dermarolling - anyone else had a bad reaction? (1.5mm)
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Thu May 19, 2011 10:06 am

I used a 1.5mm dermaroller on my face last September. I applied infadolan ointment afterwards and for a couple of days afterwards, maybe twice or a few times a day I can't really remember.

Sadly I developed a bad reaction from it. My skin became irritated and looked worse than before, and sadly this issue hasn't cleared up in the 6+ months it's been since the treatment.

my mainproblems are these:

a) can't apply any topicals

All moisturizers i've tried thus far have just ended up irritating the skin further, or at least that's the way it has felt (and looked I believe). I've tried some oils including coconut oil and almond oil, I've tried various creams including bepanthen and other very mild creams and ointments, I've tried ichtammol 1%, ive tried various milder steroids (all of which have increased the burning and stinging if anything) and most recently a pretty strong steroidcream (elocon) which just made things much worse suddenly with loads of pimples and superirritated skin - still recovering from that one...

b) sun is a problem

I think the sunsensitivity I'm experiencing is a consequence of the skin being mildly irritated pretty much constantly. I've had times where being out in the sun for a little while (30 min) hasn't caused a problem but other times when it gets irritated from it... In the winter the sun didn't cause much of a problem.

It usually feels and looks a little better in the morning just after waking up. My skin doesn't feel the way it used to when I touch it however, but in the morning it feels more like it used to. Some days this winter it felt almost entirely back to normal, but that's only as long as I don't apply ANYTHING and shower once a day maximum + avoid saunas...

I've read about dermarolling and I've never heard about anyone else with this kind of reaction, so I'm not sure. I've been seeing a dermatologist for a while now and she seems to be just as clueless as I am; especially since the burning sensation I experience can often be out of porportion to the visible signs, ie it can look just mildly red but burn A LOT. I've done the ANA test for autoimmune and it came back negative, so that's not it...

Now my dermatologist prescribed a topical antibiotic with hydrocortisone in it but I'm pretty damn reluctant to take it considering all she's given me thus far has just been more irritating on the skin (I only apply it to my forehead usually to see how I react).

Just to sum things up:

1. No previous skinproblems
2. After dermarolling with 1.5mm I developed irritated skin that can't handle the following:

a) any cream/ointment/oil/topical I've tried thus far
b) sun
3. Negative for autoimmune
4. This problem is only in my face.
5. ingesting omega-3 seems to help a little bit though I'm not entirely sure about this one.
6. I asked my derm if it could be Rosacea and she said no because I didn't have dilated blood-vessels.

Any suggestions or ideas would be VERY appreciated. This has become a true nightmare for me, having to hide from the sun with summer coming and all Sad

- David

free skin care · Thu May 19, 2011 10:56 am

Hi David,

I don't think I have any answers for you but I am wondering if you're shaving at all and if so, how is your skin handling that?

Thu May 19, 2011 11:09 am

I've had to stop shaving because of this.

I've also tried finding anyone with this kind of response to the treatment but it seems I'm the only one with this kind of problem. Which kinda begs the question: is dermarolling really the problem here at all or was it just a trigger and not a cause?

I did press down fairly hard with the 1.5mm but I didn't roll extensively just 4-5 times in each direction and it didn't feel too bad afterwards either; the reaction came a little more by each day I was experiencing the problem...

Thu May 19, 2011 12:59 pm

Hi, I also use the 1.5 derma roller.I use it at night about once or two per week. When I use it my skin gets red and rough. I apply cicaplast which soothes the irritation and then get to sleep. Sometime I aply some anti-aging cream like viterol from DS. The next day my skin has no irritation but is still a bit rough.

free skin care · Thu May 19, 2011 1:25 pm

Emu oil may be worth trying...I find it very soothing and my skin loves it. I pat a little on everynight over my various serums.

Many benefits have attributed to applying emu oil topically.

free skin care · Thu May 19, 2011 2:36 pm

Jen makes a good point about nourishing and strengthening your skin with some yummy oils. Skin actives.com has a great product that would be good for you to try. It is called EveryLipidSerum (ELS).

You could combine this with others that are high in Omega's and provide nourishment to the skin. I'd check out MountainRoseHerbs . com .. You can email them and tell them your issues and they may be able to help. Very natural-based, healing oriented place.

Fri May 20, 2011 12:23 am

Actually i don't have a idea of your question since i didn't use any tool for skin care yet... Thanks..

Fri May 20, 2011 2:15 am

I'll look into that shop sister sweets, and also the cicaplast and the emu oil, though I doubt these will help :/

It still appears I'm the only one with this kind of problem from dermarolling. Hence I must have something else going on that was just triggered by the dermarolling. No?

