Surprised at Positive Results from Derma Roller 1.0. Los Angeles, CA

I've spent way too much money on lasers, peels and products - in many cases I've had things done to undo damage caused by an expensive procedure. It becomes downward spiral! When I first heard about Derma Rollers I thought, "Ouch" and "That can't really work." It sounded like a strange idea and I was frankly - a little scared. I had a z-plasty done on an old Birthmark removal scar near my eye. I then had eMatrix done - which left a very pronounced square grid imprint on top of the scar. It is still there, but less obvious after 3 years. I then had IPL to remove all the redness. When the redness was gone - it became obvious that the scar was hypo-pigmented from so much trauma.

My plastic surgeon had mentioned going to someone for Fraxel treatments to see if it could improve the situation. We even discussed going to a medical tattoo artist to make the scar the same color as my skin. I decided that I'd had enough and would wait it out. One day he said, why don't you try this, "Get a Derma Roller and apply Latisse after." For those of you familiar with Latisse - it does cause change in pigmentation which is why you will see a purplish line over time where it's applied on the eye line.

I ordered a 1.0 for $20 and started using it. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but now it's not. Great news. I have noticed improvement 4 months out. I don't even apply Latisse most of the time because I'm lazy about it. However, that grid mark has faded and there is a little more color. I'm genuinely surprised and am starting to use it on other pock marks resulting from eMatrix/IPL "zaps". I have not noticed an improvement in color on those; though, I have noticed that they appear a little smoother.

The key with ALL of these procedures and products is less is more. Start small and see how things work out. You can safely use a 1.5, but DON'T OVERDO it. I wish I'd started using the Derma Roller in conjunction with light peels (when skin is healed)before I ever laid eyes on any laser or "laser-like" product. Good luck.