Micro Needling - Derma Rollers

by: Linda Robison / Facial Fitness Specialist

Does Micro Needling work?

Micro needling, Dermapen, derma rollers… whatever you call it – it’s basically the same treatment.

It involves a small hand-held roller or dermapen (derma-stamp) covered with tiny needles that roll or stamp across the skin to trigger collagen production. Some call this “collagen induction therapy.”

The idea is simple: when you create tiny injuries in the skin, your body rushes in to repair the area with new collagen.

Micro needling (or a home derma rolling system) can sometimes help:

• smooth out texture and tone
• soften the look of fine lines
• improve the way skin-care ingredients absorb

But if you’re over 40 (like me) and dealing with both wrinkles and sagging skin, it’s important to know what it can and can’t do.

If your main goal is firmer, lifted skin, you might get more long-term results from natural tightening methods like face exercises and massage.

I go into those in more detail on my page about natural skin tightening tips and my at-home face lift massage page.

My personal experience with microneedling

In 2006, I had a series of professional derma roller facials. Right after each treatment, my skin looked nice and plump for about 24 hours. Makeup went on smoothly and my face looked fresher.

I had a few more facials (as a gift from a friend) and loved the way my skin looked for a day or two.

But there were downsides:

• I couldn’t afford to do this procedure on a weekly or monthly basis.
• The results were very short-lived for me.
• My skin always went back to “normal” after a day or two.

Then in 2010, I tried a home derma rolling system that I purchased online. I used it off and on for about a year.

And I’ll be honest: I hated the way it felt.

Pros and cons from my experience

For me, the cons outweighed the pros:

• it can be painful
• it can cause little bleeding dots across the face
• there’s a risk of infection if it’s not properly disinfected
• you have to clean it carefully after every use
• there’s a recovery time (from 24 hours to several days)
• you have to replace the roller every so many weeks – which adds up

But the most important part?

I never saw any real, lasting results.

My skin did look good for a few hours after each treatment, but the next day it was back to normal. I didn’t see a noticeable improvement in:

• crepey skin
• deeper wrinkles
• actual sagging

Note: In my experience, derma rolling can help create a smoother skin tone, but it did not help my droopy, sagging skin. That’s what finally pushed me to look for something different.

What worked better for me than micro needling

Years later, I started using a structured facial exercise and massage routine, and that’s when I saw the real change.

Certain facial exercises helped:

• reduce the depth of my wrinkles
• give my cheeks and jawline a more lifted look
• improve my overall facial contours

And unlike micro needling, I feel much more comfortable working with:

• my hands
• gentle massage
• targeted exercises

rather than needles.

My results from exercises instead of needles

If you want to see my real results, you can compare my before and after photos here:

• My neck firming results in 8 weeks 
• My lifted face after 12 months 

Those pages walk through what I actually did and how long it took.

If your main concern is loose neck skin, my turkey neck rescue page can also help you see how I approached firming my neck naturally over time.

For a bigger-picture overview of how I combine exercises, massage tools, and simple at-home routines, you can also read my page on natural skin tightening tips.

Why should you care about your facial bones?

Here’s the part most people never hear about in a typical microneedling article.

The hidden reason skin starts to sag

As we age, it’s not just our skin and collagen changing – our facial bones can slowly lose volume and shift downward too. That means:

• when the bone structure drops
• the muscles and skin that attach to it will also sag

For example, the bones around your eye sockets can start to droop with age. When that bone support changes, the skin and tissue around your eyes will naturally start to sag and look more tired.

On my facial exercise page, I share CT scan images comparing the facial bones of a young woman and a woman over 50. You can clearly see how the bones shift and droop. It’s pretty eye-opening.

That’s another big reason why I’m such a fan of facial exercises and massage that support both:

• muscle tone
• facial bone support (through gentle, repeated loading and movement)

In the end, you could keep doing face lifts, filler injections, more micro needling, and other “quick fixes”…

But none of those will stop your facial bones from slowly changing with age. When your facial bones droop, your muscles and skin will follow.

That’s why my own routine is now centered around:

• targeted facial exercises
• face lift massage techniques to boost circulation and support firmer-looking skin 
• neck firming work so my jawline and neck stay in harmony

For me, that combination did far more for sagging than micro needling ever did.

So, is micro needling worth it for sagging skin?

If your main goal is:

• a bit smoother skin texture
• slightly improved fine lines
• better absorption of serums

then professional micro needling (done by a qualified provider) might be something to explore and discuss with them.

But if you’re mostly worried about:

• sagging cheeks
• loose neck skin
• jowls
• that overall “droopy” look

Micro needling alone is unlikely to give you the kind of lift you’re hoping for.

That’s why, after trying it both professionally and at home, I personally shifted my time and money toward natural lift methods and teach those instead.

Tiny needles can be interesting, but for long-term “lift and firm,” my vote is still for exercises and massage.

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