Do home or spa dermaroller systems work?

Just heard about a new service my spa is going to offer. Collagen treatment where they roll a roller over your face that has fine spikes and may cause a little bleeding to induce your own body to produce collagen. What are your thoughts on this and does it work? Carrie Cruise

These systems induce small wounds that do, in fact, induce some collagen.  The question is  – do they induce enough collagen to make a visible, not just theoretical, difference.  And, are they safe?   Given that there is limited data on these sytems and they differ in the exact size of the tiny spikes, how they are applied, and protocol, here are my concerns:

 –  How will the salons deal with infections?  Any time you laser or induce holes (even tiny ones) in the skin, there is a potential for infection.  Doctors are prepared to deal with that complication.

 –  Who will decide how many treatments are enough and what is the final goal?  Ask about that before starting something new like this?  What proof do they have of consistent results?

  –  These systems are often painful.  How do they plan to manage that?  Again, doctors are prepared to deal with discomfort in a number of different ways.

 –  Some of these systems are used with topical gels and creams like hyaluronic acid, retinol, etc.  The idea is that the spikes help the topical penetrate better.  The skin is a barrier for a reason.   Is the salon prepared to treat and deal with allergic or irritant reactions to the products used with the systems?

Just some things to think about.   Hope this helps,  Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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