Is Single needling/Single liner roller recommended for me?

[sadie]

Dear Sarah,

I have received the 1.5 mm dermaroller with the Infadolan cream and vitamin C from you.
I am 31 and have recent, but quite white stretch marks on my breasts, my tights, waits, buttocks, and around armpit all of which appeared since Jan 2013. The ones on my breasts, waist, and around armpit are very deep and look like cuts in my skin.

I decided to give dermarolling a try first, without going deep by single needling. I once dermarolled my thighs and waist and I have a question. I will be grateful if you help me out:

1) After my only rolling experience, my whole rolled area was red for at least 2 days. More importantly, I couldn't touch it or wear cloths that lay on my skin for at least 5 days. I only went out a few times with great discomfort and in home I even skipped wearing panties because of pain.
My question is how am I supposed to add single needling to this? is it only me or others get home-bound by this procedure as well?

2) is use of single needle NECESSARY or is it for extensive treatment? Do you recommend it to me regarding my deep marks and considering the long recovery time I experience?

3) I have a prescribed RETIN-A MICRO 0.04% TRERINOIN MICROSPHERES from my doctor. Is the strength ok and can I use this?

4) By use of TRERINOIN or vitamin C serum, the skin feels so dry! How many hours after their application can I apply oils or moisturizers to the affected area? (I hope I can use oils/moisturizers as much as I like during your routine)
I have a bunch of vitamin E oils, cocoa butter creams for stretch mark. can I use them meanwhile this procedure?


Many Thanks for your help in advance

[SarahVaughter]

1) No, we do not hear many complaints about such discomfort lasting for days but this is individual and it also depends where the stretch marks are. You can solve it by treating small parts of the skin during one session and when it heals, treat the other etc. The same with single needling or stamping.

You can needle or stamp for example five stretch marks a day or every second day.  Each stretch mark on your body should be needled or stamped only once a month, so every time you treat your stretch marks during one month, treat different once.

The skin will get used to dermarolling and your discomfort may be less strong next time.


2) Using a more targeted and more intensive tool (such as the single needles or a dermastamp) is highly recommended because stretch marks are in fact very deep scars. You can buy a 1.5 mm dermastamp with 35 needles and use it instead of your single needles. The single needles go the deepest. Do not use the single needle around your armpits because the skin is thin there and
you could end up with bruising.


3) Slow-release Tretinoin cream (microspheres) is less suitable for this purpose but you can use it. It will sting less but it may sting longer as it is slowly releasing Tretinoin.


4) Vit. C does not have to be applied every day. Three times a week is enough.  Apply oils or other products half an hour after vit. C. After Tretinoin, you can apply anything after five to ten minutes. For the rest you can apply oils or other products that you like as much as you need.

[sadie]

Hello again Sara and many thanks for your kind answer.
I have two more specific question and would be grateful if you kindly advise me:


1) could you recommend the size and type of the device I need for targeted treatment (whether stamp or single liner roller?)
My concern is the different types of marks I have: separate deep cut-like marks on breasts, on waits, and around armpit versus lots of irregular net-like marks (not that deep) marks spread around in vast areas on buttocks, thighs and upper-arm

as I understood I need to dermaroll all marks in one day, and in the next four weeks cover the intensive treatment on individual marks for once.
I only have the dermaroller 1.5mm now and I need to get the other one as per your suggestion.
Also: for areas that marks are spread out all over buttocks for example, how can I focus on each mark individually?


2) I want to seek your advice if you can diagnose the problem of my skin:
I am 31, good skin health, with steady weight, but slight changes in size! last year I moved to Canada and since January I started breaking out in stretch marks in a matter of weeks every where. It was like a shock that the marks started developing so vastly despite any weight change and that they were not red at any time and just developed in white. I actually tracked a few of them while developing from hardly being noticed to being prominent in a month... and obviously no creams worked...
My only suspicion is maybe change of country, bad nutrition, and decrease in my physical activity and exercise. But still can these justify such stretch marks?

I visited a dermatologist, but she didn't believe me that I developed all the marks in a few month....
another horrible thing is my skin is now horrible in heeling! even if I graze it over something, even without any blood it takes 2-3 week to heel, and leaves a scar in dark brown like a bruise and in much larger size than the initial scratch...

I would be grateful if you let me know what you think.  can these be any symptoms of a problem I can resolve? for example by taking vitamins or check up!? I have become so low in confidence with all these marks all over my body


My deepest gratitude,
Sadie

[SarahVaughter]

>as I understood I need to dermaroll all marks in one day, and in the next four weeks cover the
>intensive treatment on individual marks for once.
 
Yes. If you do not manage in four weeks, never mind. It is not important. When you finish, wait one week and start the entire cycle again.

I recommend you a 1.5 mm dermastamp with 35 needles.

You do not have to stamp every single line of stretch marks. Just do your best and stamp what you can.

You can also concentrate on just certain areas with a dermastamp and use just a dermaroller on the others.

Soon we will sell an electric needling device (Dermajet) with five adjustable needle lengths. This would make your treatments much easier and quicker and it is very suitable for those who have many stretch marks but it is quite expensive (249 dollars).

A manual dermastamp does exactly the same job but you are the power behind it (not electricity) so it takes longer.


>for areas that marks are spread out all over buttocks for example, how can I focus on each
>mark ndividually?

 
Yes, this is tricky. For the time being, use only your dermaroller.

Concerning your problems:

If you are currently stable in weight but you significantly fluctuated in weight in the recent past, it can be a result of that recent fluctuation. The fibers overstretched and it took some time to be noticeable on the surface.

Stretch marks often appear after oral or prolonged topical corticosteroid medication.

Cushing's syndrome (the body produces excess amounts of the hormone cortisol) and Marfan syndrome, both very rare, cause excessive stretch marks.

Canada has good public health care - you should go to your GP and tell him that your injuries do not heal as they used to and you developed many stretch marks without being pregnant or fluctuating in weight. If your insurance does not want to pay, get at least a cortisol level test and pay for it yourself because cortisol is both connected to excessive stretch marks and slowed down healing:

"Cortisol plays an important role in curtailing the healing process -- higher cortisol levels can lead to a slowdown in healing."

https://http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/ilwound.htm

..and hopefully your GP will advice you on what to do more.

Good luck!