Man, i seriously love love LOVE makeupalley <3 If it wasnt for this site, I would have never heard of MANY different of the different products and things- that I have tried, and grown to be favorites of mine! The derma roller is no different... I was putting in a review for my clarisonic spinbrush, and somehow managed to run into this product. I bought it about 6 months ago- and have been using it religiously since.
The derma (skin) roller for those who have never heard of it is a skin needling treatment otherwise known as Collagen Induction therapy (CIT) which is used to remove and reduce scarring such as acne scars, burn scars, chicken pox scars, accident scars, keloid scars, ice-pick scars, surgery scars, cellulite, stretch marks, etc. (the list could go on and on, really used for serious skin imperfections). The dermaroller is place of laser other scar removal treatments- which can be very expensive, time consuming and also very painful. Also with laser removal, not everyone can have it done- there are certain restrictions AND it can also be very risky as there is sometimes permanent damage from the laser.
The dermaroller which is FDA approved AND you can use in the privacy of your own home, is safe to use and is also reccomended by dermatologist. Its painless, safe on ALL skin tones, involves no chemicals (like some in office derma peels), and has no negative side effects durring OR after your finished.
I know you are wondering how it works... The dermaroller has 192 needles (more or less, depending) and it is rolled without pressure over- back and forth the skin 2 times in 4 directions. These needles create over a 1000 minuscule entries deep into the skin. The skin’s natural automatic cell reparation is then stimulated by these tiny entries, as a result the automatic skin repair system is stimulated and the cells begin to produce collagen and elastin fibers. So in simple terms,the Rollermicro-needling treatment is actually fooling the skin to repair itself, which it does by thickening the cell walls with collagin and elastin making them more firm and more pliable as they once were pushing out scars, wrinkles and stretch marks.

How The 3-step Process Removes Scars, Wrinkles And Cellulite

1. The epidermis and dermis skin layers are penetrated by the micro-needles on the Derma-Roller, which causes a prickling sensation to be felt . However, if you are sensitive to this prickling feeling then you can numb your skin first by using a numbing cream that is readily available at your local pharmacy.
2. The needles make micro tunnels through which allows vitamin C and rich moisturizing cream that you need to apply afterwards to penetrate to the deepest layer of the skin, which makes the cream up to 40 times more effective. And after about an hour these channels in the skin close up.
3. Over the next weeks of constant use, skin responds by regenerating the cells and producing up to 1000% more collagen and elastin in them. As a result this pushes out those scars, wrinkles and cellulite leaving you with a firmer and smoother looking skin;

Last, I think this product is so unbelievable. I am not really into the whole cosmetic surgery and treatments... But I love the idea of getting the same results using a tool that has no risks at all (unlike what they use durring cosmetic treatments). You WILL see results when you use this tool- it doesnt happen overnight like it would in the doctors, you must be patient... but you will see a difference. As a matter of fact, I used the roller on my face, for uneven skin tone, a few blemishes and just the overall health- allowing my vitamin C treatments to reall soak into the skin. I used this product on the sides of my tummy where I see stretch marks, and while my imperfections are not totally gone, i would say that things got better by about 60%... Mind you, i have been using this for months. And it may take that long, so dont give up. I got me derma roller online for about $20. I am not sure if they carry them in stores or where they would even be if they were. Online is a good place to go because they have them in all different price ranges. I am surprised that more women havent reviewed this, as its such a good product and its has been on the market for a while. Anyway, I cant wait to read other peoples experience on this product, so I will check back later, and give an update on how (if at all) things have gotten even better. continued >>

Absolutely amazing! Im so happy I found out about this Thank you makeupalley!! After the first time I used it, I noticed a glow, the second time, my pore have shrunk, my skin is seriously glowing, clear and just looking amazing ! I bought a 1mm off ebay for about $10 and used my retin a mixed with obaji blender after. Then I use Clinique ultra firming cream, which I also love.
I dont think it hurts, more like feels like an itching or uncomfortable tickle. But by the second time, it was less, so i believe it will get less in time. regardless, it is nothing that would stop me from using it.
I had previosuly had laser treatments, microderabrasion..never had anyone near rhe results of the dermaroller! Thank God bc now I can save my money!
Highly Recommend!

