Is it worth a stab? Everything you need to know about micro-needling at home

Home micro-needling, aka dermal rolling or dermarolling — but there are three different kinds of micro-needling and it's important to distinguish what you can do safely and without any training

Celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Kourtney Kardashian say micro-needling is part of their daily skincare regimens

From hair-colouring to pedicures, most of us have attempted a salon treatment at home over the last year, but there is one tool I’ve been nervous to roll out. Home micro-needling, also known as dermal rolling, has engendered lockdown debate, horror stories and plenty of curiosity, with celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Kourtney Kardashian revealing it as part of their daily skincare regimens.

Reported benefits include a reduction in fine lines and post-blemish marks (those red marks that spots leave), as well as an improvement in postpartum issues such as melasma and stretch marks.

All of this sounds fantastic, so I asked Eavanna Breen, director of Akina Beauty and Laser Clinic in Dublin, how to get it right.

She reassured me, and then burst my bubble immediately. “There are three different types of micro-needling. There is surgical and medical micro-needling, performed by a doctor and in a salon, respectively, and there is the cosmetic micro-needling you can do at home. It is important to distinguish what you can do safely and without any training because it is relatively easy to access the wrong sort of needles online.”

Eavanna says the tools safest for cosmetic use have micro-needles that are at most 0.25 mm long. “They very gently puncture the skin but don’t go too deep. They won’t stimulate collagen growth and, very importantly, will not penetrate blood vessels. There should be no bleeding or pain.” She emphasises that the online images of celebrities and beauty influencers with bloody cheeks are the results of tools not meant for inexpert use.

So somewhat disappointingly, that safe kind of home micro-needling is so gentle that you’re unlikely to see benefits like pigmentation and fine-line improvement from using the roller alone. However, it does help products formulated to treat those issues penetrate the skin a little better. “You could think of it as an alternative to exfoliation,” says Eavanna.

“Although it’s not clearing dead cells, it is allowing the skin to accept great ingredients that bit better. If you are using something like retinol every night and you use a micro-needling roller beforehand, you will see better results."

She has some caveats: “It takes under five minutes, but it really must be done every day to see benefits.”

She also advises making sure your skin is already well tolerant of ingredients such as retinol before introducing micro-needling: 

Start slow, try it maybe twice a week at first to see how your skin responds and build it up to that everyday regimen.

It is also important to avoid over-exfoliating: “If you’re exfoliating and using the roller you need to take special care. I don’t recommend facial brushes, they’re unnecessary for proper cleansing and I just think they’re too harsh on the skin. When using glycolic or salicylic acid exfoliants you must remember that the skin knows how to shed itself naturally. This process does slow down over time but it’s vital to consider how much cosmetic help it really needs as people can be so eager to try the latest resurfacing toner or mask that they wind up exfoliating more than necessary.”

Eavanna also says that home micro-needling can cause rosacea flare-ups and increased sensitivity. “People with sensitive skin who want to try it need to take things very slowly but if your conditioned is well controlled there’s no reason you can’t micro-needle.”

This is definitely a trend worth trying. It’s not the miracle treatment that a professional like Eavanna can make micro-needling but it will ensure you get more benefits for your buck when you use it with your favourite skincare. 

Paula's Choice Resist C15 Super Booster, €43.20 at paulas-choice.eu

Right now I am using my derma-roller before applying Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster, €43.20 at paulas-choice.eu, as this serum combines the most active form of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), with Vitamin E and ferulic acid, which I find both moisturising and very brightening.

Environ Cosmetic Roll-Cit, €82 at akina.ie

Eavanna recommends Environ Cosmetic Roll-Cit, €82, for daily all-over use on the face and Cosmetic Focus Cit, €38, both at akina.ie for hard-to-reach areas like the nose and upper lip.

Environ Environ Cosmetic Focus Cit, €38 at akina.ie

Join Eavanna Breen and celebrity guest, Maeve Madden, for Akina Beauty & Laser Clinic’s ‘Skin and Gin’ virtual event on April 23. The night will include expert chat on the changing face of the beauty industry, as well as gin, laughs, and goody bags. See eventbrite.ie for tickets.