MANILA, Philippines ? If Brad Pitt looks younger than his 45 years, credit should go to the Dermaroller, an instrument with tiny needles used to stimulate collagen, said Hello Magazine.

Less invasive than chemical peels, fractional laser resurfacing or microdermabrasion, the treatment does not produce bruising, swelling, crusting or bleeding in the targeted area.

Invented by a French doctor named Horst Liebl, the Dermaroller is based on the principle of micro-needling. It is performed with a roller wrapped with many tiny needles, which then pierce the top layers of skin to a certain depth. This results in stimulating collagen formation while simultaneously freeing up a clear way for medication to be taken in more effectively through the skin.

Micro-needling produces very slight wounds that merely open up the skin pores. The face will redden for a few hours. Collagen growth is then accelerated in the dermis layer as some of the blood vessels are ruptured directly below the skin?s surface.

As blood thickens, it produces the right conditions for collagen and elastin to take shape. These main elements help the skin appear refreshed.

Collagen production

Dermatologist-surgeon Claudine Roura explains that the Dermaroller is used to combat acne, melasma or hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and sagging skin.

?It?s an instrument used for collagen induction or producing your own collagen. The roller head has lots of hypodermic needles to produce micro-injuries on the skin. In turn, collagen formation is stimulated. There is cell renewal and better skin quality. The skin will be tighter,? says Roura.

A numbing agent is applied before the procedure. The Dermaroller is then reeled on the skin, making tiny perforations in the dermis, inducing the pores to open momentarily. The body senses this as an injury and reacts to it by setting off the healing process.

This actually induces the making of collagen and elastin. By constantly producing micro-injuries and activating the healing process, the body continues its repair until its job is done.

The Dermaroller sounds much more scary than the device actually is. The needles are so fine that they produce a ticklish sensation. As the skin?s top layer is tough and flexible, the tiny punctures made by the roller fade quickly.

Right medication

Equally important is the medication applied after the rolling. Roura uses adipose-derived stem cells that produce cytokines, proteins that stimulate new blood cells and intercede with the immune system and the cell processes.

?Unlike topical creams, wherein the products are not fully absorbed, with the Dermaroller, you are producing micro-injuries on the skin so that the barrier will be broken. We take advantage of that and apply the products so that they will penetrate the lower layer of the skin,? says Roura.

?This is basically regenerative medicine. Stem cells are harvested from the fat. The cytokines, which are the good things from the stem cells, are extracted, freeze-dried and formulated into a cosmetic product. They are recommended for anti-aging and pigmentation.?

For melasma, the skin is infused with natural whitening agents such as arbutin, kojic acid and glutathione. Wrinkles are addressed with hyaluronic acid, while sagging skin and wrinkles are treated with vitamins to stimulate cell renewal.

The whole procedure takes an hour.

The Dermaroller is recommended for those who have tried other procedures but did not get the desired results.

(For details, call Contours, Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute at 556-4878 and 489-8526, located at South Park Plaza, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati City.)