You may not have heard of it yet, but skin needling or percutaneous collagen induction (PCI) – which can be done with an at home device called the Roll Cit – is a procedure that involves pricking the skin with thin needles in order to deliver skin benefits.
The needles used can range in depth from 1 to 3mm and is purported to deliver a range of benefits including an improvement in skin firmness, a reduction in skin sag, fine wrinkles, stretch marks and minor scars. The theory is that damaging the skin results in the body responding by skin remodelling including the synthesis of new collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans.
Established procedures including laser resurfacing, plasma resurfacing, deep chemical peels and dermabrasion work on the same principle. The procedures may come with side effects or shortcomings including cost, pain or long recovery time. What needling offers is an alternative that is relatively inexpensive and comes with little down time or pain. While the procedure does seem promising, studies regarding the efficacy of this procedure are lacking.
Dr Desmond Fernandes from the University of Capetown in South Africa is a strong advocate of skin needling and reports the following positive results. You should know that Dr Fernandes may have a financial interest in promoting this procedure:
- A restoration of skin tightness in the early stages of facial aging — useful in treating the neck, arms, abdomen, thighs, and areas between the breasts and buttocks
- Smoothing upper lip creases
- Diminishing fine wrinkles
- Reducing acne scars & some other scars
- Fading stretch marks
- Firming lax skin on the arms and abdomen
Skin needling is not recommended if you have certain medical conditions or are taking some medications including anticoagulants or steroids. It is also not advised if you are prone to developing keloids.
Skin needling is performed either as an office procedure or at home. If done at home, the procedure utilizes a roller type tool (like the Roll-Cit) with smaller needles than used during an office procedure. Although the risks are smaller than with longer needles, there is the risk for infection. Whether or not the at home rollers are at effective or produce the same results as an office skin needling session is unclear. And keep in mind that even professionally performed skin needling comes with very little evidence to support its benefits.
If this is a procedure that interests you, discuss it with an experienced skin professional. And if you opt for an at home tool like the Roll-Cit, ensure that you get and follow directions carefully.
