problems with cleaning dermaroller

[Lacrima]

Hi Sarah,

I have difficulties with cleaning my dermaroller. When I wash it in dish washing liquid and water I still can not loosen and get rid of the dried blood on it. I now know if there's fresh blood on it to hold it under running water immediately to give it no chance to dry.

But I didn't know this beforehand so the dried blood pieces are  still like glued on there. I've repeated the washing and disinfecting (45 minutes in ethanol) routine a couple of times, but there's no chance! It seems like if there's no mechanical way (like a brush - which will most likely blunt the needles) the blood is just too stubborn. I am afraid that if I'd go on dermarolling with these  little pieces ( i know it's my own blood, but it's 6 weeks old) I could end up with these particles pressing them  into my skin and not be able to get rid of them!!! What should I do now? Also I'm concerned about the alcohol I'm using: I went to a couple of pharmacies but they didn't have ethanol, just isopropanol. So I went to a DIY superstore and bought 85% bio-ethanol (which I dilute with distilled water), is this dangerous since it's not medical grade?

 I really need advice!

Thank you very much for taking the time

[SarahVaughter]

The sooner you clean a dermaroller after rolling the better. To remove dried blood, first soak the dermaroller overnight in warm water with dishwashing detergent and rinse it with warm tap water tap in the morning. Let us know whether this worked.

Using (bio) ethanol to disinfect the roller is OK.

Blood contains hemoglobin, a red-colored molecule containing a lot of iron. It is conceivable that the hemoglobin has stained the needles, since the steel of the needles may constitute an ideal substrate for the hemoglobin to attach itself to on the molecular level. If you still see tainted needles after an overnight soak in soapy water and a vigorous rinse, you can assume that the discoloration you see is just a hemoglobin layer of a few molecules thick and does not pose any hygienic risk.

[Lacrima]

Thanks, will try this out.