How Does Dermastamping Work?

[Flyer17]

This may sound like a silly question, but bear with me.  What exactly is the process that makes dermastamping work to improve the look of scars?  What I mean is, is it supposed to loosen scar tissue and allow new bloodflow and collagen to fill in the scar?  Or is it supposed to lower the area surrounding the scar so that the scar looks more even?  Or is it doing both (or maybe even something else)?  Or is this just a consequence of using the stamp when the stamphead is larger than the area of the scar you're stamping?

The reason I ask is because I've got two scars right next to each other on my forehead.  Thus far, I've stamped them twice and when I look at them from straight on, they look MUCH better.  However, when I look at them from the side and in certain lights (yes, I am kind of obsessive, haha), it almost looks like one larger indentation, almost as if the scars have merged and the skin area around the scars has been lowered close to their level.  

I bring  this up is because there is a lot of misinformation out there, and one source I read that sticks in my mind stated that stamping does not raise scars, but instead lowers the surrounding skin.  To me, that's something I'd like to avoid.  I'm strongly considering using the single needle on these scars next time and for the foreseeable future on all of my acne scars, especially since they are all smaller and mostly isolated from each other.

Thanks in advance for your opinion, Sarah.  I won't be needling/stamping again for a few weeks, so no hurry on getting back to me!

[SarahVaughter]

I will paste here my forum posting about the principle behind dermarolling.

  It is the same for dermastamping:

  There aren't many ways to rejuvenate or remodel skin. One of the best methods is to cause mild skin damage. Our body will renew/remodel the skin by fixing that damage. That is one of the principles of dermarolling.

   

  That is also the principle behind most laser rejuvenation treatments. Laser either evaporates the entire outermost top layer of the skin or it evaporates only fractions of the skin (Fraxel laser).

   

  Have a look how it works, it's interesting:

  https://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHvRZ-LPhW8&feature=related

     

  A dermaroller makes tiny holes mechanically, whilst a fractional laser makes tiny holes thermically. But in principle it is the same. The collagen production will continue many months after treatment.

     

................

   

Dermarolling /dermastamping also crushes the scar tissue if used intensively on the scar. Scars often have hardened fibrotic collagen tissue and that is crushed and softened by dermarolling/dermastamping. And yes, this often restores the blood flow into the scar (angiogensis/revascularisation).  If you continue the treatment, the scar will start to fill in at least partially by triggering new collagen.

   It is possible that the fibrotic wall of the scar collapsed and the scar has that kind of relief from the side that you described. However, collapsing the hardened wall is the first step in improving the scar.

   If you just have individual, isolated scars, the single needle is better.  A dermastamp is for larger areas with many scars.

[Miro]

I ve red so many differing opinions on dermarolling; for instance some say derm-rolling is more of an illusion because it widens a scar and makes it more flat; appearing like its getting better.

Others say it truly works and takes time since its a form of collagen induction therapy. I've red people on forums   that say it works, but then also  red  posts  from people who were disappointed.

I wonder what will be my results :-)

[SarahVaughter]

It is the same with every method. I get many emails with complains that some treatment - laser, peels, IPL, Thermage etc. did not work, or even made the condition worse or caused an additional problem (scars, hypo- or hyperpigmentation) etc. Unfortunately, there is no method that works for 100% of users for all possible skin conditions.