Have you struggled for years with your skin? Whether your concern stems from premature ageing after one too many sunbeds or skin that has never been smooth since puberty, needling your skin can have a dramatic effect.
You’re beyond ready to reclaim your skin and confidence, to skip the makeup altogether and show off that dewy glow.
But there are so many options out there, and everyone calls them something slightly different. What’s derma rolling vs microneedling vs Dermapen, and which one should you choose?
What’s a Derma Roller vs Microneelding Pen?
There’s a world of difference between derma rolling and the skin miracle that is Dermapen™ microneedling. (Dermapen is the brand name of our range of automated microneedling pens.)
A dermal roller is like a small pastry roller with a barrel of needles that rolls over your skin.
A microneedling pen is an automated oscillating device with a disposable sterile cartridge of needles at the tip that penetrate vertically as it glides over your skin.
Previously, a derma roller was often considered THE at-home needling companion and microneedling pens were something reserved for aestheticians. But now you can microneedle safely at home with the Dermapen HOME™.
Strap yourself in as we get you up to speed on all the differences between derma rolling vs Dermapen microneedling.
Key Differences at a Glance
The short story is that Dermapen is the safe way to get the ultimate microneedling results both in a clinic and at home.
The Dermapen 4™ is the model used in clinics by trained professionals and is a leader in the microneedling industry. It offers exemplary speed, results, comfort and safety.
The needle cartridge of the Dermapen HOME™ works at a shallower depth than the Dermapen 4™ (making it safe for home use), but still offers the benefits you expect from Dermapen™ microneedling.
Features & Benefits
History of Innovation
Derma rolling and Dermapen microneedling are both types of collagen induction therapy (CIT). CIT rose in popularity in the 1990s to smooth out and retexture scars. It quickly revolutionised skin care, as triggering collagen and elastin improved a wide array of skin concerns.
Beginning with small stamps of needles, before moving quickly onto derma rollers,the earliest forms of this technology, while still available, are not without their downsides.
In 2010, our very own CEO Stene Marshall engineered the world’s first Dermapen™.
Pain & Downtime
Each of the needles in a Dermapen needle cartridge enters your skin in an up and down motion. This is a patented technology called the Advanced Oscillating Vertical Needle™ (AOVN). The channels created are superfine, flawless and reach the desired depths.
Dermapen AOVN minimises the damage caused to your skin. It’s virtually painless and gets better results.
Let’s look at those AOVN benefits again:
Increased comfort
Minimal downtime
Reduce epidermal (skin) damage
Remove needle bending risk
The needles on derma rollers, on the other hand, go in and out of your skin on an angle. The resulting “paddle-steamer effect” creates a series of arching cuts in your skin that are more painful and require an extended downtime.
Needle Quality
You wouldn’t think there’d be so much to say about individual needles and the impact they have on your results—but there is.
A Dermapen uses 33-gauge, gamma sterilised, stainless steel needles, which is a technical way of saying that they won’t break, bend, blunt or burr in your skin.
If you’re using a derma roller, there's every chance that the needles will dull or burr over time. Imagine puncturing your skin over and over again with compromised needles. No thanks!
Let’s Talk Numbers
There are a couple of significant numbers to consider when considering dermarolling vs Dermapenmicroneedling.
Needle Depth
Don’t be tempted by at-home derma rollers promising depths up to 3mm. Even if you have a Herculean pain threshold (which you’d need to roll needles that long into your skin), you still shouldn't risk the damage your untrained hand could do.
Don’t get us wrong, needling at that depth can be necessary for scars. But this should only ever be done by a trained professional with the correct tools in a clinically sterile environment. The Dermapen 4™ has a specific Scar Treatment Setting to ensure precise and safe procedures.
Number of Micro-injuries
The Dermapen HOME™ makes almost 1300 micro-channels in your skin a second! In less than 10 minutes you could produce approximately 1,000,000 flawless microchannels. And the Dermapen 4™ is even faster, making up to 1920 a second.
It’s very fast and offers pinpoint precision. It’s impossible to reach smaller areas with a derma roller (think around the nose or above the lip), giving you patchy results at best. With Dermapen microneedling, you get a consistent result.
Safety & Value
With reusable needling devices like the derma roller, dead skin and other environmental pathogens could linger on the device and be re-rolled into your skin the next time you use it. It’s simply not sterile.
Dermapen devices, on the other hand, come with disposable needle cartridges in sterile packaging. Even though these are single-use, you can safely re-use the device they attach to, representing excellent value.
The Choice is Clear
Taking ownership of your skin care is so important. Find you nearest Dermapen Authorised Treatment Provider to reach your skin goals quickly and safely. And for those “you look younger than your daughter” results learn more about microneedling at home to complement your clinical procedures.
Discover the Dermapen Microneedling Difference.
To learn more about Dermapen Treatments and how they can help your skin concern, click here. If you would like to book a clinical Dermapen Treatment, find here an Authorised Treatment Provider close to you.
If you are a professional and wish to learn how to become a DermapenWorld Authorised Treatment Provider, click here.
