Cleaning the derma roller entails disinfecting it to get rid of the infection-causing microorganisms. Isopropyl alcohol or colloidal silver were employed for this purpose to destroy 99.99% of germs. Please be aware that you should not share the roller with others after cleaning it.
What is Derma Roller?
Derma roller, commonly known as skin rolling therapy or collagen induction therapy, is a cosmetic process in which thousands of tiny needles are inserted into the skin surface through rolling or pressing devices.
The working principle of skin rolling is to create micro wounds and induce the production of collagen and elastin. If you don’t know, collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, which is responsible for combining connective tissue such as skin, muscle, tendon, cartilage and bone.
This lovely protein also makes us look young and beautiful. Unfortunately, people think that collagen production will slow down by about 1% every year after the age of 20, which means a big word – aging.
Although the derma roller looks terrible, it is actually considered a minimally invasive surgery with little downtime. However, the recovery process depends largely on the length of the needle used. Obviously, the longer the needle, the deeper the wound – which means the longer the recovery time.
Why Do You Need to Clean Your Derma Roller?
Whether it’s hair or face, it means direct contact with the skin.
Derma roller will not only touch your skin, but also pierce your scalp from a scientific point of view. If your derma roller is not clean, it may become a breeding ground for bacteria. In a study reviewing the use of microneedles, a patient in the microneedle group developed bacterial infection. Residues left on the scalp or roller may cause other problems, such as rosacea, eczema, chloasma, and thus become unnecessary complications. When the bacteria in derma roller contact the scalp, it will make the scalp red and uneven because the blood vessels become visible.
Eczema is also caused by the use of unclean derma roller on the scalp. Here, your skin becomes irritated and itchy. This can cause inflammation and redness. Chloasma is a kind of pigmentation on the skin. Bacteria from dirty skin can cause hormone imbalance in the body and lead to brown spots on the scalp.
Do you want to prevent these unnecessary complications? This is simple; All you have to do is clean your derma roller before and after use. This sounds troublesome and tiring, but it only takes 5 minutes before and after using the roller, which can help you prevent unnecessary side effects of the roller.
How to Use Derma Roller?
Strictly follow these steps to avoid any danger and accidental infection.
- Step 1: disinfect the drum
Disinfect your derma roller and soak it in 70% isopropyl alcohol for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2: wash your face
You can use a mild pH balance cleanser to thoroughly clean your face. If you use a leather roller with a needle length of more than 0.5mm, you also need to wipe your face with 70% isopropyl alcohol before rolling.
- Step 3: apply numbing cream if necessary
Depending on your pain tolerance, you may need to apply anesthetic cream. However, for anything above 1.0 mm, you will definitely want some numbing cream, because the length of the needle will draw blood through accurate bleeding.
If you use numbing cream, please follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer and make sure that it is completely wiped before starting rolling! Numb master cream 5% lidocaine ($18.97) is a good choice.
- Step 4: start using derma roller
Skill is very important, so listen carefully! Dividing your face into several parts can make the whole process easier. Here is its appearance:
Avoid rolling in the shadow area, which represents the orbital (orbital) area.
According to your skin’s tolerance and sensitivity, roll 6 to 8 times in one direction and make sure to lift the roller after each pass. Therefore, scroll in one direction. Hold it up. repeat
Lifting the roller after each pass can prevent terrible “traces” and make you look like a cat scratching your face.
After rolling 6 to 8 times in the same place, slightly adjust the leather roller, and then repeat. Do this until you cover the whole part of your skin.
After you scroll in one direction, it’s time to return to the area you just scrolled and repeat the process in the vertical direction. For example, suppose you have completed the vertical scrolling on your forehead, it is time to go back and repeat the whole process horizontally.
At the end of the process, you should scroll 12 to 16 times on each area – 6 to 8 times horizontally and 6 to 8 times vertically.
Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t need to roll diagonally. Doing so will cause uneven pattern distribution and greater central stress. If you decide to do so, be careful and take additional precautions.
- Step 5: wash your face with water
After you complete the microneedle injection, you need to rinse your face with water only.
