Dermarolling for Stretchmarks
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Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:11 pm

Hi, I'm new to the forums. I'm a 24-year-old male with terrible stretch marks over large parts of my body and was starting to lose any hope of being able to do anything about them until I saw the positive nature of stephen1001's posts. I was impressed by the way that you tried out different approaches until you found something that you felt worked and have had success.

I have now decided to start eating better, giving my body the vitamins it needs for healthy skin. I have previously tried dermarolling for a couple of months and it definitely improved the texture, but I didn't do it long enough to see any real visible improvement. I will also start needling on some of my bigger stretch marks, while restarting rolling the larger and more awkward areas where needling would be too difficult. In addition, I looked into those silicone sheets that you mentioned and I am going to add them to my routine. I may also purchase a camera to attempt to record any improvements that I see.

So I have a few questions for stephen1001, if he would be so kind as to answer at his convenience.

- I am going to be using a 2 mm roller. I know you mentioned that professionals use a 3 mm and that you were also using one in your last post. So, where did you purchase your roller and how much more effective do you consider it than a 2 mm?

- You mention that you use a Retinol-based cream as opposed to a Retin A-based cream. Is this because the Retinol cream is superior? I ask as I have already bought half a dozen of the Infadolan ointments from OwnDoc. Do you feel this is suitable aftercare along with Vit C and moisturiser?

- I like the logic behind your idea with the 3 needles. I was hoping to check out your pictures on flickr but I can't see anything on your page. I'm assuming therefore that I need to add you as a contact? I've never used flickr before.

Thanks in advance.

free skin care · Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:22 pm

I just got my single needles in the mail today so I did my first treatment on my side stretch marks. Is anyone else hitting their veins a lot?

Here's a picture of my stretch marks post-treatment.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/img0706ew.jpg/

Regarding the raised black-ish areas, those broken blood vessels should repair themselves in a few days, right? I don't know if I needled too aggressively or what.

ETA: I think it's because I was needling while in a reclining position which moved the veins closer to the surface.

free skin care · Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:35 am

Hi Onmyboat,

I have been using the single needle on my stretch marks for many months and it improved them greatly - they are about 70% better and I am no longer ashamed to be in bikini. My skin is not perfect but it is so much better.
I also hit my blood vessels at the beginning and got bruised but not anymore. It always healed well. I have lots of pinpoint bleeding every time I needle but no bruises. When I single needle aggressively, it stays red for up to three weeks. It looks like I was attacked by a bear Very Happy

My boyfriend got used to my needled red stripes – I am not able to hide it from him.

I use a 1.5 mm roller and the single needles on my stretch marks.
I use a 2 mm one liner roller on my butt (no single needles) because it is difficult to single needle the butt area.

Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:18 pm

Hi Everyone! Well..... I am 31, have 3 kids, got the WORST case of stretch marks with the first baby 11 years ago, even my obgyn said they were the worst she had seen. Sad

And I got more with each pregnancy, I am covered in stretch marks!!! arms, boobs, stomach, thighs, knees. I am not overweight. I have used VERY cream there is, ( seriously) I am SO depressed! Sad

I wont even let my husband see me naked in any kind of decent light. My belly looks like freddy crougers face! ( no joke)I wear shorts and tee shirts to the beach. I feel so ugly! Even my daughter says things like" will that happen to me if I have kids?I have bought 2 derma rollers ( 0.5mm and 1.5mm) for my face and body, numbing cream( dr.numb), vitamin c serum and lotion from avalon organics and I have ordered some retin a. I also have coconut oil and CoQ10 serum. I have spent 3 days on this forum reading on how to stat derma rolling. I am still a little confused. Right after rolling, should I shower and then apply the vitamin c lotion? and when is best to apply the retin A? Could I use the CoQ10 serum too? Since I am too busy with kids, and school during the day, I plan on rolling at night once a month.

free skin care · Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:18 pm

I think you are supposed to apply retin A about an hour after rolling, and vit C the morning after. I also read on owndoc.com that you should apply these creams about 2-3 times a week since they remain in the skin for about 2-3 days after you apply them so it'd be a waste to re-apply them every day.

I've started rolling on November 17th (my stomach and arms) with the 1.5 mm roller. Then I bought a 1.5 mm needle and did both my sides. If your stretch marks are really bad, I would really recommend you use the needle.

After rolling my stomach, there was redness for about 2 days and then it went back to normal. After needling my side stretch marks, they were inflamed for about 1 week and I can see where the new collagen will be forming.

I think the roller is better for improving skin quality and shallow scars, not for forming new collagen to fill in the missing dermis. This is especially true for those deep, thick stretch marks you get on your sides. However, needling takes a long time and is a more painful procedure (it takes me about 1.5 hour to needle one side). So if you're serious about this, you should set aside one week each month, and do one area each evening.

Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:15 am

I want to start dermarolling for stretchmarks. I really filled out at 18 (I'm 21 now) so have stretch marks on my boobs, inner thighs and the sides from the tops of my hips to the tops of my thighs.
The pictures of the blood and bruising is Shock

I have a high pain threshold but sensitive skin, I have a tattoo on my thigh and the closer it got to my inner thigh the more painful it was and I threw up. I also bled a lot, more than the tattooist could even believe Embarassed

Hopefully rolling will be worth the pain, I just wish they were less noticable so they can't be seen from more than a meter away!
I'm starting with vit c serum now, vit a in about a week and then when my dermaroller arrives in a few weeks I will be well prepped!

Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:15 am

pal wrote:

Hi guys

I have just done my first roll and am using vitamin c and a vitamin in the form of retinyl propionate serum @ 1%

I will be buying ingredients to make my own serum soon and was wondering if I could make my own vitamin a cream also. I live in Australia and can only seem to get Retin A if I have a prescription, also if anyone has success getting a Retin A product through Australian customs please let me know:)

Anyway does anyone know what the most effectives vitamin a are and if there is anywhere that sells the ingredient for a DIY.
Skinactives have retinyl acetate powder and was thinking of giving that a go also.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated

TIA Smile

I would also like to thank P girl for starting this thread for stretch marks as I have them everywhere due to weight gain.

try eBay. I live in Tassie and bought some from Singapore, was delivered no problems Smile

Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:17 am

Hi everyone....wow lots of advice on here. I have lots of stretch marks on my stomach. They are old and honestly I think I've used every cream and device on the market trying to help them look better. I had just about given up on them...until I saw the Derma Roller. I just found out about this a few weeks ago and I've been searching for others that have used it. I found out thru my dermatologist about the derma roller and when I asked about doing this at home she was very against it and said it was dangerous....but I see so many others doing it at home and having great success with it. Its very expensive to have this done in a dermatologist's office...very expensive!! Not something I could afford. So any advice from those of you that have done this would be great. I'm so glad I found this site. Thanks. Very Happy

free skin care · Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:02 pm

Floridagirl wrote:

I found out thru my dermatologist about the derma roller and when I asked about doing this at home she was very against it and said it was dangerous....

The doc is probably saying this so they're not liable if you do end up getting an infection. But, honestly, if you're careful, that's sort of unlikely.

This is my setup:

I set up all my equipment on a paper towel. I use vodka to disinfect (I know it's not optimal, but it works, and I may pick up some ethanol). I soak my needle/roller periodically through the procedure. I use Shiseido facial cotton to wipe off my needle and to disinfect the area to be needled. I don't use a numbing cream and don't see myself using one in the future. Yes, needling ain't a massage, but I'd rather gauge any pain variation.

I think the second most important piece of dermarolling advice (the first being to disinfect everything properly) is to roll/needle very aggressively and infrequently. If you go about it half-heartedly, nothing will happen. Thing about it, each needle jab (as tiny as it is) equals collagen production in that area. Think how many jabs are required to fill in your stretch mark. The complete results from each needling session take up to a year to show. So your best bet is to needle aggressively and then leave the skin alone for at least 4 weeks (though personally I'd recommend 5 or 6) to repair.

I've had some nice results on my sides. I rolled my right side for the first time 5 weeks ago (you can see the photo on this page). It was honestly a heart-stopping experience. It was the first time I needled, and I kept hitting veins, and just... jabbing yourself with a needle for 1.5 hours isn't exactly a walk in the park. I'm preparing to needle my right side again probably this week. I'll post before and after pics in a few months once I've had a few more sessions.

ETA: And make sure the area where you're rolling has a good light. I sat down to needle my right side yesterday, but the stretch marks look more fresh-coloured than they did the first time so it's hard to see where to needle (and needling healthy skin, especially on the sides, is PAINFUL) so I did my arms instead.

Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:33 am

I got some stretch marks on my inner arms, minor ones the outer arms, about 5 on my abdomen, some finer ones round the waist and back. And finally reddish ones on my shoulders (I'm unlucky, I didn't get pregnant as I'm a male lol but instead they started appearing due to puberty and growth spurts, I'm in normal shape.) And of course like most I hate them. So I came across the derma roller and had to try it after the results I'd seen.

It didn't hurt much, mainly on my arms and shoulders when I started going back over them in other directions, felt basically as it's said to look like (sunburn) Looks like I don't need numbing cream, and seeing as it can kill people that way by getting into their bloodstream. I heard some people do it everyday more lightly or such, but also heard for best results should do it ever 2-4 weeks at least, so though my urge is to do it again sooner I'll leave it be and see if it improves more. I wonder if I should still put the vitamin C and E serum on them?
It was long to roll all the stretch marks, some are finer, then the main ones, but did them all in th end.

