Evenly Spread Acne Scars - enormous improvement

[cesamaddictaol]

Hi Sarah,

I am a 28 year old Hispanic Male who has several acne scars from my teenage years of severe acne...My Acne is under control right now and has been for the past 6 years (except for blackheads on my nose).  I've been using a 2.0 dermaroller with Emla cream for three sessions already (5 weeks apart between sessions).  For the first session, I had no pre-treatment or after care (for example infadolin, Vit C, Copper Peptide).  after the second session, I used Infadolin for two days (as my skin is oily) and copper peptides.  I just did my third session  and I used the Vitamin C serum that I made from your webshop for three days, rolled with my 2.0 dermaroller and used my 2.0 dermastamp on deep wrinkles and deep scars. and afterwards applied the copper peptide mask and about half an hour later, applied infadolin.  Pretty much my face is evenly distributed when it comes to acne scars, to the point where my skin even looks scaly like a snake. 

For the first two sessions, i was smoking heavily but I stopped smoking two weeks prior to this third dermarolling session to see if that made a difference.  I haven' noticed much of a difference (except more even skin tone) and I dont know if there's anything else that I should be doing  I take Vitamin C orally every day now for the past couple of weeks in hope that it will help. 

Although I have very oily skin, I don't have much acne (besides Blackheads).  How long should I use the infadolin after the dermaroller?  2 days? 4? 6? More?

Does smoking have a direct relation with the dermarolling? I've read somewhere that it can slow down the healing process.  Is there anything else you'd suggest? Or should I continue waiting for good results? Thank you.

[SarahVaughter]

Continue with your 2 mm dermaroller sessions and add the suctioning:

   

  https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Subcision-suction-method-for-acne-scars

   

Smoking has a negative effect on skin collagen so try to reduce it as much as possible.  

  In the future, you can also try a 1.5 or 2 mm dermastamp.

[cesamaddictaol]

Thank you for your response.  I haven't smoked in a couple of weeks and I've just purchased some facial cupping products for the suctioning which I am very enthusiastic about, especially after reading your forum thread on suctioning.  Would you recommend that instead of the dermaroller, that I use my 2.0 dermastamp all over my face?  I know it will be a much longer process but I actually prefer the dermastamp over the roller.  I find it much less uncomfortable stamping and definitely less painful.  I will post pics and post more about my suctioning products when it arrives. Thank you again for your help..lol

[SarahVaughter]

Both a 2 mm roller and a 2 mm dermastamp are effective for deep scars. A dermastamp is perhaps less painful (it has less needles) but much more laborious. You can combine the two in one session. Roll over the whole area with your roller and then stamp the deepest scars with either a 1.5 or a 2 mm dermastamp. A day or two later, start the suctioning.

   

  You can also use just the dermastamp if you prefer.

[cesamaddictaol]

Thank you for all of your help.  I've been suctioning for the past two days and I absolutely love the plumpness of my skin afterwards.  When I woke up this morning I was in sort of a shock at the way my skin looked.  I am very optimstic about it.  Also, I just purchased some single needles from your webstore and I wanted to know if you think it's worth needling all the ice pick scars close to my nose in the above picture?  I'm not even sure if they are ice pick scars or enlarged pores. I also purchased retin A from your webshop.  I am very excited about everything.

[cesamaddictaol]

I've also started using a 0.5 Dermaroller twice a week, in between the 6 week 2.0mm rolling sessions

[SarahVaughter]

The photo is slightly (20 to 40% enlarged) so the pores a bit less visible in reality. Certainly, do not needle all of them in one go. You can try to needle one, to see how it reacts because pores are unpredictable.

     

  We have customers who claim needling helped their pores but there are not many successful cases:

   

  https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Needling-and-dermastamp&p=2288#post2288

   

Needling improves scars, however pores are not scars. They are ducts in the skin and that is a different issue.  

I think you should concentrate on your scars because it is very probable they will improve with dermarolling/stamping and the suction. You look very handsome even with the scars though!

