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POSTED UNDER Dermapen REVIEWS

Dermapen Does NOT Work for Old Acne Scars - Langhorne, PA

ORIGINAL POST

A waste of time and money. Results aren't worth...

arleenpennyJanuary 5, 2013
$1,500

A waste of time and money. Results aren't worth the money or the down time. This Dermapen is just a big hyped up ad campaign. It made little or no difference to my acne scars and once again, I believed in a product that didn't work. The outcome wans't even 10% of what I expected. Nothing will work for old acne scars. They are just too difficult to change.

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Saw this provider on a health segment on the local news saying this was a brand new, proven treatment with little or no down time so I believed it and had 5 treatments with no change to my acne scars.

Replies (38)

bbmilne
January 9, 2013
What was the depth setting your doctor used for your scarring? How many treatments did you receive and over what period of time did you receive your treatments? How long has it been since your last treatment? How long was your downtime? Thanks in advance for any answers you may have to the questions.
cyndipa
September 11, 2013
I agree--you need to have the deeper needles and the woman in Langhorne doesn't use that depth.
arleenpenny
September 23, 2013
I even think it made my scars worse. If I didn't stop the treatments, I believe the Dermapen lady would have continued to tell me I was improving and continued to take my money. The Dermapen lady did not take before and after pictures so I really had nothing to go by, and in my mind, I was deluding myself that there had been improvement. I had previously gone to someone who did microdermabrasion on me and who took before and after pictures so it was not until I asked the microdermabrasion lady if I could see my before pictures and that is when I truly realized there was absolutely no improvement and I had been wasting my time and money on Dermapen for a year. For me, the only thing that will work is invasive and that would be Fraxel or some other deeper laser. I was just hoping that the hype of Dermapen and what the estethician told me that it would work for my type of scars was the answer. I've lived with my scarring for so many years that I think I will just have to accept the fact that they will always be there.
dosi47
October 7, 2013
I went through the same thing i was told i only needed 6 treatments which i did have AND I SEE NO IMPROVEMENT AT ALL.I am mad at these professionals who lie to us just so they can make money.Shame on them
pitlady
October 7, 2013
I felt totally taken advantage of. I was told 6 treatments like you but kept going until 9 when someone told me it will never help me with my type of scars. The only reason I went through 9 treatments was because I kept on being told that my scarring was old and so it would take longer. It’s all a sham to get our money.
cocopalms
December 27, 2013
I checked out the Dermapen website first and I recommend you do the same. Lots of good info on what to expect. The one thing I was advised years ago regarding acne scarring is that what you see on the surface is usually just the tip of the iceburg so to speak. When the top layers are removed, frequently the scarring below is deep and wider than what appears on the top of your skin. As a result, my facial scarring looked MUCH worse after the first few treatments. I stuck with it though and by combining fractional laser treatments, pixel, peels and Dermapen at 2.5 depth for the cheek scarring, I am now happy to say that my face is clear and at least 80% of the scarring is gone. I am continuing with a few more treatments of profractional laser, pixel laser, chemical peels and Dermapen treatments. It has been a long journey, almost 2 years now and thousands of dollars and days in pain similar to a bad sunburn. I am glad that I did it though and the added bonus is that I am now told by many that I look 10 to 15 years younger.
ann86
July 23, 2014
any hyperpigmentation from any of your mentioned treatments ? what post care you have taken.it will be very helpful and kind of you cocopalms
pitlady
July 23, 2014
No hyperpigmentation. Post care was just not washing my face for the first night after the treatment. That was it. No medication or creams to apply to face
pitlady
July 23, 2014
No hyperpigmentation after treatments. No post-treatment creams.
Anonymous1429062
May 30, 2016
But dermapen/microneedling doesn't take off top layers of your skin, it's supposed to build up collagen in the scars and plump them up...right?
zenobia88
August 9, 2016
Yup. You are correct. It's the peels and lasers that take off layers.
Anonymous1429062
August 9, 2016
This is great news! I've begun my journey now and would LOVE to improve my scars 80%. Thanks for the post -- you give me hope!!
zenobia88
August 10, 2016
I will say, i did just read a review that a rejuvapen caused someone to peel. All 4 times i've had this, i have not peeled. I just get red and a bit swollen. It could just depend on how your body reacts? There is no actual heat applied to the skin- you are not burning off a layer, you are just creating tiny lesions that cause collagen to to heal those microwounds. perhaps it has something to do with old skin coming off as the collagen is working to heal the skin. not entirely sure i guess- i'm just going from experience. 80% could be a lot, depending on how deep your scars are and what type. but you typically need multiple treatments and it take TIME. be patient, be good to your skin and you should see a difference. 6 months from the start date is when i really saw the change. i also used a form of retinol, which is supposed to help (this DOES cause peeling). You can read studies on the combo of the two online.
Anonymous1429062
August 11, 2016
I have mostly shallow box car scars and a few deeper box cars. Oddly it's the shallow ones that bother me more since they are in a cluster on my left cheek. I have a random box car on my temple. Thank you for the response! One of the biggest things I've learned in the site is that it's a process. Also, a combination of treatments works better than one treatment and scars cannot be fixed completely. I'm going to see Dr. Novick in NYC in October. Praying he can help me with submission, microneedling, and fillers. Multiple derms have told me my scars aren't deep enough for TCA cross.
zenobia88
August 11, 2016
That's a good thing! if they are not deep enough for CROSS, then hopefully needling will make a significant difference. Maybe even a few glycolic peels could do you some good. I've been doing those off and on for a while and they seem to help. I hope it goes well for you! And post about your experience :)
pitlady
June 24, 2013
I agree. I had about 9 treatments so far and there is really no difference.
IceAge
July 23, 2013
That's too bad. What kind of scars do you have? I understand needling is not that great for ice pick scarring.
pitlady
July 23, 2013
I do have what I believe to be ice pick scars on both my checks so I have Dermapen on my entire face. The entire procedure takes about 90 minutes and it is uncomfortable. I've spent a lot of money and down time on 9 dermapen procedures, but very little results. Very disappointing as I was told that Dermapen would be the solution for me. I guess it is all hype and probably does work on others. I actually was told that dermapen was like having Fractional laser which is much more costly. I've lived with my acne scarred face for a very long time and I think I am finished trying to "fix" it.
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OBXattitude
May 26, 2015
My doctor told me the only viable procedure for deep acne scars is the CO2 laser done in the hospital under general anesthesia. I'm going to try this and will post on Real Self.
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Eva G
May 27, 2015