After a hour or two of redness and overnight the stretch marks their self stayed quite red, now however their coloration (on my stomach) has improved, but the ones on shoulders are still a bit reddish. I don't feel like these will ever go, they feel like some impossible to rid curse lol, but if they do go I will surprised and happy.
And thanks to the person above me! I guess I will do that then, roll it hard on the skin and leave for that time.

Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:49 am

I started dermarolling after spending along time reading this site and it sounded promising so away I went. I have had stretchmarks for 20 years and hate them as much as everyone else. My stomach is quite bad and my boobs but I hate my stomach the most. Over the years I have tried all sorts of things. The latest before rolling was sanding my skin with sandpaper ! Believe me all sorts of things have gone over my stomach. The good news is that I have noticed a visible reduction in mine since I really started working on them seriously about 3-4 months ago. Ok Im terrible as I couldnt say what is helping the best as I still do abit of everything . At the moment I roll around once a month but Im not sure if Im doing it hard enough as after seeing some after pics on here mine dont look anywhere near deep enough. I dont get much blood if any. Might try harder now. Very rare but maybe once ever few months I still rub sandpaper over them till they are red and put some pawpaw cream on ithem. That reallly stings. Mainly at the moment I put Retin A .1% on twice a day then I put some Vit C home made serum on at some stage in the day as well. I also have some nights where I put Stivia , papwpaw , vit e , vit a and whatever else I think might help then I wrap myself in gladwap and wash off in the morning. I would honestly say they look like they have improved around 40 percent which is huge to m as hit shows hope. I have just brought some single needles and will try that next as I dont think Im going in enough with the rollers.

free skin care · Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:16 am

Antoinette123 wrote:

sanding my skin with sandpaper !

Wow! Isn't that kind of risky and carries a big chance of infection?

Re: retin-A and vit C - apply them once every three days and not at the same time. They stay in the skin for up to 72 hours so you're really wasting money applying it more often than that. Also, apply vit C after showering. I believe I read somewhere that you have to remove oil from your skin, otherwise vit C won't penetrate.

Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:38 am

Hi There - I'm a newbie too! I have been reading this forum for hours but I still have a few questions as I am a little confused. I would greatly appreciate the help. I am 24, fairly thin with aged/white stretch marks on my thighs, hips & waist. I have just ordered a 1.5mm Derma Roller & the Soul Essence cream from The Nova Clinic. I intend to use it once a month (unless someone suggest otherwise) I would like to know:

1. Do I also need to purchase the Retin A in addition to the cream or is the Soul Essence cream sufficient. I am a little apprehensive about the Retin A

2. Approximately how often do you need to purchase a new Derma Roller?

3. Has anyone's stretch marks completely vanished or experienced at least an 80%-90% reduction?

I am very sorry if I have repeated any questions. It's just all so much information! If this really does work to reduce stretch marks I am really surprised that more people don't know about it. The only answer I ever received for a long time is that stretch marks were untreatable. Thanks in advance! Smile

Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:24 am

Hi everyone! I jut ordered my Derma Roller and so excite to try. I only ordered one 1.5 sized.
I have stretch marks on my lower back, butt, all over my thighs down to my knees. I am planning to roll once every 5 weeks. How many times can I use my derma roller before I need to buy a new one?
Im looking forward to hear from you guys! Thank you!!!

free skin care · Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:30 am

SueBee777 wrote:

I have stretch marks on my lower back, butt, all over my thighs down to my knees. I am planning to roll once every 5 weeks. How many times can I use my derma roller before I need to buy a new one?
Im looking forward to hear from you guys! Thank you!!!

People say the roller lasts about 1 year. However, that varies based on how often you use it and what you roll. So for you, the surface area you'll be rolling is fairly large, and if you roll everything once every 5 weeks, the roller may last for less than a year.

Just a heads up, if you plan on rolling your lower back, you may benefit from a derma stamp. Using the roller, I don't know if you'll be able to press hard enough.

In other news, I finally got my derma stamp and Infadolan today. A heads up for Canadians who order from owndoc.com - after about 2 weeks, go check your local post office. For some reason, they don't leave notice cards for owndoc.com packages.

Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:37 pm

Where do you order your Vitamin C? Do you guys make it yourself? I live in the US.
Thank you guys in advance! Very Happy

Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:58 am

Hello newbie here!!!! I'm African American with dark skin and light stretch marks on my arm and breast legs hips...my may concern is my breast and arms...has anyone with dark skin seen any results..also what is better to do derma roller or single needle. I used the derma roller last night and did see and results at all my skin looked the same...I may not have done it hard enough maybe...no blood no swelling nothing at all but a little tingle...I dint expect a mirical or instant gratification but I want to make sure I'm doing it correct.

I did a search but not finding the in for that I need TIA

Fri Mar 16, 2012 8:39 pm

Hello everybody..I am new to the site and I stumbled upon it while I was doing research about the derma roller. I've read some of this thread and this what I understand.

