Skin got worse by dermapen. Is this going away? (Photos)

Question

Hello, i'm Tosca from the Netherlands. to get rid of my acne scars I started dermapen treatments in October. I had 3 treatments with breaks of 3 weeks. unfortunately my skin has only got worse. I have more red spots / scars in my face. what do I have to do to get rid of this? And can this still go away or become less? I am desperate! Greetings!

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Hi there, thank you for your question and photos. I recommend you get your active acne under control prior to you having dermapen treatments, as this can exacerbate your acne and actually make your skin worse. I recommend having chemical peels such as the perfect derm peel with the booster, and then 2 weeks later have a hydrafacial with the blue light therapy. Also, using PRP will help calm the skin from irritation. Best

Kristine Brecht, MD (license suspended) · Answer

Before you do the microneedling treatments, it is important to get your active acne under control, otherwise the treatment will irritate your skin more. Prp will help.
See an expert. Best. Dr Brecht

Davin Lim, MBBS, FACD - Account Suspended · Answer

You have a mixture of scar types including skin colour changes (red)- this is known as PIE and best treated with vascular lasers. Derma pen can help atrophic and rolling scars, but can make PIE worse, please see a dermatologist for lasers. 
Acne scar revision comprises of specialised procedures. For the best results, one should target the acne scar type with ideal treatments METHODS. Using one device is not optimal. As everyone has a unique pattern of acne scarring, the best solution is a tailored one.  The web reference below will take you to a resource to help you understand acne scar revision at a specialist level. I embedded all the videos in one page to help.
As an example deep ice pick scars, and narrow box car scars are best treated with TCA CROSS. Deep narrow scars respond better to this treatment than even the most expensive lasers. On the flip side, rolling, and atrophic acne scars can improve with fractional devices such as Fraxel, fractional lasers, ProFractional erbium lasers, Infiini –Intensif –Intracel radiofrequency microneedling. Atrophic scars (depressions) can be treated with either fat grafts, PRP or dermal fillers. Tethered and anchored scars are best treated with surgical techniques such as subcision. Other surgical techniques that I use include punch elevation, surgical elevation, punch excision and traditional excision for focal scars. Early and very mild acne scars respond well to eMatrix and non-energy microneedling, as well as vascular lasers. Skin colour changes such as PIH or dark marks respond best to sun protection, creams, and Q switch lasers in the nano and pico pulse durations.
The majority of patients will have a collection of different scar types, and hence a tailored treatment METHOD will be best. Careful examination, especially under angled lighting with scar mapping will give you an understanding of what are the best options for your scars. Additionally tactile examination namely touch will give me an understanding of the amount of subdermal fibrosis, as special equipment is needed for this sub-set of acne scars.  In the majority of patients its finding the correct combination that give you best results, and everyone is unique! It is never about the device, its about the specialist behind the equipment that will deliver the best outcomes. All the best, Dr Davin Lim. Acne scar dermatologist specialist. Brisbane, Australia.

Skin got worse by dermapen. Is this going away? (Photos)

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Everything you need to know about Dermapen

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Skin got worse by dermapen. Is this going away? (Photos)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Dermapen

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.