When choosing a derma roller, one of the main considerations is the type of material that the needles are made of. In most cases, derma roller microneedles are made out of titanium or stainless steel. As such, the most common decision will involve choosing between titanium and stainless steel. Knowing when to choose which is critical to acquiring a derma roller which can best serve your needs.

To simplify the decision-making process, we are going to look at each of the materials. We shall consider the strengths and weaknesses of each. We shall also look at the likely scenarios in which you can choose one or the other.

You will understand why in our conclusion we suggest that the best choice is the stainless steel option.

Let’s start off with Titanium:

Titanium

Titanium is a metal which is renowned for being strong, light and corrosion-resistant. When used in microneedles, it brings these properties and more. Titanium derma rollers are typically made from a titanium alloy.

This makes them strong, robust and durable. This is a major advantage of derma roller titanium vs stainless steel. In some cases, titanium derma rollers can be up to 50% stronger than their stainless steel counterparts.

This strength is most beneficial for smaller needle sizes such as 0.2mm and 0.3mm. Titanium needles of these sizes are much stronger. This makes them better suited for penetrating harder skin than stainless steel needles.

The robustness of titanium is most obvious when the derma roller accidentally falls. For stainless steel rollers, the needles often bend (especially if the fall is from a considerable height). For titanium dropping the derma roller rarely bends the needles.

Given that the bending of needles often renders a derma roller unusable (especially if a number of needles are bent), the robustness of titanium makes its derma rollers more durable.

Actually, even without dropping the derma roller, the durability of titanium is still visible. Titanium needles rarely become blunt due to wear and tear. As a result, the derma roller can be used for a long time without reducing its sharpness. The same cannot be said of stainless steel, especially for smaller-sized needles. Basically, from a pure longevity factor, titanium derma rollers are the better choice.

However, titanium derma rollers have two major weakness. The first is sharpness. These derma rollers aren’t as sharp as their steel counterparts. This arises from titanium’s inherent hardness. It is difficult to sharpen titanium to maximum precision. As such, titanium microneedles aren’t extremely sharp. Their lack of sharpness means that they cannot penetrate the skin smoothly. They often leave tears on the skin, which can lead to scarring or even infections.

The second major weakness of titanium derma rollers is hygiene. These derma rollers aren’t as hygienic as their stainless steel counterparts. The reason for this is simple: titanium isn’t inherently sterile. As such, its level of cleanliness isn’t comparable to stainless steel. Given that derma roller microneedles are designed to penetrate into the skin, this is a big deal.

This is not to suggest that titanium derma rollers are unclean. It just means that more effort has to be taken to clean and sterilize them. This is because, during use, derma rollers tend to pick up bacteria and other microorganisms from the skin surface. To avoid introducing these microorganisms into the skin, the derma rollers need a thorough cleaning.

To improve the hygiene of titanium derma rollers, most manufacturers now plate the needles with different types of metals. Titanium needles are typically copper, silver or gold plated. Plating generally improves the cleanliness of the derma roller. Therefore, when opting for a titanium derma roller, it is often advisable to choose a copper, silver or gold plated one.

Plating actually introduces estheticism into titanium derma rollers. For those who prefer their derma rollers with a touch of class and style, plated titanium rollers provide this. Most people who buy gold-plated titanium derma rollers do so not just for functional reasons, but for aesthetic ones as well.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a metal which is formed from an alloy of iron and chromium. Stainless steel is legendary for being hygienic – thanks to its inherent resistance to corrosion, tarnishing and rust. This makes it the favoured metal for making surgical blades, tattoo needles, acupuncture needles and other implements which are intended to penetrate into the human skin. Derma roller needles are no exception.

Stainless steel derma rollers are far more hygienic than titanium derma rollers. This is the case even for copper, silver and gold-plated titanium rollers. This is because stainless steel has an inbuilt cleanliness with titanium doesn’t have.

As such, even with minimum care (i.e. cleaning and sterilization), stainless steel derma rollers are much safer to use. Their toxicity levels are almost zero. Also, their inherent cleanliness makes them much easier to maintain.

Hygiene is a big deal especially for larger-sized micro-needles (1.0mm, 1.5mm or higher). This is because such needles tend to penetrate deep into the skin. If any pathogen is on the surface of the needles, you can easily end up with an infection. Many people have actually gotten infections from derma rollers.

Therefore, when choosing derma rollers from a purely hygienic perspective, then stainless steel is preferable to titanium. This is especially critical for larger needle sizes. It can reduce the risks of derma roller-induced skin infections.

Another advantage of stainless steel derma rollers is their extreme sharpness. They are far sharper than titanium ones. The reason for this is that stainless steel can be sharpened to the highest degrees of precision. This is partly the reason why delicate surgical instruments are often made out of stainless steel. Titanium is harder to sharpen with as much precision.

he extreme sharpness of stainless steel derma rollers makes them better at penetrating the skin. They almost never leave any tears (unless poorly used). This means that scarring and infections are unlikely with stainless steel derma rollers. The sharpness also makes the rollers better suited for delicate skins.

However, because stainless steel isn’t as strong as titanium, it is more subject to wear and tear. As a result, the sharpness tends to recede with use. The more stainless steel derma rollers are used, the blunter they become. The bluntness, of course, reduces its effectiveness.

In fact, stainless steel derma rollers are often designed to be a one or two times’ product only. Their results begin to significantly reduce after the second use. This is especially true for smaller sized needles. If this seems like a short life-span, we remind that stainless steel surgical blades are intended for single use.

Summary

Here is a summary of the pros and cons of each of the materials.

Titanium Pros

-strong and robust

-resistant to wear and tear (i.e. needles don’t become blunt with use)

-resistant to falls (i.e. needles don’t bend)

-offers esthetic benefits (especially the gold plated ones)

Titanium Cons

-unhygienic (when compared to stainless steel)

-harder to clean and sterilize

-needles are blunt (which can cause tears on the skin)

Stainless Steel Pros

-extremely hygienic

-extremely sharp

-moderately strong

-very easy to clean and sterilize

Stainless Steel Cons

-not as durable (when compared to titanium)