Can skin needling/derma roller even out my scar or should I look for laser treatment? (photo)

Question

Hello, I have a young burn scar (boiling cup of tea poured on my tight 3 months ago). The scar is fully healed and the skin very supple. But there is a mix of hypo and hyper pigmentation. Will it fade over time ? Would you recommend dermaroller/ skin needling to even it out ? If yes, what needle lenght and how early can i start ? Many thanks The skin texture is great. I am obviously just bothered with uneven pigmentation

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Scarabrasion is a technique for improving or minimizing all kinds of scars, including traumatic scars. In its traditional form, developed back in the late 1980s, manual dermasanding was performed on traumatic (and other kinds of scars) between eight to twelve weeks--which is the case here--following injury. The timing was felt to be critical, since more mature scars (those left to fully mature months to years later) did not respond as well as young, relatively fresh scars. In some cases, a scar could be eliminated almost entirely, so long as the critical window of time was respected.I have been performing dermal rolling for about fifteen years for treating all kinds of wrinkles, scars,  surface irregularities and blotchy pigmentation. More recently, I have found that fractional medical microneedle therapy, using either the manual Dermaroller or the electric Dermapen device, to be quite effective for this purpose and now almost routinely perform this technique in place of dermasanding. Healing tends to be considerably faster and the results comparable if not better, especially when it comes to evening out patches of hyper and hypopigmentation. A home use Dermaroller may serve as a complement to in-office fractional medical microneedle therapy, but does not substitute for it. In general, 1.5mm to 2mm length needles, as opposed to the 0.15-0.5mm lengths of the home products, are needed to achieve gratifying results. Consultation with a board certified aesthetic physician with extensive experience and expertise in fractional medical microneedle therapy is strongly urged.

Nissan Pilest, MD · Answer

Dermarolling treatments will improve the
texture of the skin but will not improve the pigmentation.

I have treated a very similar case and found
great success with Alexandrite laser. The Alex laser will improve the
hyperpigmentation, once that is removed the skin color will blend better and it
will be less obvious. This treatment does require several sessions for best
results and it is important to stay out of the sun and use SPF 50 daily when
going outside.

Consult with a Board Certified Dermatologist
to see if this treatment is appropriate for your concerns.For more information on the Alex laser view the link below.

Can skin needling/derma roller even out my scar or should I look for laser treatment? (photo)

Answers (2)

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Derma Roller

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

Can skin needling/derma roller even out my scar or should I look for laser treatment? (photo)

Answers (2)

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Derma Roller

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