[cesamaddictaol]

Thank you for your gracious compliment.  I just have one more question.  Because of the large spread of scars throughout my face, do you think it's okay if instead of applying Infadolin (which I have) after roling that I instead place Retin-A?  I can even apply retin A under the Infadolin.  I don't mind the stinging for hours.  When I first started rolling, I bought a facial lotion that had vitamin C in it and that stung for hours so I am aware of whats in store for me. I've also started using a 0.5 Dermaroller twice a week, in between the 6 week 2.0mm rolling sessions.  Is that okay?

Note by Admin: We switched to a new forum and this posting, with the below picture that we edited with text, dropped during the migration:

"Thank you Sarah. I've started Rolling 4 months ago and can already see a difference. Below are 4 month progress pictures before and after"

[cesamaddict]

I had to make a new screen name because the only one wouldn't let me post any updates.  As you can see from 4 month update picture, The Scars are starting to fill in.  i am very happy with the Progress.  I just ermarolled all over with a 2.0 dermaroller and a 2.0 dermastamp.  I've started suctioning.  As time goes on I will continue to post progress pictures.  I encourage anyone who reads this to also post pictures to show everyone else that dermarolling DOES WORK.

[SarahVaughter]

Sorry about that - Your old login may now work better, we changed something just now to try to fix it.

I do not think it is a good idea to apply the A-Ret to your whole face right after dermarolling. A-Ret (Retinoic acid) is basically a mild acid peel and it can irritate and dry the skin. You should start applying it as an experiment to just several of your scars right after dermarolling.

Yes, rolling with a 0.5 mm dermaroller in between your 2 mm roller sessions is perfectly OK and it is a good idea.

[SarahVaughter]

Thank you very much, Cesamaddictaol, for your photos! We have received lots of feedback about the successful improvement of acne scars with our products but nobody sent us any before-and-after photos of acne scars (mainly due to the fact that almost nobody takes the "before" photos). So you are the first. Our customers did send us photos and you can see them on our website but none of them concerned acne scars.

I have posted this text some time ago on another forum posting about acne scars:

"Please remember to give us your feedback on your results. We get many emails from customers saying that dermarolling/dermastamping/needling improved their acne scars, usually after at least a year of monthly rolling sessions. Unfortunately, nobody sent us any before and after photos as of yet. About a year ago I told my husband that one day I would like to needle acne scars (he has just a few) on his forehead and photo-document the process of improvement. He faintly nodded (to get rid of me).  Some days ago I took the single needle and tried to catch my husband who saw the needle and promptly ran away. He said: "no way I am going to go through such an ordeal just because you need a photo. Find yourself another victim". Sigh."



BTW haven’t you posted your photos also in the subcision-suction thread?  We have recently moved our forum and the forum postings that were posted exactly at that time did not appear in the new forum.

[cesamaddict]

I'm not sure if I have but the most recent picture that I posted is the one that is a few comments above. I'm a photographer and I use something called a Ringflash which is very unforgiving to people with bad skin which is why I chose it to document my progress.  Every picture I will post on here will be using that flash so that the lighting can be consistent.  It is still a major work in progress though but I have had a lot of improvement.  I have a question about suctioning.  From what I read, I am supposed to cause light bruising is that correct? I'm thinking that suctioning will be more effective if I do it directly after rolling with the 0.5 mm roller during those 2 weeks of suctioning after the 2.0 session

[Bumby]

There is no cream in the world to heal acne scars....

[cesamaddict]

that's why the people on this forum have turned to Dermarollers and Sarah's great recommendations.

[cesamaddict]

Hi Sarah, I was reading a different post on this forum about someone describing their scars as being very shiny.  Is that a huge indicator of scarred tissue?  I ask because my face is completely shiny, even when I wipe rubbing alcohol on it.  Do you think it'll be wise for me to use the 2.0 mm roller every 5 weeks and a 1.0 mm roller every week (as opposed to a 0.5 mm bi weekly)?