Does Microdermabrasion help with indented acne scars?

Before I began my Dermarolling journey, I tried Microdermabrasion. I really wanted to get rid of my indented scars but I didn't have the money to spend on laser surgery or any of the other expensive treatments I had read about. Plus, a lot of those treatments, like Laser surgery, could cause more scarring so I didn't want to take the chance. I had done so much research on the subject and Microdermabrasion kept coming up.

Microdermabrasion reviews and my dermatologists opinion

I read about a million reviews (at least that's what it felt like) and most people claimed that Microdermabrasion helped get rid of their indented scars. There were some people who said it didn't work at all but I wasn't paying any attention to them. I REALLY wanted this to work.

On February, 22, 2011, I made an appointment to see my dermatologist. There was a medical Esthetician that worked in his office so I asked him if Microdermabrasion would help get rid of my indented acne scars. He didn't directly say no but he implied that it wouldn't get rid of them.  His exact words were, "Well...it will help smooth out your skin in that area." That was enough to convince myself that yes it would work!

I scheduled my first Microdermabrasion session for the following week. The cost would be $85 per session and I planned on having at least 8 of them. Maybe more if I had the money!  I ended up getting a treatment every 2 weeks for a totally of 7 Microdermabrasion sessions. After the 7th session, I got 1 treatment a month for 3 months. It was around the final months of getting Microdermabrasion treatments that I started dermarolling.

Did microdermabrasion help my acne scars?

I know what you're wondering...did it work? The answer is no, it did not. It did exactly what my Dermatologist told me it would do. It smoothed out my skin especially the scarred area  (my skin was really rough looking and bumpy in that area) but the scars were still there. Every single one of them.
The machine used on my skin was the kind that shoots out crystals. I've heard about the type of machine that uses a diamond tip on your skin. Maybe that makes a difference. I don't know.
I really didn't like the machine that uses the crystals because once the session was done, the crystals were left all over my face. My Esthetician cleaned my face really well but the only way to get that stuff off my skin was to take a good shower. She also couldn't use the wand near my eyes which wasn't good. I am a squinter so I have a few fine lines so any bit of help to minimize their appearance wouldn've been nice but that wasn't possible with the crystals. 

Benefits of Microdermabrason

Although Microdermabrasion did not get rid of my indented scars, it brightened up my skin. I had a lot of red marks where previous cysts had been and in areas where I had poked at my skin. All the red marks completely disappeared after my 3rd Microdermabrasion treatment. So, if the type of "scarring" you have are just red marks, Microdermabrasion would definitely help with that. I also noticed that some fine lines were minimized. The deep ones on my forehead (thanks to all the squinting I do) were still visible but all the little lines were almost non existent. If I could afford it, I would have kept getting Micro treatments every couple of months (just for the benefit of getting rid of the red marks and fine lines).

Microdermabrasion results are not permanent

 I had already spent $850 on Micro treatments (in a very short period of time) and that's not counting the extra money I spent to get facials and all the lotions for my skin. Also, with Microdermabrasion you have to keep going for maintenance because the effects disappear after a couple of months. The red marks won't magically reappear but the fine lines that were smoothed away will come back.

 

Microdermabrasion or Dermaroller?

I recently found a place that does Microdermabrasion treatments for $57 which is a lot more affordable than $85 a session AND they use a diamond tip. I am going to give it a try (to get rid of my red marks and help my fine lines) and see if it helps minimize the scars that I am still working on. Quite honestly, the best indented scar treatment I've used is the dermaroller so that's my number one tool but it doesn't help brighten my skin like Microdermabrasion.