Medical spa-- skin snagging?

[Peony]

My second post, and yet another "worried" post! :eek:

I have been getting microdermabrasion for 2 months now at a medical spa (part of a plastic surgery outfit, yet a separately owned business).  In addition to the microdermabrasion treatments, the aesthetician recently started doing some microneedling with a derma roller.  I was thrilled b/c I've to-date been too nervous to do it myself.  Even though I have my new derma roller sitting in my bathroom.

She's done the dermarolling 3 times now-- all spaced a week apart.  The first time I felt snagging a couple of times.  I expressed concern, but she said it was the little hairs getting stuck.  The second time I had no snagging sensation, and then today (the 3rd), I felt a pretty bad snag near my eyebrow.  But not actually on the eyebrow.  She said, again, it was little hairs getting caught.

I'm quite worried that the dermaroller she is using is not new and could have bent needles!  I made a comment the first time about how I'd read how important it was to change the dermaroller out frequently b/c of possible needle bending.  I also asked what size needle it was and she only replied that it was short enough not to cause bleeding and that they had longer sizes as well.

It has never been long enough to cause bleeding.  But I'm still very concerned.

I actually think this woman is fabulous-- she is very experienced and is Austrian and practiced in Europe for many years.  So I'm wanting to trust her, but I'm also feeling like I shouldn't have allowed her own "questionable" device

Sarah, is a skin/facial hair snagging at all possible with good sharp needles?  Or does that always signal bad or old needles and skin tearing in a bad way?

And most importantly, I've read that the negative skin tearing due to poor needles can cause scarring??  UGH!  That is the LAST thing I need!  If the needles were so short do you think I'm in the clear?

Thanks so much....

[Peony]

Oh I just feel like I've botched so many things up in the past few weeks of needling.... I've just noticed after posting the above (from my rolling this morning) that I have track marks, or lines, in all directions on my forehead from where she rolled.  i should have just done it myself.

So that's another issue.  Probably related to the snagging?  Will these track marks go away?  I can only hope the answer is yes....

[SarahVaughter]

The track marks will go away. I also get them in certain areas.

  If you had three dermarolling sessions, the dermaroller has been used for three times only (unless they use a new one every time).  It is highly unlikely that three rollings would completely blunt the needles. There is no way a medical spa could use the same dermaroller on several customers (they would lose their license or worse) so it has been used at most three times.

  The advantage of home dermarolling is that you can always check your needles every time before you roll, and stop as soon as you feel that something is wrong. The skin's main purpose is to protect and that is why the skin is flexible but really tough and it is not easy for the needles to penetrate it.  I recommend softening the skin prior to dermarolling (my answer is #3):

  https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/How-to-soften-the-skin-before-needling /a>

   

  We have rolled with our dermaroller over a cardboard box and the needles did not bend. The material of the needles (surgical steel) is hard but it can be bent (microneedling needles have to be thin and bending is better than breaking off, which would happen with harder materials).

  Ideally, the needles of a dermaroller would be made from a material that doesn't bend at all, doesn't break and stays sharp forever. Such material doesn't exist in the consumer realm.

  If the needs were for example from ceramics, they would not bend but they would break and the broken off fragments would stay inside your skin. That would be a complete disaster.

  Surgical steel doesn’t break (#1 importance) and remains sharp for a reasonable time but it is not completely bend-proof material.

  If you find a bent needle on your dermaroller and it is not bent really badly, push it back and you can continue using it.

  Peony, I think it will all turn out OK.

[Peony]

Thanks Sarah--

I've been using Retin-A since the rolling experience.  Was thrilled b/c my forehead got all dry and "cracky" and I could see the little scratch marks getting cracked around the sides.  Hoped this meant they'd go away...

Today it was so dry I had to exfoliate.  So after washing I applied Retin-a and rubbed gently to moderately to buff off the dry skin.  As I did so, the scratches were still there

Will it take several peels to eliminate these tiny scratches/trackmarks?  Was I wrong to exfoliate or was that like picking a scab?

[SarahVaughter]

Concerning the A-Ret: The more is not the better. Too frequent application or too much applied Retinoic acid will dry and irritate the skin. Give your skin some rest. It can take about ten days for the marks to disappear.