- Step 6: clean your derma roller
You can clean your derma roller with dishwasher soap. Mix soapy water in a plastic container, and then rotate around the drum with force to ensure that the drum does not hit the side. We use detergents such as soap directly after curling hair because alcohol cannot dissolve proteins in skin and blood.
- Step 7: disinfect the drum
Disinfect your derma roller again and let it soak in 70% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes. Put it back in the box and put it in a safe place.
- Step 8: continue your basic skin care program
Follow up skin care routine. This means that there is no chemical exfoliation or active ingredients, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, retinoic acid, etc.
How to Deeply Clean the Derma Roller?
1. Remove Residues
When you roll the derma roller on the skin, skin cells and dry blood will adhere to the tiny needle. You can delete this item in the following ways:
toothbrush
First, mix some liquid detergent and water in the container. Dip the roller in this soap mixture and gently wipe away any residue with a soft toothbrush. Do not scrub hard when doing this; Otherwise, you will damage the delicate needle.
Rinse in hot water and repeat until you are sure there is no residue.
Note: be sure to use a soft toothbrush and move it gently. You must use a new toothbrush instead of an old one!
Alternatively, you can use a sponge to remove any particles stuck to the needle.
Wet a clean sponge with soapy water and roll it on its surface several times. This will remove any skin cells, skin products or blood in the gap of the device, otherwise it is difficult to clean.
After that, rinse the soapy water thoroughly before continuing.
2. Soaking and Disinfection
This step is the most critical, because it can ensure that there are no bacteria and bacteria on your skin before using derma roller. Here are some things you can use to disinfect:
Use alcohol
In order to properly disinfect the microneedle bayonet at home, you need to soak it in isopropyl alcohol. This substance is often called rubbing wine and is used as a disinfectant. It is easy to buy online or in drugstores.
However, you need to make sure that the concentration of the solution you use is 70% – no higher or lower than 70%. This is because any substance with higher concentration will evaporate too fast, while substances with lower concentration are not strong enough for some bacteria.
Pour enough solution into the plate or bowl, submerge the head of the drum and put it in.
Try to put the roller upside down, not face down, to avoid exerting pressure on the needle. Equipment like derma roller makes this easy because of its curved neck, which ensures that when you put down the needle, the needle will not contact the surface below.
Soak it in alcohol solution for at least 10-15 minutes before continuing.
Use hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is an effective disinfectant, which can kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. A concentration of 3% is enough to clean most surfaces, so you can use it to clean your skin.
Follow the steps listed above and soak your skin roll in hydrogen peroxide for 10-15 minutes.
Denture piece
If you don’t have anything on it, but you have some denture tablets in hand, use them to clean your skin. Denture tablets can remove the scale in the retainer and denture and kill most microorganisms. Therefore, you can also use them to disinfect your skin.
You can put a tablet into a small bowl full of water. Next, put the derma roller inside and make sure the head is submerged. Leave the tablet in the solution as indicated in the instructions for its use.
3. Rinse and Dry
Take out the microneedle device from the cleaning solution and rinse it thoroughly with hot water. Finally, you need to dry it before using it. It is best to air dry, but please make sure to place the leather press where the needle will not contact any surface. Or, you can hold it in your hand when it is dry.
You can also roll the derma roller on a clean toilet paper to dry it quickly, but we don’t recommend this, because some paper towels may stick to the sharp needle. After completing all these steps, you can use the dermabrasion machine on the skin / scalp.
Can you Sterilize Derma Toller Completely?
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to disinfect derma roller at home. Treatment with isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other alcohol will not kill all microorganisms. You need to boil derma roller for 30 minutes to make it sterile, but this will destroy the drum. The good news is that there is no need to achieve 100% sterility to ensure the safety of skin rolling. Remember, there are many microorganisms in the air, and there are also a lot of microorganisms in our own skin. Therefore, even if you disinfect the roller, you cannot roll the leather under 100% sterile conditions. What is needed is to reduce the number of microorganisms on the derma roller to a sufficiently low level, and the perfect effect can be achieved by treating it with 70% isopropanol for 20-30 minutes.
