New Year, New You. Let me tell you about something, a little unusual but most certainly new.
It looks a little like a medieval method of torture. If I said that I would roll it across your face and you would happily pay me to do this you might think I was mad. But it is so. (No not that I am mad, although maybe……) But people will pay me good money to do this to them because of the resultant improvement in their skin.What is this thing called. It is a dermaroller.
We have known for some time that microtrauma, or minor injuries to the skin stimulate a repair process that results in younger healthier skin. This is the fundamental principle behind peels and laser resurfacing. Peels remain a little limited and unreliable, the Fraxel laser provides excellent results but remains outside the budget of some patients. So now there is an alternative. It is a medical grade plastic roller with multiple needles around its circumference which can only penetrate the skin to a depth of 1.5mm. This is just enough to stimulate recovery and rejuvenation of the skin whilst causing minimum discomfort and ‘down time’ to the patient. So what does the process actually entail?
First an anaesthetic cream is applied to the face and left on for about one hour. This minimises the sensation of the roller and allows the patient to feel fine whilst remaining wide awake throughout. Next the cream is wiped off and the skin cleaned very thoroughly prior to using the roller. The roller itself is a single use sterile device which is rolled gently up and down the face in a variety of patterns until it produces a degree of redness and erythema to indicate a sufficient end point has been reached.
The very small wounds close up within ten to fifteen minutes only and the skin then begins to feel very warm and go red. The redness and heat will last roughly one or two days and subsides spontaneously. There is no peeling or flaking of the skin and it quickly feels fresher and tighter. You do get perceptible benefit from the first treatment but a course of three or four is recommended roughly every six weeks. The skin continues to improve for several months after the last treatment.
So what is it good for? It has been shown to be beneficial with any form of scarring. It deals with fine lines and wrinkles and it can improve pigmentation problems. In short it does a reasonable amount of what laser resurfacing does with about the same amount of down time and less money. It is a reasonable compromise for those patients who are looking for a cheaper option to the Fraxel laser. There is visible improvement in tone and texture and colour of the skin and the results are long lasting.
I feel sure this will be a good addition to the treatments I have to offer patients and for some it will be ideal. So although it may sound like a method of torture I feel certain that many of my patients will thank me for recommending it. What was that famous Jane Fonda quote?
“No pain, no gain”
If we can keep the pain to the bare minimum and make the gain as much as possible this does seem like a good aim.
If you would like to talk personally to me about this or any of the other procedures we do then call the girls on 01625 598 000 and book your FREE consultation now!