As most women who have given birth, I developed stretch marks. I lotioned up during my pregnancies, using products that claim to prevent, minimize or erase stretch marks. From the super-thick cocoa butter, to the thinner lotions, to the weightless vitamin E oil, and the scar cream – I have used it all. Guess what? I still had stretch marks; I still developed more stretch marks, and the ones I had only faded naturally with time. Nothing worked.
On a rare day that I was at home on a weekday morning, with the television blaring, in the bathroom straightening my hair, I overheard something interesting on a talk show. The show had guests reviewing different at-home anti-aging techniques and products. I stopped doing my hair long enough to peek out and see the reviewer raving and recommending a product referred to as “needling” that she used on her face. About to turn 30 year old, I was listening!
Later that day I Googled “skin needling”. Hundreds of sites came up. The technique is used to treat many forms of scars including acne, wrinkles, and stretch marks. I am far more concerned about stretch marks than wrinkles, so I read on. I found there is a medical procedure called skin needling that is rather expensive and requires several doctor visits. I played with my key words until I found what is considered the at-home version of skin needling, www.dr-roller.com. I read the product information and it sounded different than anything I had heard before.
The “Dr-roller” Derma Roller is a handheld device that has hundreds of short needles on a roller at the end. It looks similar to a short paint roller. It comes in several needle lengths from .5mm to 2.5mm lengths. From my research I found that it is safe to use up to a 1.5mm needle at home, since it will not break the skin.
To summarize the process, the roller is to be rolled one time in each direction (up, down, diagonal each way) on the area you want to treat, after sterilizing the skin of course. Upon completion, a scar cream is to be applied and again several times per day. The theory is that damaging the skin with the needles will signal skin to repair its self. In essence, it kicks the body’s skin repair into overdrive, healing old scars, including stretch marks.
After tons of research for reviews and not finding much, I decided to purchase a roller from www.dr-roller.com to try it. I knew it was likely I was being suckered in by false claims, but what if it worked? I just had to try it.
I ordered the 1.0mm length to use on my stomach. The package I ordered also included antibacterial wipes and scar cream. I received the product within about five days of placing my order. Upon receipt, I re-read the instructions and emailed the Dr-roller’s customer service department on anything I was unclear about. The customer service was excellent. The response time was nearly immediate via email and my questions were answered thoroughly.
I decided to commit to use the product for 30 days, rolling every other day. According to the website I would notice results in about a week. The first week passed, I did not see results. During the second week I did notice that the stretch marks on my stomach were much less visible. I even took photos and magnified them to see up close. Yes, the product seemed to be working!
Then during week 3 I got sick and didn’t have time to roll so I went a few days without using the roller. My stretch marks immediately went back to normal – except worse. They looked red and irritated and deeper than before. I took photos to compare and magnified the photos. Sure enough, the marks were deeper. The improvement I saw during week 2 must have been due to swelling of my skin.
I continued to use the roller through week 4 with no improvement. After week 4 I decided to stop using the roller. I felt I had given it a chance, I used it properly, and I did not get any results. The website also claims that even after you stop using the roller, your skin will improve as it goes through its natural cycles. I have not used the roller in months and my skin is back to normal – no improvement.
My advice – stay away from the at-home derma rollers. My experience was a waste of time and money. I feel like I was suckered in by another product from the beauty market. I gave it a chance since the theory and product was new to me. After all the products I have tried, I will now just accept my marks and stick to my regular $5 a bottle body lotion.
