Does Dermaroller Work for Deep Acne Scars?

For pits, Dermapen works beautifully.  For ice pick like scars, I prefer to excise those. 

Dermaroller may blunt the edges of deep scars, but probably will not get rid of them. Dermaroller is more effective on milder or shallower scars.

Deep acne scars may require filler to "fill them in". Results last for a few months. You can try microneedeling, however it may not achieve the results you want as deep scars tend to require something a little more invasive.

Abhi,The Dermapen, a type of dermaroller we use in our office, is not ideal for deep acne scars. Dermapen and dermarolling in general work well for acne scars that are superficial and still require multiple treatments. I will usually excise the deep acne scars and then offer my patients dermabrasion to improve the appearance of the scar. In darker skin types, dermabrasion is not an option but Dermapen or dermarolling is and can help with improving the appearance of shallow or superficial scars after the deeper scars are addressed. Much of it also has to do with postoperative care and acne control.

Very deep acne scars can be improved by a derm roller but not eliminated completely. Depending on the level of the scar it may require C02 laser ablation to correct. Generally for acne scars a combination approach is necessary and no one single approach works all the time. For single, deeper scars a punch excision or punch graft may be the better option. 

Microneedling is best
for milder scars.
A dermaroller or other microneedling treatment can improve the appearance of
shallow, diffuse acne scarring along with improving all-over skin tone and
texture. For very deep acne scars, I would recommend combining microneedling
with another treatment such as dermal fillers, laser resurfacing or scar
treatment, including scar excision. In some cases, combining microneedling with
a regimen of other procedures may give you the best results. Since some of the
treatments you’ve tried already are actually more aggressive than
microneedling, I’m not sure you’ll get the results you hope for from a dermaroller.

Dermaroller/ collagen induction therapy does give good results for acne scars, however, not all scars, especially deep ones, respond to this treatment. If the scars are very deep, you could consider having a punch excision.

 

Ahbi, 

 

Thanks for the question.  In our practice, the surgical derma roller is part of the armamentarium for management of chronic deep acne scars.  This treatment is combined with fractionated laser treatments and a sound oral and topical nutriceautical regime.  Once the skin reaches an improved steady state, volumization of the scars may be attempted with injectable fillers, although these scarred down areas may be resistant to treatment. Overall, this combination treatment offers modest to significant improvement in our patient population, depending on the degree of baseline scarring. At present, there is no "magic bullet" for complete eradication of this condition.

Best of luck,

Glenn Vallecillos, MD, FACS

If all those other treatments did not improve your acne scars then I am sure you will not be happy with the dermaroller.  The best treatments I have found are a combination of Sculptra injections and FX CO2 laser.  The combination seems to give the best improvement.  Good luck.

Short answer- yes it can. Acne scar treatment should be directed on the scar type, skin type and the downtime of the patient. For deep scars these can be classed as ice pick scars- my preferred option is TCA CROSS or 1-2 mm punch excision. ( see video on how I perform TCA CROSS)Other classes of deep scars include tethered, anchored or atrophic scars. My treatment of choice for these scar types is a new treatment called INFINI RF micro needling. This markedly differs from Dermarolling ( very old and outdated). Stamping is always better than rolling, and delivering up to 3.5 mm depth is superior to rolling. The ground breaking progress is delivering controlled heat to remodel scars using insulated needs and energy known as radio frequency. It is the technique and method, rather any any device that gives you the best results. All the bestDr Davin Lim Acne scar dermatologist. BRISBANE, Australia.