Could there be something missing in the skin which is causing this problem or what? Any suggestions, please!

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 2:50 am

Have you thought about going the homeopathic route? When I pretty much burned off my face after using a pumpkin peel last fall, using the Califlora calendula gel by Boerkicke & Tafel (at Whole Foods) helped tremendously. Using a steroid lotion (desonide) got my redness & scaliness under control, but the calendula gel really got my skin back to normal. At this time, my skin would not absorb any moisture, and even when I put on good oils like pomegranate seed & rosehip seed, they would just vanish after a while. Aquaphor seemed like the only thing that would seal in moisture on my skin. If the topical homeopathic gel doesn't work, perhaps you might want to see if a homeopath could prescribe something for you to take internally? Just a thought. Good luck!

Fri May 20, 2011 8:22 am

I don't know since no one but me has had this reaction I must conclud it to be unlikely to be "because" of the dermaroller. Maybe somehow anxiety has created a loop over this. Not sure how do break the cycle but I hope to find a way.

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 9:39 am

Have you been checked for an autoimmune disorders (lupus for example).

David87 wrote:

I'll look into that shop sister sweets, and also the cicaplast and the emu oil, though I doubt these will help :/

It still appears I'm the only one with this kind of problem from dermarolling. Hence I must have something else going on that was just triggered by the dermarolling. No?

Could there be something missing in the skin which is causing this problem or what? Any suggestions, please!

Fri May 20, 2011 9:42 am

I did take an ANA test I think it's called, and it was negative. I haven't done a skinbiopsy as the derm I'm seeing was leery of doing one in the face (which I understand, they leave marks I assume), especially since it may not help.

I mean I've read and read for hours about skindisorders and I haven't found one disorder that actually matches my problem. If I just had sunsensitivity I would say perhaps adult onset of a mild porphyria but that is very unlikely in itself and doesn't match my other symptoms ie problem with topicals.

The only thing that has helepd a bit thus far is omega-3, and I'm eating quite a lot of it but I'm a bit worried that that will give me new problems (I don't know about the levels of mercury etc. in fish oil)...

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 11:46 am

Some of the oils are very high in omega 3's and/or other EFA's. It sounds like you have nothing to lose to try some.

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 4:49 pm

David,

I agree with you over the concern of mercury in fish oils...I actually stopped taking my salmon oil capsules last year and started taking 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. I had blood work done last December and my HDL increased from 70 (when I was taking salmon oil) to 92 so that confirmed that the chia seeds are doing their job.

I buy my chia seeds from getchiallc.com

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 4:54 pm

JenJ wrote:

David,

I agree with you over the concern of mercury in fish oils...I actually stopped taking my salmon oil capsules last year and started taking 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. I had blood work done last December and my HDL increased from 70 (when I was taking salmon oil) to 92 so that confirmed that the chia seeds are doing their job.

I buy my chia seeds from getchiallc.com

JenJ - how do you take the chia seeds? Do you just eat them dry? I've tried mixing them with water (as per the directions on the package) and I just can't deal with the gel that results. Thanks!

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 5:13 pm

ShastaGirl,

I toss the chia seeds in the VitaMix when I make my green smoothie so it blends them very well.

I have a couple of co-workers hooked on the chia seeds and both of the guys add the chai seeds to their oatmeal or yogurt so maybe give that a try.

I tried once to mix the seeds in with a glass of water and UGH!!! There is just no way I can handle that.

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 8:39 pm

David87 wrote:

I used a 1.5mm dermaroller on my face last September. I applied infadolan ointment afterwards and for a couple of days afterwards, maybe twice or a few times a day I can't really remember.

Sadly I developed a bad reaction from it. My skin became irritated and looked worse than before, and sadly this issue hasn't cleared up in the 6+ months it's been since the treatment.

Did you roll on bare skin or did you apply something first and roll it in?

Also, how many times did you roll, as it sounds like you only did it once?

Sat May 21, 2011 3:35 am

I rolled on bare skin. Then applied infadolan. It was in the evening I believe.

I didn't disinfect the roller before using it because I had forgot the disinfectant at another place. However it had been disinfected after I used it the time before (on my neck) and I kinda doubt bacteria would cause such a mild "infection" ie if it were a bacterial infection it should be pretty easy for a derm to tell (and my derm hasn't suggested anything like that).

However since I did use it on my neck without this reaction and the only difference this time is I may have pressed slightly more but not even sure about that AND that I didn't disinfect it prior to usage, I suppose this could be significant in some way...

