Can derma rolling clear away black heads and white heads?

Tired of blackheads and whiteheads? These tiny little dots are annoying to look at. Often times, they look worse than before. You may feel ugly and worried because it seems that it never goes away.

Although, it can easily be removed, it can be tiring to remove it from time to time. It is also not advisable to prick your nose because it is a delicate area of the face. You need to thoroughly wash your face, and clean your hands first because pricking can cause inflammation if you are not very careful. Pinching and squeezing of blackheads can break the blood vessels on the face which may cause unpleasant scars.

So is there other way of treating black heads and white heads? Is Derma rolling a good alternative option?

How to Deal with Black Heads and White Heads?

Before trying to remove black heads and white heads, it is best to know first why it occurs and what you can do to prevent it from happening.

If you see small bumps on your skin it could be blackheads. It is due to clogged hair follicles. They are called blackheads because the surface of the bump looks black or dark. Blackheads are mild forms of acne that usually appear on the face. But it can also appear on the neck, chest, back, shoulders and arms.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are around 40 to 50 million Americans have acne. It is said to be the most common skin disorder in the US.

When a plug or clog appears in the opening of hair follicles, you tend to develop blackheads. Your hair follicle contains one hair and sebaceous glands that produce oil called sebum which help soften your skin. The oils and the dead skin appear on the opening of the hair follicle and produce a bump which is known as comedone.

If the bump stays closer, it is called whiteheads. If the skin over the bump opens, it will be exposed to air which makes it appear black and so a black head forms.

There are many factors why you develop black heads and acne these includes:

Build up of Propionibacterium acnes on the skin
High production of body oil
Irritation of hair follicles particularly when the dead skin are not shedding on regular basis
Hormonal changes that increases oil production during menstruation, teenage years or while taking birth control pills
Taking drugs such as androgen, corticosteroids and lithium

You can easily spot blackheads on your skin because of the dark color. It is also slightly raised and painless because it is not inflamed unlike the pimples. But you can form a pimple from blackheads when the bacteria invade the blockage of the hair follicle which causes inflammation and redness.

Dermarolling Keeps Blackheads and Whiteheads away!

There are many treatments to remove blackheads and whiteheads. You can use over-the-counter medications to remove blackheads. These medications are either in gel, cream or pad form which you put directly on your skin. These drugs contain active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, and salicylic acid. It works by killing bacteria and drying the excess oil. By doing so, you will force the skin to shed the dead skin cells.

But there are times when, over-the-counter medicine doesn’t work and you may need stronger medications to remove these tiny bumps in your skin. You may need to use prescription medications containing Vitamin A such as adapalene, tazarotene, and tretinoin. These drugs work by keeping the plugs from forming. It also helps promote rapid turnover of skin cells. These drugs can be applied directly to the skin.

If things get worse, you may even use medications with antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide. These medications are helpful if you have acne cysts or pimples, aside from blackheads.

There are many other treatments used to remove black heads these include:

Microdermabrasion
Laser and Light Therapy
Chemical Peels
Manual Removal

Aside from these, a new and emerging treatment modality to remove black head is Derma rolling therapy. Microneedling or derma rolling therapy is a minimally invasive procedure involving controlled and superficial puncturing of the skin using minute fine needles. For just a short span of time, it has become one of the most popular cosmetic procedures because it offers cheap, simple, effective and safe technique.

Originally, it was used for collagen induction therapy for skin rejuvenation and facial scars. Now, it is used for transdermal delivery of vaccines and other therapeutic drugs. It can also be combined with other surgical technique for a more improved outcome.

Dermarolling gained mass popularity because it has been effective in treating various skin conditions such as:

Acne Scars
Posttraumatic Scars
Alopecia
Hyperpigmentation
And many others.

For years, derma rolling is known to be effective in treating acne. Blackheads are mild forms of acne; hence derma rolling would be a very good treatment choice. It helps produce newer and healthy skin cells which will prevent the formation of plugs and clogs.

Derma rolling also helps deliver the therapeutic drugs more effectively, so it can penetrate more deeply into the skin and exert a more favorable response. Medications such as antibiotic, Vitamin A and other serums can easily penetrate the skin through derma rolling.

If you don’t want to have formation of whiteheads and blackheads, you need to use Dermaroller on a regular basis. By doing so, you can help tighten your skin and keep it young as ever.

How to Prevent Blackheads and whiteheads?

Whiteheads and blackheads can be prevented without you having to spend much on medications, laser therapies, and other treatment modality. Derma rolling is a cheap option. It is less costly as compared with laser and other treatment procedure.

To prevent having blackheads, you need to:

Wash your face regularly to prevent clogging of pores.
Use only oil-free products.
Exfoliate your skin to prevent accumulation of dead skin cells.
Use Derma roller regularly for a healthier skin.

Works Cited

Dogra S1, Yadav S, Sarangal R. (2014). Microneedling for acne scars in Asian skin type: an effective low cost treatment modality. J Cosmet Dermatol. , 180-7.

Satish Doddaballapur. (2009). Microneedling with Dermaroller. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. , 110–111.