I look forward to hearing about your treatment OBXattitude. If you want - you can get started on your review even before you have had your treatment, here is a link when you are ready. 

haticee
March 7, 2014
I'v had my second treatment 5 days ago and i can see changes on my scars
linae
March 31, 2014
The ad sated vampire lift prp but when I got in there was told the dermapen is the vampire lift but better because of the many little holes rather than just syringed in a few places. It's been 33 days and no improvement! They said in 4 wks it would just fill in "POOF" and wanted me to buy into 5 more treatments, while it was on a discount value....this is just like the heat therapy, several treatments and zero results! Also was told to look into the current sale on radiesse for a cheek lift. Yep, all sale gimmicks and they claimed her to be a RN but her calling card says LPN. I'm not getting any younger and I'm pretty fed up with all the money gimmicks out there.
Theresamay09
April 3, 2014
I have to do derma rolling or dermapen for acne scarring(eventually I would like to) but I did have derma pen done for a scar on my upper lip due to a dog bite 22 yrs ago when I was 4 and it significantly improved the scar. It wasn't hypertrophic or red, it was indented and my skin pigment. I also have been using scar guard and the scar guard silicone sheets which help even it out a lot. My aesthetician used a 2 mm length needle. I've been debating on wether if I want to use a mechanical dermapen or a derma roller, I have heard both can be bad for your skin. I personal think the dermapen is more likely to wreck your skin. If you think about how the pen works and how you move it over your skin while 30 little needles go rapidly up in down without your control, you could be tearing your skin as the pen moves. The needles could be penetrated in your skin and when you glide the pen while they are in there it will rip your skin horizontally. I don't know it just makes sense to me. Also everyone with skin problems react differently with all treatments, it depends on how your skin heals, what products you use and how much you baby it after post treatment. I think I'm going to try an at home derma stamp NOT pen(mechanical) the stamp you have control when the needles move up and down, which I feel more comfortable with. Also I think the more holes you create the more healing your skin will do aka make a thick layer of skin because it believes it needs to scar there. I think the less holes the better possibility you will have harden and thick skin, making acne scars look worse. These are just my thoughts. :) like I said everyone's skin is different and unfortunately you usually have to pay a lot of Money(products,procedures ect...)and risk possibly making your skin situation worse to find out what works for you. Oh and I forgot to mention I have been using light therapy to help my skin issues and I believe it is working for acne and for my upper lip scar while it is healing. Anywho I hope this helps.
pitlady
April 7, 2014
Thanks for your comments. I happen to agree that the Dermapen did more damage than good to me. Long standing acne scarring needs a more invasive procedure to get rid of the first layer of skin. The acne scarring goes deep down into the layers of skin so anything that says it creates collagen may work for mild acne scarring, but not for deep scarring. I have had non-invasive lasers but they did not work either. You have to determine whether you have the money and the time to go through a more intense laser, along with other procedures. Glad you found something that worked for you.
ann86
July 23, 2014
HI Pitlady i hope you wont mind telling what grade scars you have ? non invasive techniques of laser usually makes skin thinner and wrinkly as i noticed and micro needling makes thicker difference in impetus of injury to the skin to built collagen but invasive procedures are no good either results from micro needling be seen after 20-22 months but are lasting without worsening like lasers which declines the fat from face
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