(At Home) Derma Roller for Acne Scarring, Female, Age 31, Light Olive Skin

I am writing to review my experience with derma rolling at home.I have light olive skin, female, age 31.I don't have wrinkles, I have some very faint fine lines but these are not my main concern, I roll for acne scarring improvement. I have some moderate acne scarring that needs attention while I am saving up for a more expensive treatment. I got the dermaroller in 0.5mm first. It's the MT roller. I got it on ebay for around $6. After my first treatment, I ordered a second roller, this time a 1.0 mm roller. The second one was also an MT roller since I liked the first one so much, and the price is the same. I hoped to work to a 2.0, but for now I am going to continue with the 1.0. I have rolled three times now.
The first time I rolled, it wasn't as aggressive because it was a smaller needle. The second time, it was more aggressive, due to the longer needles and also because I wanted to see if the results would be better if i rolled more aggressively.
I will speak about the second and third time, which were similar experiences. The first roll was more of a trial to see if i could tolerate/ to see if it was a waste of time. I want to start out by saying that the results are subtle and gradual. Rolling extremely aggressively or too frequently is going to be conter productive. If you are an impatient person, please restarin yourself from over doing it! It's not going to help. Collagen takes time to develop and bild and rolling too frequently will damage collagen formation. Rolling too aggressively could result in more scarring. I roll once every 5-6 weeks. I keep my roller in a ziploc bag inside the plastic case it came with. I start out by cleaning off my bathroom counter with disinfectant, then I lay out a clean towel. I also have a clean small towel and a clean bowl. I lay my skin creams (will explain later) out on the opposite side of the counter out of the way. i pour some alcohol into the bowl. ( enough to submerge the end of the roller in.) I soak the end of my roller in alcohol, then dry it with the small towel. Then I start to roll on the right side of my face, on my cheeks under my eyes and on the side of my nose, then on the cheeks by my ear and side of my face. I do get some pinpoint bleeding, however not too much, i don't want to over do it. Every now and again I clean the end of the roller with the alcohol, pat it dry, then keep going. Once i have the whole right cheek and side of my face area rolled, I apply a Vitamin C serum, a second serum. a retinol cream, then a Vitamin C cream. I know it's alot but I figure it can't hurt. Then I repeat the same thing on the opposite side of my face, then my forehead. I do my nose and under my eyes as best i can, but I need to order a smaller roller for small areas. I do the sides of my mouth and chin last. I am not as aggressive here because I don't really have issues with this area of my skin.
The second time I rolled, my skin broke out a little on the sides of my mouth a few days after rolling. Because of the pinpoint bleeding, redness and recovery time, I wold advise not to roll if you need to wear a full face of makeup for a couple days ( like if you have an important event, job interview, etc.) The down time isn't major but for a couple days your face is a little red and puffy. It's very normal that your skin will start to peel a bit a few days after.
I know some people have gone on to write reviews immediately after rolling and given impressions that were a favorable due to the swelling and plumping of the skin being mistaken for results that are better than they really are. The plumping will subside. your true results (like I said earlier) are much more subtle and gradual. Your skin will continue to improve slowly throghout the period in between rolling. Don't get discouraged or try to rush it. It won't happen overnight.... be patient and consistent or just don't waste your time. I will post some pictures once there is enough of a difference to see some good noticeable change, which i am guessing won't be for at least 8-10 months. I do see subtle changes in my skin already but i am not sure if it's enough for photos just yet.
Just make sure you keep your tools clean and disinfected, be patient and consistent, that's my advice. It's a lot less expensive and simple to do at home for those of us on a budget. Thanks for reading and best of luck :)

The yellowing on the first photo is due to an issue with my camera, and the photo isn't optimal but it's the best "before" I have. The second is the progress so far after three rolls. The improvement is very subtle but it has improved a little. Not sure why realself site downsizes the photos almost to the point of having to bust out a pair of glasses. Anyway here is the photo.

I just did my fourth roll which will be the last roll for quite some time as I am having laser done next month. I won't even attempt to roll for at least 4-6 months after that (probably 6.)This was my most agressive roll to date- I had some pipoint bleeding but it's really surface. I am attaching some photos of how it looks after my roll. it doesn't look as red in real life.