First, here are my stats.
I'm a male, with stretch marks on my obliques, biceps, and some developing near my chest/shoulder. I have them because I weight lift and shift drop and gain weight often.

So far, I learned that
1. I should get a derma roller 1.5 mm for stretch marks.
2. I should use Vitamin A and Vitamin C daily, unless rash, then use every other day.

Any advice? Should I soak the roller in alcohol before using it? How can I disinfect my skin before I use it? I also planned on using Palmers Coco butter right after rolling..is that a good idea?

Thank you.

Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:34 am

Hi everyone! I'm new too...just started dermarolling last fri. Very pleased with the whole process and I feel that this is something I can stick with until I get a result that I am happy with.

I do have a blog on tumblr, but as I'm new I can't post the url. If you have the know-how, my chosen url is

stretchmarkrhi

so you could just copy/paste that at the end of the tumblr address...if that makes sense!

As an aside, just noticed I wrote vit a instead of ret a in the blog. Will have to go back and alter that!

Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:07 pm

Could someone tell me where you buy your numbing cream? I might just be too sensitive but honestly it hurts pretty bad! Sad

Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:55 am

Hi everyone,
I was browsing the internet for some information about derma rollers and stumble upon this forum.I wanted to do some research first beore trying this. Can anyone please help answer some questions for me? From what I've read, a lot of people ordered the brand "Dr. Roller"? but I did a google search on this and it showed me a couple of different websites. Can anyone be helpful and tell me which website is reliable to buy the product from? Also, from what I understand you have to apply vitamin a and c the morning after you roll? Is this correct? And what is the purpose to applying Retin-A cream for stretchmarks? I thought this cream is for acne treatment? Another question is, is it safe to apply other creams for stretchmarks after you roll?
Thank You for your help.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:18 pm

Uh uh, first post!

I’ve been lurking in the EDS forum and especially the threads about dermarolling and single needling for some weeks now – took me about two weekends to read through them and I’m not even sure that I haven’t missed anything Smile

.

I’m in the first course of needling my SM’s on my thighs and hips. I’ve been derma rolling these areas once earlier with a 0.15 roller.
I SN’ed one leg four days ago and plan on doing the other leg tomorrow, it takes a whole evening to do a leg, but since I bruise a lot, I’d better get both legs done with, as to not drag out the I’m-hiding-my-legs-in-pants-period Laughing

.

So this is my started/planned course of treatment:
• At night I apply a cream targeting scars and stretch marks, containing (as I read the contents) different kinds of Vit A
• In the AM apply vit C (L-ascorbic acid) diluted in plain H2o on the three or four days prior to a SN session
• Also in the AM I use a loofah mitt a few times a week and apply a body oil with different vitamins *almost* every day on damp skin to help the flaking from the Vit A – I don’t do this on the days with Vit C though, as I read somewhere that the oils will inhibit the vitamin C in some way
• For starters I’m planning on getting around needling the SM’s twice approx. 5-6 weeks apart before summer kicks in
• During summer I think I’ll stick to dermarolling with my 0.15 Dr. Roller every 4-6 weeks, as the down time from bruising is “only” a few days.

It’s a pretty simple routine without using a lot of actives.
This is mainly because less time and trouble means more commitment on my part, but also I figure that since I’m in my early 30’s, my skin will be able to do a lot by itself without me helping or provoking it too much Smile

.

Thu Apr 19, 2012 7:46 pm

Okay, I feel rather silly asking this but;

can someone please point me in the right direction on where to find some good dermarollers for sale on eBay (or any other place that may sale them cheap, lol)?

I did look on Ebay already but since I have never purchased through there before I am completely confused about which ones are actually being sold by LEGIT sellers and I'm afraid of buying something that will either be junk or perhaps not even show up at all.

What I am looking for is a dermaroller for my face (fine lines and crepiness) and one for the SM's on my stomach (most of which are quite large, deep and silvery-white in color) so I would have two rollers in total.

Oh, and I am in Canada so I would like to do my best to save $$ by trying to avoid overly high shipping charges, etc, if at all possible.

Anyway, if anyone could help me out I would sincerely appreciate it.

Thanks so much, everyone! Smile

Sun May 06, 2012 3:59 am

Hi there! The dr-roller website is where I got my roller from, and I got my single needles from the owndoc website. If you Google either you'll get the link, I can't post the links myself as I'm a new member! I got all the creams, lotions and potions from ebay.

I'm not sure how quick/cheap postage would be for you, for me it all arrived within 2 weeks and I'm within the UK. I had great service from both websites. Hope this helps!

free skin care · Tue May 08, 2012 11:03 pm

Guys do you believe it is possible to completely get rid of stretch marks through dermarolling (not just fade them)?

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