Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Lynn on July 18, 2013 at 12:22am

I've used derma stamps & also the derma pen.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Andrew on July 18, 2013 at 9:26am

Do you have a preference?

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Permalink Reply by Julie Lynn on July 18, 2013 at 3:07pm

The derma stamp is a lot more easily controlled. The pen can microscopically tear the skin & cause more damage. The roller also creates a larger opening on the surface. Think of a pizza dough cutter, it comes in at an angle & exits out at another angle, therefore creating a larger puncture in the skin for repair. Must weigh all options and find out your guidelines for your state.

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Permalink Reply by coldsalineplexus on July 18, 2013 at 7:05am

Your treatment room looks beautiful and WHOA, 37 reviews with an average of 5 stars!  You are doing something very, very right :)

I've played with dermarollers extensively on my own (lightly acne-scarred) skin, with really nice results.  But ultimately, I felt that selling dermarollers in retail would be asking for trouble, especially since the effectiveness of the treatment depends so much on the pressure used with dermarollers, and it's very hard to apply consistent pressure to your own skin at home.  

So I decided to purchase Sing Hong's (Bellaire Industries) microneedling pen since I have received great service and very prompt repairs with him in the past.  So far I have treated one test client 2x, both her face and a hypertrophic scar on her arm.  The arm scar is really impressive!  A lot softer and smoother, possibly even an improvement in the coloring.  I went up to 1mm depth on the scar.  For her face, I kept the depth very low (as low as the pen would go), so no collagen improvement yet, although one large pigmented spot seems lighter and a little smaller.  For her third treatment, I'm going to go deeper on her face.  The first time, we forgot to use lidocaine, so it was really painful.  The second time, she came early and waited with the lidocaine on her skin until it was time for treatment.  She said the second tx was MUCH less painful and distressing than the first.  After both treatments, she has been extremely out-of-it, I think due to the intensity and noise of the treatment.    

I am planning to price this treatment about 30% above our current top-of-the-line treatment, mostly because I foresee a lot of hand-holding (similar to stronger peels where despite preparing clients verbally, we still do get a lot of texts/emails/follow-up visits afterward just to make sure everything is OK).  

So far I have run it on bare skin/ lidocane-absorbed skin, but I am curious about running it over top of retinol, peptides, and/or a light acid peel.  Based on my home dermaroller experience, this should yield good results.  The only products I did not have good results with rolling over were antioxidants, especially COQ10 - a lot of burning and no better results than over dry skin.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Andrew on July 18, 2013 at 9:26am

Thanks Christine!

I've read that people use lidocaine to numb before but I wasn't quite sure how to use it. Is it removed after 15-20 minutes or left on the skin?

I have a hyaluronic serum I plan on using and am super excited.

Thanks for the add btw!

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Permalink Reply by coldsalineplexus on July 18, 2013 at 1:40pm

We use the Plum numb from Universal.  Since it is a clear gel and dries without a film, I just left it on during the treatment.  My next step is to add a serum over the lidocane :)

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Permalink Reply by Adam Andrew on July 18, 2013 at 4:17pm

I'll check that out, thanks again!

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