Yes I would buy again if it wore out or got lost, but I don't think that will happen, this combined with using natural indrigents on my face and dry brushing using a japeanse facial brush has help a lot with my scarring on my nose (had a large infected pore and had it cut out) :( and my constant congestion around my chin, corners of my mouth and nose have improved, my skin looks better, I agree with the reviewer who say natural products is the way to go with this I used a glyoyic acid and burned and imbalanced my skin, so I waited till it healed went back to my natural oils and tried again, works great, a great oil to use after you have done derma rolling is neem oil, a lot of people don't like the smell I understand, I mix neem oil with lavender oil, some arncia oil which is good for inflammation and dryness, and a little bit of sweet almond oil and a few drops of water, shake it and put it on, the neem oil although smelly is nurturing and soothing while the lavender oil acts as a anti bacterial, plus smells nice. afterwards I wait for it to absorb and put on my dr.haushka serum. hope this review helps for anyone wanting to try it, p.s brought mine off ebay as well very nice and legit. it's a 1.5mm

This, along with Spironolactone and Retin A, have completely changed my skin. I have been using this little miracle device for about a year and a half. I had relatively clear skin growing up, but started to break out really really severely around age 25. It took me 3 years to get it under control. I am also a picker, which left me with some pretty ugly boxcar scarring along both sides of my cheekbones.

I purchased a 1.0 and started rolling once a week. Cleanse face > roll > retin A. The "immediate" plumping results you see within the first few days is really just swelling... the REAL magic starts happening about a month later. I rolled for once a week for about 6 months straight and boy did I see results. The scarring on the right side of my face completely filled in. The left side (which was deeper and more severe) is about 90% better. I also rolled my forehead and smile lines and saw extreme improvement there... especially the smile lines. It seems to kind of "break up" pigmentation issues also. I now do it randomly, maybe once a month or every couple months, and the results have not gone away. I've also gotten really brave and applied a 15% TCA peel right after rolling.

I bought mine from Amazon. It's a good idea to replace them frequently because the needles can become distorted over time (even if you can't see with a naked eye.) continued >>

Wow the dermaroller is an absolute miracle it actually is inducing collagen and smoothing out the hundreds of rolling scars I got from teenage acne. I can barely see them now *fingers crossed* it'll make them disappear. It's a bit painful but definitely worth it if you're also trying to get rid of deep scars. I brought a 1.5mm and 0.5mm dermaroller very cheap on ebay. I figured if it didn't work I was only out $13. Yes it was made in china but so is the iphone and every apple product out there. In my case both my dermarollers were shrink wrapped, extremely sharp micro needles, and sealed in their plastic cases. I applied the homemade vitamin c serum (also on makeupalley) afterwards and voila I'm seeing great results.

I just got the .5 dermaroller sold at own.doc. ( i implore you ladies to check out the site) good solid info, and good rollers at a fair price. After reading hundreds of articles, it really is confirmed that rolling with a 1.0 should be done monthly, tops! a 1.5 every 6 weeks, tops! a .5 2x a week, tops! by rolling more frequently you are permanently inflaming your skin which is terrible. CIT collagen induction therapy is a VERY slow process that starts at the dermal level. you WILL NOT get better results rolling more often, in fact you are hindering the natural process of your skin repair. Also DO NOT put stuff on you face (if rolling deeper than a .5) that you cannot spell or pronounce. while you are reaping the reward of the ingredient you want, there are 50 others that SHOULD NOT be underneath the skins surface. Chemical sunscreen being a complete no no.. and no makeup either for at least 12 hours. go read all the stuff at own. doc and essential day spa on dermarolling before you even consider this. you owe it to your skin. Also, the star pattern roll is officially out. think about it, that small space that you keep rerolling over and over in the middle of the star is turning to mush. own doc shows a video of an updated way to roll. its more logical and effective. good luck! skin bio has a whole rolling forum as well, and people use these products as pre and after care when dermarolling.

