a rubber band.

The fibroblasts stop proactively making collagen when we’re 35 but we actually lose 1.5% of it every year from the age of 21!

We have many types of collagen throughout the body and within the skin structure. They all do various jobs but with needling we’re mainly concerned with cultivating loads of healthy Type I.

Collagen Type I starts out as baby bundles of Type III. We need to nurture Type III by feeding it with daily antioxidants & SPF to ensure it remodels into strong & mighty Type I – this acts like internal scaffolding and pushes the skin structure up, ironing out the wrinkles!

Hyaluronic acid production depletes as we age; it’s associated with oestrogen levels so by the time we’re post-menopausal reserves are low!

HA is a gel-like, spongey substance that can potentially hold up to 1000x its own weight in water.

Without an abundance of HA for hydration our collagen & elastin loses its suppleness and our skin lacks volume.

The epidermis consists of 80% of keratinocyte cells interspersed with 20% melanocyte, Langerhan & stem cells. It measures approximately .5mm. Imagine the protective brickwork of a house but only as thick as a sheet of paper, thus it requires TLC.

These cells begin their journey at the basal layer and over approximately 28 days they travel to the surface where they are programmed to die and slough off.  Our stem cells are going nowhere so however old we get, we will always produce new keratinocytes.

Just before they slough off they become ‘corneocyte’ cells, don’t be fooled though; they play a vital and integral role in the ‘barrier function’ (protection & hydration) of our skin thus we don’t want to prematurely lose them.

The dermis is deeper than the epidermis; depending on what area of the body it is & how old the person. On average, it is about 1.2mm thick on the face.

The dermis is made up of the fibroblasts, said collagen (mainly type I) and elastin proteins suspended in HA (& other glycosominoglycans) plus a capillary network. We refer to this as the Extra Cellular Matrix. When we’re young, it’s plump and bouncy; responsible for giving our skin its thickness & volume.

The epidermis and dermis are attached by the ‘dermal/ epidermal junction’; anchored, adhered and connected together with collagen types IV, VII & XVII…

These are the types affected by photoageing as they’re closest to the sun.

After 20yrs of case studies by the pioneers of medical microneedling, we unequivocally know that for GENERAL collagen regeneration PLUS improvements in pigmentation/ lower grades of acne/ open pores/ sebum regulation (yes it can help all of those too!) we should ONLY be needling to the basal cells of the epidermis (.5mm).

In the early days of needling, aesthetic doctors believed that the fibroblasts needed to be directly targeted. As you can imagine this was painful without numbing cream & very bloody, therefore requiring ’downtime.’ Yep you weren’t gonna leave the house for days!

More importantly, this far from controlled trauma, actually caused more harm than good in the long term. It took about 9 months for the excessive trauma to show up as lumps such as granulomas and fibrosis which is why it took so long for professional guidance to change; they just didn’t realise that the needling was responsible!

 (or just weren’t educated in the first place), still causing ‘UNCONTROLLED’ wounding! It is hoped that the forthcoming regulation of the aesthetic industry will change this but sadly there is no such impending regulation for those that sell devices to the untrained public!

As OFQUAL regulated level 4 non-medic skin therapists, we are actually only allowed to needle up to 1mm on the face (Doctors can go deeper) but we certainly should ONLY needle this deeply if we are working on scar revision or particularly deep static wrinkles. This is not, as is suggested in the accompanying product info, normal salon practise whatsoever!

We know so much more about the skin than we did 20, 15, even 5 years ago. We now understand that all the different cells talk to each other in something we refer to as ‘intercellular communication.’ We also understand the relevance of stimulating ‘epidermal growth factors’ (signalling proteins.)

Thus if we stimulate the cells and Growth Factors of the epidermis in a CONTROLLED manner they will communicate with the fibroblasts in the dermis without causing excessive trauma and pain.

‘But you just said I COULD needle to .5mm though?’ I hear you ask!

Yes but the face varies in thickness!

Are you aware of the varying differentials of the upper lip, cheeks, forehead, neck, eye area? Some areas can be as thin as .2-.3mm so needling the entire face at .5mm is going to cause an UNCONTROLLED wound!

Yes but definitely not 3x week!

The frequency of needling depends on a few factors but for general regenerative treatments we should be guided by age. When we’re young our skin cell turnover/ healing time takes about 28 days, as we age it slows down to 40-60 days. Thus the average time in-between treatments should be, on average 4 weeks. If I’m doing an elderly client I’m probably going to make that 6- 8 weeks.

3x a week? Seriously?

