Greatly Reduced Acne Scars - San Francisco, CA

No I did 3 treatments. When I first decided to do derma-rolling I said i'm going to do 3 treatments. Then wait for the swelling to go down and see if I saw any results. If I saw any results no matter how small I would continue with the rest of the procedures. So after my third one I waited. For the first 6 wks it looked like a great improvement, but shortly after 6 wks w/ no more swelling my skin looked exactly the same as when I started. I saw zero improvement. I wasn't expecting much change after 3, but I do think I should have notice a slight difference . I know nothing happens over night. I think for people with deep scars were screwed!

Hi Lxgon, What site did you order your derma-roller from? How often should you use it? Have you experienced any hyperpigmentation after rolling? Have you seen any results and if so how many months did it take you to see results? Many thx

I ordered from online at skinmedix. When I first started I was doing it every 3 days, then every 2 weeks, then every month. But as time went on I would only do it when my scars would begin to be noticeable again. No I haven't noticed any hyper-pigmentation after. The results are immediately after you do the procedure. But like I said before results are not permanent. They will return. But you get a few weeks of improved skin, then you just roll again. You can use a serum after. No cream or lotions that were made to be external only. I bought a Neosporin plus pain relief for after treatment, the pain reliever works great and it has antibiotic with it too. I have seen minor improvements with every treatment. I'm still doing treatments with 1.5 mm. If your barely starting, I wouldn't start with something to deep. After all, this is a slow process and the last thing you want to do is cause more damage to skin you already feel uncomfortable with. Remember not to wash your face for a few days with anything to harsh. Depending on how many times you go over your face with the roller will depend on how long your face will be red. Mine would stay red for a full day after. Also if your re-using the roller make sure you use denture tablets to clean and kill any bacteria on your roller. God bless and Good luck!!!

Thank you. On you tube I saw videos where the skin was bleeding and I thought it would leave hyperpigmentation. I also saw some videos which mentioned you shouldn't break the skin so I am not sure what's correct. Do u use a numbing cream when you roll? Has it helped you with hyperpigmentation? Do you have wrinkles and if so did it help with those? I saw this video. Don't know if this is what your dr did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVs__hSNlGY

Ya when I did my first 3 treatments ($500 each) at a dermatologist office was face was bleeding everywhere. Its was intense, painful and took about 7 days to heal before I would go out in public. So you will definitely have to break the skin. Thats how the whole system works. When my dermatologist was done with my cheeks looked like a bloody pulp. On the video it look like they were using a very low mm on her. I never used numbing cream at home, because I'm prescribed pain meds for other issue which I usually take before treatment. At dermatologist I use numbing cream and shots in my face and it was still difficult at times. The home ones dont ever come close to that amount of pain. If you use numbing cream make sure to wipe off before rolling. I was told by my dermatologist to use sun screen daily for now on. Because hyperpigment will happen. I put it on daily for about 2 months after each treatment and I just got to tired of doing it daily. But, I didnt end up with hyperpigment. Unfortunately I dont have wrinkles. Probably due to having somewhat oily skin. So no idea how it works for them. After talking to you I did take another close up look at my face. I have to say there has been more improvements then I have stated before. So slow but surely its been working. What exactly are you trying to improve wrinkles or scars because that will determine what mm will be best for you?

I had pretty good skin but because my skin was oily I was getting lots of whiteheads. A derm had me use tazorac (retinoid) and it ruin my skin. My pores started to open and then form lines on my cheeks. It also cause a wrinkle on my forehead. I don't have scars but I have hyperpigmentation. There's also an area on my cheek which looks like an indent. I was thinking maybe I should buy a derma roll and just test it on the problem areas. Did you start with a .5? I was reading that maybe the best choice. Do you use any product on your face before or after you roll? Many thx.

For your hyperpigment have you tried "Kolic acid?" It works really well. But you need to have light brown to light skin to work. Due to the fact that it will lighten any area its applied it to. If you have darker skin your left with a face that lighter than the rest of your body. For your white heads you might want to try a jelatin and milk mask. Their easy to make and cheap. I was doing them once a week for a little over a month when I started breaking out again. The jelatin is "knox un-flavored" and it can usually be found at any grocery store. The directions are on livestrong.com. Worked great on blackheads and breakouts, but not sure on whiteheads. I started my first dermarolling at the dermatologist office which used something around 2.5mm or higher. If you have a small indent a 0.5 or 1mm. you should be ok, anything higher would probably hurt if you've never done it before. I normally wash my face with "Cetaphil" face wash, that what the derma gave me to use. After I'm done rolling I would put a serum on usually antioxidents or vitamin A or E. Next I'd wait about 5 mins to let the serum sink in a bit, then apply the antibiotic/ pain relieving ointment. Just a word of advise, start with basic treatments nothing to drastic. Anyone that promises an over night fix is probably going to cause you more damaged than when you started. I started off looking for the over night fix and ended up have more problems. Also trust your gut, everything I sugguested might work for me, but not for your skin. You know your skin best. So if you feel like its not working, dont keep using it hoping it will work. Good luck. Hope that will help. If you have any other questions or something i missed just shoot me another send me an email.

After one week I did get what looked like pimples under my skin. They were red, hard and bumpy and I hated them. I would remove the top layer of died skin and help it to the surface. But only the ones that were already coming up to the surface. Some felt to deep to push out. I left them for a few more days then push them out. They left no scarring after. The main thing the dermatologists told me was do not to let your skin dry out or it will scar. I use an intensive treatment moisturizer almost like Vaseline texture with the antibacterial cream. I hope that helps. Sorry for the delay in return your email. Had the flu did 2 weeks.

Thanks so much for your response, Ixgon! I think you got it right - I used vaseline on my face for two weeks and then stopped when the peeling set in, but I still had the red dots. They have faded somewhat, and are slowly improving with time. Now I'll just have to play the waiting game... Thanks again!!