I have been using Derma needling for about 2 months at least once to twice a week.
I like it, but I cannot see noticeable results yet. The needle hurt a lot. I don't use any umping cream, and I have two needle size 1.5mm and 0.5mm which I use around my eyes. I am 47 years old and i really take care of my skin and I am very consistent with skin care treatment.
I know that if the procedure is done at the esthetician is a bit harsher and very costly. My face never looks like the ones done afterwords in the videos on Youtube, but it does look bad (all red and with some minor bleeding is few areas ).
I really have not seen any improvement in major lines though as claimed by many other users. For example the 11 lines or the marionette ones.
My understanding is that it takes about 18 months of consistent treatment to see results....this was revealed by a doctor.


UPDATE of Derma Wand

Yet to see noticeable results. I roll once a week, consistently.
My 11 lines in between my eyes did not change at all. Marionette lines have not changed either. I believe the only thing that would work for me is is possibly a quick lift.
My lines are more noticeable in the AM and tend to soften in the PM.

it seems scary to use needle on your face, but it works. I first used 0.05mm length every other day. It worked great! my pores became smaller, and skin tone seemed better, but it doesn't help much with my acne scare. Now, I am using 0.1mm needles to help with scar, it hurts when using it. but it seems working. need longer time to see the full result.

My skin: smooth and clear; past acne all cleared from prescription retinol (tazorac), but still have light hyperpigmentation and indented scars on both cheeks. They used to be boxcar/rolling scars but with daily use of tazorac have shallowed up to icepick scars


Derma roller claims: I've read that many celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used this. It's suppose to :

- stimulate collagen
- fade hyperpigmentation
- reduce the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles
- Help skincare creams absorb better


Reason for using dermaroller: I don't have any wrinkles yet, so the main reason I picked this up was to help plump up the icepick scars and make my face more even toned as well as making my products absorb better

I purchased a 1.0 mm roller with brand MT via Amazon for around $20.


My nightly procedure:

- remove makeup with oil based makeup remover (Kose), follow up with a gentle gel cleanser (Paula's Choice)
(switch between various scrubs and peels ~3x a weeks)

- roll 20x on each cheek vertically and diagonally in the areas with scars. Yes it hurts a lot the first time (like a bunch of cactus needles) but with repeated use my skin got used to it. Never roll until you draw blood! just press it mildly until it just slightly hurt

- clean roller with face wash and rinse under very hot water.

- Pat on hydrating serum (Estee Lauder) to prep for retinol

- Layer Tazorac 0.05% gel and Clindamycin 1% gel (to prevent acne)

-------------
-Sometimes I put on a layer of Estee Lauder Even skin tone illuminator

- Sometimes I skip clindamycin and mix Taz with Obagi Blender with Hydroquinone 4% for to lighten up my hyperpigmentation
------------

- Light layer of Strivectin SD intensive cream for wrinkles and stretch mark on the scar area

- Raw shea butter as moisturizer


RESULTS: It's only been a week but I noticed that my skin is getting quite plump and the icepick scars are getting shallower. There's a nice overall glow to my skin and some of the hyperpigmentation is lightening up. I know this is primarily from the effect of the dermaroller because I've kept the same procedure for quite a while and had not seen any improvement until I incorporated the roller into my regime.
I will update with further progress in another 3-4 weeks or so.


UPDATE****** 4/24/12

I am seeing further 20% improvement in the smoothness of my skin. The boxcar and icepick scars are flattening subtly but nicely. My hyperpigmentation has also lighten up drastically--there's pretty much none on my right cheek and very faint marks on my left cheek. This has never happened to me before with just using retinol or other skin resurfacing products. :D I love my derma roller! Will update in another month regarding further progress!


Final Update: 7/23/12

I see continue (minor) improvement in the smoothness of my skin. I've also been using this in non-scarred areas but with big pores and the pores have decreased in size. Also helped permanently get rid of stubborn blackheads on the side of my nose and helps keep the pores clear.

On the fence with this. Essentially, all it does is damage your skin tissue, leaving you slightly swollen (or "healed") for a day or so. You must continually use for results. It isn't too painful, but it just feels weird rolling needles on your face. The temporary nature of this discourages me from reaching for it in my bathroom. I'd rather use a product with "actual" results.