Omega-3 helps a bit for some reason, maybe because it reduces inflamation?

free skin care · Sat May 21, 2011 5:54 am

David, my opinion is that your reaction is not from a 1 time dermaroll. Unless you maybe dragged the roller instead of rolling it. That would be the only thing I could think of. Did you put the Infadolan on your neck, too? Even that I don't think would be an issue after all this time if you only used it a few times. It just sounds like your skin barrier is damaged for whatever reason. Maybe do a search on here for skin barrier repair. There are a few products that can help. I swear by the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate. You use it by itself nightly for 21 nights. I damaged my skin barrier, was sensitive, everything burned, etc., and this stuff really worked to get my skin back to normal.

Sat May 21, 2011 7:10 am

Yeah damaged skin barrier is what my derm suggested last time as well, when I pursued the problem further. She says I may have seb derm but I highly doubt it as I don't show much symptoms indeed my face just looks a little dry (because I haven't applied anything on it in months...)

could I have damage in the skin under the outlayers though? I mean what if the damamge isn't in the skin-barrier but deeper?

Or maybe it's as easy as a damaged skin-barrier + anxiety over this hasn't made it heal properly, who knows. I have started applying a cream that's supposedly good for healing damamged skin (and skin-barrier) called A-Derma containing hylauronic acid and something called "Rhealba oat", whatever that is... At least it hasn't caused any problem putting it on so that's good at least (have only put it on small portions of my face thus far due to past reactions to topicals).

free skin care · Sat May 21, 2011 7:22 am

David87 wrote:

Yeah damaged skin barrier is what my derm told me last time as well, when I pursued the problem further. She says I may have seb derm but I highly doubt it as I don't show much symptoms indeed my face just looks a little dry (because I haven't applied anything on it in months...)

I think you may be right, maybe it's as easy as a damaged skin-barrier + anxiety over this hasn't made it heal properly. I have started applying a cream that's supposedly good for healing damamged skin (and skin-barrier) called A-Derma containing hylauronic acid and something called "Rhealba out" whatever that is... At least it hasn't caused any problem putting it on so that's good at least (have only put it on small portions in my face thus far due to past reactions to topicals).

For what it is worth Riley doesn't rave about many products, and did go from having very normal and tolerant skin to having a nightmare with everything causing her issues after using a certain product. When she finally tried the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate, it was an aha moment for her. Back to normal skin again!
BTW, having never encountered a skin barrier issue my self I haven't used the EL ANRC...but if it does happen I am running to purchase! Very Happy

free skin care · Sat May 21, 2011 8:56 am

David87 wrote:

could I have damage in the skin under the outlayers though? I mean what if the damamge isn't in the skin-barrier but deeper?

Or maybe it's as easy as a damaged skin-barrier + anxiety over this hasn't made it heal properly, who knows. I have started applying a cream that's supposedly good for healing damamged skin (and skin-barrier) called A-Derma containing hylauronic acid and something called "Rhealba oat", whatever that is... At least it hasn't caused any problem putting it on so that's good at least (have only put it on small portions of my face thus far due to past reactions to topicals).

I would highly doubt you damaged anything other than your skin barrier, but I am not a doctor of any kind so that is just my own opinion.

If what you are using now doesn't irritate you, keep on using it! But, really, do a search on this board for the skin barrier thread. It is informative and there may be some products listed that you could keep on a list to try if what you are using now stops working! Good luck!

free skin care · Sat May 21, 2011 12:07 pm

when I damaged my skin barrier badly I could use nothing on it, I was in despair. Finally I went to my local health food store and purchased:
* squalane oil. It was the only thing I could use and I used it for months, just by itself. *The ELS from SkinActives is another good recommendation. Slowly I worked my skin up to tolerating other ingredients. But simple and natural was best for me.
*avoid alcohol in skin products
*don't wash face much (don't strip the natural oils). wash it in morning with shower and that is it unless you have to wash something off. when I was not wearing make up this worked just fine for me
*use internal omega-3 as you are doing
*try motrin, it is an anti-inflammatory in addition to pain reliever and the anti-inflammatory benefits could help you

Good luck, I know how hard this is !

Sun May 22, 2011 3:13 am

Thanks. I will buy the ELS, kinda expensive but if it were to work it would be worth every penny!

motrin can cause sensitivity to sunlight and since this already is a problem for me (because the skin is slightly irritated at all times) I'm not sure about that one.

Sun May 22, 2011 2:15 pm

bought the ELS skin repair thingy; wish me luck! Smile

I've been so depressed over this issue. What a relief if I can get... relief!

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