FACIAL ROLLER: FRIEND OR FOE?
THEY LOOK PRETTY, BUT DO THEY REALLY WORK? EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON THE PROS AND CONS OF USING THE POPULAR DEVICE
Should you invest or avoid? Experts weigh in.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE DERMA ROLLERS are said to have been used in beauty rituals as far back as the seventh century. Early iterations of the device were crafted from jade stone, also known as the detoxifying crystal of eternal youth, and rolled across complexions to increase blood flow and encourage glowing skin. Now, with the fast-paced, always-on lifestyles we live today, soothing New Age practices like crystal therapy have hit their peak, allowing the humble face roller to rebrand as a self-care essential. Its popularity can also be tied to its accessibility (you can buy one on Amazon for less than $20) and the fact that it looks uber-chic in a flat-lay (there are more than 30k Instagram posts with the #jaderoller tag alone). But is their use beneficial at best, harmless at worst? The answer is actually quite polarising.
THEY SEE ME ROLLIN’
Many skin specialists, some who have been using crystal rollers for years, are celebrating the roller’s recent revival. Locally, Venustus’s Jeannie Bourke uses chilled rose quartz rollers as part of her Sydney salon’s crystal cryotherapy treatment to reduce fluid retention and help serums better penetrate clients’ skin. “Rollers are important tools for stimulating lymphatic drainage and eliminating toxins,” she says. “We choose to work with rose quartz for its love energy, to remove negativity and reinstate calmness to the mind after chaotic or crisis situations.”
In Los Angeles – the motherland of wellness – celebrity facialist Angela Caglia swears by regular facial rolling as an anti-ageing practice. “Crystal rollers assist with reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles,” she states. “It’s also a soothing self-love ritual that gives skin an immediate glow.”
But despite the simplistic, paintroller design, there’s a right and a wrong way to roll. A lot of women use crystal rollers in an effort to sculpt Kardashian-worthy cheekbones and jawlines, and in doing so they roughly tug and push at the skin to coax it into a more contoured appearance. However, according to Caglia, this is a mistake that can be detrimental to your skin. “Moving rollers in the wrong directions and applying pressure for prolonged periods of time can cause the skin to become red,” she explains. “The correct way to use a face roller is to glide the roller outwards and upwards and then down your neck to your lymph nodes, using only a very gentle pressure.”
…THEY SEE ME HATIN’
Paula Begoun, founder of Paula’s Choice, is quick to roll her eyes at most fads. Her philosophy and product line is rooted in scientific evidence — medical journals are her bibles. And the studies to support rolling, she says, just aren’t there. “If you move the skin, you are stretching elastin – it’s just a fact. Elastin fibres are the bounce fibres in skin, and just like stretching a rubber band over and over causes it to snap, those fibres will eventually break if you manipulate them again and again. Gravity is not on our side — why make it worse?” she asks.
It’s a sentiment shared by Richard Parker, founder of Rationale skincare, who also cringes at the rolling resurgence. “Loss of facial tone is caused by the combined effects of gravity and loosening of facial ligaments as we age. Massage tools can make this worse by further stretching lax tissue,” he states matter-of-factly.
As far as other claims, Begoun still waits for research to sway her. “Rolling doesn’t help ingredients absorb. Physiologically, it’s about the molecular size of the ingredient, and massage doesn’t change that,” she says. What about circulation and detoxification? Fervent rolling can “stimulate too much microcirculation, breaking tiny capillaries of the skin creating a condition called telangiectasia, which is more prominent in people with fair skin. If you want to increase circulation, think about whole body circulation,” says Begoun. “Exercise, go up and down stairs, jump up and down for a minute — those are better options to get the blood flowing.” Keep the rollers to flat-lays, she says, and save facial massage for an occasional professional treatment.
“THE CORRECT WAY TO USE A FACE ROLLER IS TO GLIDE IT OUTWARDS AND UPWARDS”