Correct needle size for use on face?

[terrorfirmer]

I've seen quite a bit of conflicting information about needle size to be used on the face - I originally purchased a 0.5mm roller, which I've used twice. I've read that 0.5mm is only for product penetration and can be used weekly, yet both times I've used it, my skin has gone through pretty aggressive healing stages with a lot of peeling - definitely not something I'd be doing weekly! What would you recommend? My story is as follows: I have pretty good skin, except on my nose I have one or two very bad enlarged/scarred pores. I also have quite a lot of scarred/enlarged pores in general (only on my nose), but 90% of them aren't really visible unless you're standing quite close to me. I have about 3 though, that are quite obvious and large, on the side of my nose. The texture of my nose is also fairly rough under certain lighting. This is probably from over zealous squeezing in younger years. So I'm hoping to correct these problems! What would you recommend? I'm thinking something like the 0.5mm all over my nose to help with the rough texture, with a stamp to spot treat the very bad, deep pore scars - but I'm unsure as to what size would be best for this? I'm also using copper peptides, but it seems logical that they aren't going to really help a huge amount without first breaking down the scars.

Thanks in advance!

[SarahVaughter]

To be honest, I don't think it is a good idea to take any chances with the skin on your nose (basically, I'd say avoid any treatment) because it can theoretically end up worse and as you said your pores are not really visible. It is probably not worth the risk.

To avoid peeling of you whole face, you can use a dermastamp with 35 needles. Stamping is more targeted and it does not cover such a large area as a dermaroller.

I will paste here relevant text from our dermarolling instructions:

Enlarged pores: Dermarolling works very effectively on acne scars but pores are not scars. Pores are ducts in the skin and their size is genetically determined. There is currently no method that can reliably and permanently make pores smaller. Very few of our customers managed to make their pores smaller through microneedling. You can try a regular 0.2 mm or a 0.5 dermaroller to thicken the epidermis or a 0.5 mm dermastamp. A thickened epidermis could make pores look smaller because the pore size is the smallest on the skin's surface and as you go deeper into the skin, the pore channel widens. Some of our customers improved their pore size with the single needle but always try just one pore to see if it is not making it worse. Do not expect results too soon.

Scars on the nose: All invasive skin treatments on the nose are risky because this area reacts and heals unpredictable and it can end up worse. You can try a 1 mm dermastamp but never perform any aggressive stamping here. Start slowly and try one small area first.

[terrorfirmer]

Firstly, thanks for the reply.

I should really clarify - this isn't general pore size, it's actually pores that have become enlarged through excessive picking at my skin and squeezing. A few years ago I had flawless, poreless skin, now though, after going though a really bad phase (about a year) of picking at perceived imperfections, a large number of pores are very....crater looking, to be honest.  Now, mine are not this bad, but this image is an example of the types of scarred pores - it's these I'm looking to hopefully begin attempting to reverse! I was thinking maybe of just stamping the craters....or perhaps use a single needle. If all my pores were just genetically large I'd be OK with that, but this is more of a self inflicted damage thing!

Thanks again for the response.

[SarahVaughter]

>pores that have become enlarged through excessive picking at my skin and squeezing
 
Yes, and that is exactly the point. Pores very often enlarge after excessive squeezing and that is why one has to be really careful using anything, especially on the nose.
You can try a dermastamp but please do a test patch first to see how your pores react to it.

For example, with this customer of ours, there is improvement of acne scars but also of pores and scarred pores:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/evenly-spread-acne-scars/15/

But this is not always the case.

[terrorfirmer]

Thanks for that, can't ask for more! I just bought a .5mm stamp for your store there, I'll let you know how it goes, for better or worse. Or, more hopefully, for better or indifference. Thanks again.

[thistimeonly]

I just wanted to add in, that after using a 2mm dermaroller on my nose, I was able to get rid of the deep rooted blackheads. The pore sizes thus look smaller and overall skintone on the looked better. However, like Sarah mentioned, try a test patch first!

[SarahVaughter]

Thank you very much for your posting. It is important for us to hear about various experiences. We already know that what works for one individual does not automatically work for everybody but in many cases it does work for some. A test patch is always advisable.