DERMAROLLER SCAM

Below is a list of some of the most common dermaroller scams within the industry at present. We hope this is useful for you and helps you avoid the being taken in by a dermaroller scam.

Derma rolling only works when performed with vitamin A

It is common practice for many companies to assert that skin needling will only work when used in conjunction with their particular products particularly vitamin A or retinol based creams. This is simply not true. Some studies have been done using skin needling with vitamin A, but many of the best have also been done using ‘dry needling’, or the use of no products. One of the best known of these studies showed that skin needling can increase collagen induction by up to 1,000% after a single session without the addition of vitamin A (1). That is not to say some products do not assist skin needling. Many of the natural White Lotus serums have been shown to induct collagen and reduce the side-effects of derma rolling. It is important, however to understand that skin needling can induct collagen alone and is a wonderful natural treatment that can be performed successfully without synthetic products that can contribute to unnecessary side-effects.

1.-Schwartz et al, 2006, internet paper. Abstract reflections about COLLAGEN-INDUCTION-THERAPY (CIT) A Hypothesis for the Mechanism of Action of Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) using Micro-Needles; 1st edition February 2006. 2nd revision January 2007 Horst Liebl

Only 1.5mm micro needles and longer can induce collagen

It has been well established that the shortest micro needles that induce collagen are 0.5mm long. This was asserted in one of the initial studies of the evidence and has been repeatedly supported by later evidence (2). 0.5mm micro needles are also the most effective at increasing trans-dermal absorption. It has been shown scientifically that they are in fact more effective than even the longer 1.5mm roller for this (3). This appears to be because they deliver substances to the exact right depth for maximum absorption. There are particular cases such as severe scarring where it is more effective to use longer micro needles such as the 0.5mm, but in the majority of cases shorter needles are as effective with less pain tissue damage and recovery times.

2. Anastassakis, K. (2005). The Dermaroller™ Series. Retrieved July, 30, 2011 from http://www.oniskai.com/pdf/Anastassakis_Article.pdf

3. Badram, M. M., Kuntsche, J. & Fahr, A. (2009). Skin penetration enhancement by a micro needle device (Dermaroller®) in vitro: Dependency on needle size and applied formulation. European journal of pharmaceutical sciences. 3 6, 511–523.

0.3mm and shorter micro needles are long enough to induct collagen

This has been an unfortunate derma roller scam which has been repeated regularly recently. In order for a derma roller to induct collagen it must pass through the superficial layers of the skin called the epidermis to the deeper layers called the dermis. This is the level at which collagen induction can take place. As the epidermis is only an average of 0.1-0.15mm thick some have argued that a 0.3mm micro needle is long enough to induce collagen.

Unfortunately this has been repeatedly demonstrated scientifically to be untrue. Due to the unevenness of the skin and the natural elasticity the micro needles do not penetrate to their full depth. This is why 0.3 mm micro needles cannot induct collagen. What is worse is that many of the companies selling these products to induct collagen know that they are not effective. In fact, the reason they often sell these rollers for home use is that they are considered lower risk because they do not go deep enough to reach the dermis. This dermaroller scam is widespread and we have even seen professional companies at industry beauty expos making this claim. 0.3mm micro needles are effective if you wish to increase trans-dermal absorption, but if you wish to induct collagen please avoid them.

All products are safe to use with skin needling 

Skin Needling penetrates the surface layer of the skin called the stratum corneum. This naturally increases the absorption of products through the skin. One study has shown that it can increase absorption by up to 10,000 times (4). This has led many companies to use the derma rollers with any beauty products they are currently selling. Of course all beauty products are not safe to be used with this dramatic increase in absorption. Safety levels for most products are set based on normal absorption of the product. Dramatically increasing this absorption of course invalidates the safety testing, but in most cases further testing is not carried out. One recent example of this is the promotion of Epidermal Growth factors (EGF) for use with skin needling. These factors are associated with increased cancer risk when taken internally. They have never been tested with skin needling which increases absorption straight into the blood stream. The policy of White Lotus is to use all natural organic products that are safe for internal consumption and are also scientifically shown to increase effectiveness. This avoids the unnecessary risk being created by some in the industry.

Hand assembled derma rollers

We are often approached by customers asking why our derma rollers cost more than some of the really cheap ones on auction sites. The answer is simple quality control. Many cheaper rollers on the market are assembled by hand and they do not even come in tamper evident packaging. No other needle devices are sold this way due to the infection risks involved. We believe this makes selling derma rollers that do not meet basic hygiene criteria qualify as a dermaroller scam.

To learn more about White Lotus’s unique approach to skin needling please follow the link.