Needling 3x in one week to a depth of .5mm means:

1. The Merkal cells & free nerve endings of the epidermis and possibly even the sensory nerve endings of the dermis will be on continual high alert leading to sensitivity and reactivity to products (especially the non-professional over-the–counter/non bioavailable serum which is being recommended to use with this dermaroller device) and temperature - it’s also going to feel sore! = UNCONTROLLED!

2. Due to excessive amounts of histamine being produced-think major inflammation! Redness and swelling will be visible for longer & inflammation inevitably leads to Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation and nobody wants that! = UNCONTROLLED!

3. White blood cells and an over production of enzymes such as collagenase & elastase that are responsible for cleaning up damaged tissue ‘pac-man stylie’ will be over zealous and chomp on healthy tissue too! = UNCONTROLLED!

4. Re-epithelialisation (resurfacing of a wound) will be continually disturbed; the initial wounding will NEVER heal and actually CAUSE ‘free radical damage’ thus the degradation of healthy cells; the exact opposite of a regenerative treatment!  Skin is going to feel continually dry and tight, plus Collagen type III remodelling just won’t happen as it should!

= UNCONTROLLED!

5. Barrier function will be impaired- this particularly affects the microbiome which protects us from invading pathogens- thus there’s a good chance of bacterial, viral or fungal infection, especially with potentially dirty needles!

In salon we only use one-use, sealed, sterile cartridges and we even keep a note of the batch number! We would NEVER dream of using a cartridge on a client more than once- let alone 24 times as is suggested! One certainly CAN NOT sterilise a device contaminated  with bodily fluid  with a quick spray of alcohol! 🤦🏻 Just because it’s YOUR bacteria doesn’t mean it’s ok & what if someone else in the household borrows it?🤦🏻

= UNCONTROLLED!

6. The skin will be ULTRA ULTRA prone to UV sensitivity so if you’re on hormone contraception or HRT expect melasma to suddenly appear or worsen. Oh and expect to burn more easily! Actually you’re just gonna have to stay indoors all the time cause your poor inflamed skin will be too sensitive to even apply a physical SPF. =UNCONTROLLED!

Just as our skin science knowledge has evolved, so have micro needling devices! We rarely use rollers professionally anymore because they roll laterally and can tear/ damage the skin, especially if you use too much pressure! Can you imagine what can happen if a non- pro uses it 3x a week?

Why do I need to prep my skin?

It’s vital that your skins barrier is ready for needling. Professionally recommended products are essential not only pre-treatment but post too!

Remember the collagen remodelling phase? Well, as previously mentioned, this process requires antioxidants such as Retinol and Vit C to make it happen BUT just to complicate matters, one shouldn’t be using retinol within 5 days pre & post needling due to sensitivity! Yes, professional guidance is imperative!

So, I’m sure by now you can see why microneedling 3x a week- even once,  is a bad idea, especially with a cheap, multi use dermaroller!

I’m sure you’re also realising the importance of a professional aesthetic practitioner who uses medical grade products & devices that are CE marked and FDA cleared within a clinical environment including a Sharps box & hazardous waste removal contract.

And don’t even get me started on contraindications!

Before any regenerative treatment we must carry out a detailed consultation & health questionnaire to ensure your body is actually capable of healing! If for instance you’re diabetic or have any autoimmune conditions (to name but two,) your body’s response to needling may be questionable.

Even when I do my own personal treatment I don’t cut corners!

I cleanse, peel then DISINFECT my skin (something else that isn’t mentioned in the accompanying info) whilst wearing disposable gloves. This ensures the surface of my skin is as clean as possible before creating over a million needle penetrations!

When I’ve finished needling I apply a sterile saline solution/gauze mask to cool & hydrate the skin (which by now feels a bit like mild sunburn) before going under my Celluma LED light to speed up healing. I then put on fresh gloves to apply a bespoke sterile mesotherapy cream & SPF 50.

You don’t need to be a pro to imagine what could happen if dirty fingers and contaminated jars of moisturiser get slapped on a freshly needled skin!🤦🏻

Professional needling doesn’t come cheap. It costs me in DISPOSABLES ALONE approximately £50 to perform ONE treatment! so I totally understand how in the current economic climate home needling sounds appealing. But don’t fall for the marketing hype & please think twice- this is one treatment that needs to stay in-clinic!

If you can’t afford a professional needling treatment, try daily 20 minute deep massage instead- this also stimulates the fibroblasts! Yes it is clinically proven but sadly very few professionals know, understand or admit to it!  If you’re having a course of professional microneedling ensure you’re massaging daily to further improve your results!

Please support or become a qualified level 4 professional skin therapist if you want to achieve the truly incredible results microneedling can provide when carried out in a CONTROLLED, educated manner in a CONTROLLED environment.

Thankyou!