My skin is scarred and looks rough- What tools to use? Regimen critique...

[kumquatsea]

So my skin is pretty bad. I'm a 25 year old woman and need help with scarring, rough texture, and lack of elasticity in my cheeks. I have had acne on and off since I was about 13. From the ages of 19-23 was probably the time my skin was the clearest because of a radical shift in my diet and devotion to skincare, but I would still break out. During a two month period last year, I was financially strained, and was not able to eat well and my skin revolted with a vengeance resulting in a nonstop bout of cystic acne, which left my skin rough and scarred. The cystic acne died down quite a bit, but I still have some going on along with whiteheads/blackheads, as can see from my pics.

I read over your dermarolling manual and it said not to use dermaneedling on SEVERE active acne. Is the acne in my pics too severe to dermaroll over? I can wait if it is but am I not allowed to have any pimples/acne when I dermaroll, or is a certain amount acceptable??? I also was having a hard time telling if I had mostly scarring or just large pores.

And I was trying to figure out what instrument(s) I should use. I bought a 1.0mm dermaroller for the time being, haven't used it yet. I was thinking of getting a 1.5 dermastamp as well. I know this is a dermaneedling forum, but would chemical peels be a good for me??

And if you could critique my current regimen below, that would be great!!

-2-3X per day wash face with mild cleanser (dove, cetpahil, etc) or honey/olive oil. Sometimes I incorporate a bit of baking soda into the cleansers.
-Clinique's exfoliating toner after I wash (not every time, sometimes)
-Moisture with gentle moisturizer (cetaphil, cerave) and layer on SPF 30 mineral sunscreen over it
-Retin-A Micro (.04%) every other night.
Biweekly, give myself a facial (steam, toner, mask)

Oh, and FYI, I ordered some ingredients to make my own Vitamin C serum as well so I will be using that on nights I don't use Retin-A!!

[kumquatsea]

Ok, I figured out how to post pics. See pretty bad. Is there a way to edit posts or delete posts?

Forehead:
Right Cheek:
Left Cheek:
Left Cheek:

[SarahVaughter]

Your acne is mild enough to be able to use dermarolling.

If your scars are relatively recent, they may still improve by themselves a little. Did you have scars before the recent strike of cystic acne?

Buying a 1.5 mm dermastamp with 35 needles is definitely a good idea in your case but do a test patch first to see how your skin and how your scars react.

I do not think your cheeks lack elasticity.

Do not buy our Infadolan because your skin is prone to breakouts.

Many acne sufferers claim benzoyl peroxide helps.

Concerning acid peels, I think the best is to use salicylic acid.  Not in high percentages that are used for peeling but in relatively low percentages, used regularly to hopefully keep acne under control.

Salicylic acid (Beta Hydroxy Acid) is very useful in acne prone skin because salicylic acid is oil soluble - it has ability to clean pores from the inside. It is necessary to use it long-term. You do not seem to have blackheads though.

Tretinoin cream also unclogs pores but you are already using it.

[kumquatsea]

Thank you very much Sarah for your speedy reply.

I had some light scarring, but my skin still looked fairly smooth. This last bout of cystic acne is really what roughed up my skin's texture. So you are saying that even without microneedling, my most recent scars could improve with proper care, but needling would speed things along more quickly.

I think when I said elasticity, I really meant volume, which was due to weight loss and the scarring.

So If I should not use Infadolan, it would be okay for me to use a collagen or copper peptide mask immediately after dermarolling as long as my skin can tolerate it??

Have you heard of msm creams (such as this one: https://http://www.amazon.com/MRM-MSM-Cream-Net-Wt/dp/B000WSEU74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365514326&sr=8-1&keywords=msm+cream)? Have you ever heard of people using something like this after cream? Would a regular moisturizer like Cerave which has hyaluronic acid and ceramides be good for immediately after dermarolling?

And when you say low percentages of salicylic acid, what percentage should I dabble in? 30% 20% 10%

[SarahVaughter]

Using a dermastamp can also improve scars that are permanent and will not improve by themselves.

You should keep the skin moisturized after microneedling with a product of which you know does not break you out. This is individual and what works for one does not work for the other so I tend not to recommend anything specific for acne prone individuals.

I have written about Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) here:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/msm/

Not more than 5% salicylic acid. The products for regular use on acne usually contain 2%.

[kumquatsea]

Thank you very much, Sarah! I appreciate it!