The reason dermarolling doesn't work for everybody

If you're like me, you've probably scoured the net looking for a "cure" for acne scars. You've read everything there is to read about acne and probably tried every affordable and sometimes not very affordable products and procedures-everything from creams to laser treatment. A couple of treatments that can easily be done from home is dermarolling and dermastamping.

The Reason Dermarolling/Dermastamping doesn't work for everybody

 There are claims dermarolling works but there are an equal amount of claims that it doesn't work. Why does dermarolling and dermastamping work for some people but not for others? I know the answer to that question.

When our skin is injured, it immediately starts to work on repairing itself. Unfortunately, scar tissue will remain. If scarring is deep in our tissues, it may not heal properly and bands of scar tissue will pull the scar inward giving it a puckered look.  This is called tethering also known as anchored scars. No matter how long you dermaroll or dermastamp, those bands will hold on tight to the scar.  There is a way to release these bands of scar tissue but before I get into that I'd like to explain how to determine if you have tethered scars.

Do you have tethered scars?

Go to a mirror. Stretch the skin around around your scars. Has the scar disappeared? If the answer is yes, then your scars are NOT tethered.  This is great news because this means there is a high chance dermarolling and/or dermastamping will help your scars. If the scars remain, your scars are tethered. This doesn't mean that you will be stuck with scarring forever. There are ways to release the scar tissue such as combining subcision and suctioning .

What is Subcision and does it work?

From what I've read, subcision is one of the best ways to release scar tissue. I have not had this procedure done because nobody in my area does it and it is pretty pricey.  I can not vouch it actually works but I have read countless reviews and personal stories stating that subcision has helped acne scarring. I've read and seen enough to believe that subcision works. This is my opinion. Please do your research before getting it done. If you decide it's for you, locate a reputable doctor. Do not do this at home. There is a high risk of scarring your skin.

Basically, from what I understand, a doctor will numb your skin and insert a long needle into the corners of the acne scar (or any type of scar) and move it back and forth-like a fan. People claim to hear loud popping sounds as the scar tissue is being released.

Once you've had the procedure done, you need to suction the area for a few minutes every day. This can be done at home. The only equipment you need is a small handheld suctioning pump.  The pressure from the suctioning pump is supposed to help pull the skin outward resulting in less indentations in the skin.

Can scars be completely erased?

Scars can never fully be eradicated so don't be disappoint if you try one of these procedures but some scarring remains. These procedures may help improve the look of the scar but that's about it.

Dermarolling Stretchmarks Session 1

I dermarolled my stretchmarks today. It was a little bit scary since I didn't use numbing cream. I recommend using it because the belly is actually very sensitive. At least, mine is! If you use numbing cream, be sure to wash it off BEFORE you dermaroll. Believe me, you do not want to roll that stuff into your skin!

Prepare before you dermaroll

Before you dermaroll, prepare your area! I always sanitize my workspace and tools with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. I let the dermaroller sit in alcohol for 5 minutes then I let it dry off before I use it. I also clean my skin with an alcohol swab.

What I use. I use the retinol cream after I dermaroll.

How to dermaroll your stretchmarks

After I sanitized my work area and skin, I stretched my skin so the needles on my dermaroller can go in deep. You want to add some pressure as you roll. Lift the roller as you change directions. This is to prevent track marks and tearing! I rolled 4 times up and down, 4 times horizontal, and 4 times vertical.

Stretch your skin then roll

  I didn't bleed but my skin got very red. Once I was done, it looked like I had a rash and my skin felt windburned. I washed my skin with water then applied Skincare Cosmetics Retinol day cream. It's packed full of Vitamin A which helps with the healing process.

Don't dermaroll too soon. Give your skin time to form new collagen.

The hardest part is the wait. In order for this to work, you must wait 6-8 weeks to dermaroll again. This is to give your skin time to form new collagen. If you dermaroll roll too early, you risk breaking up the newly formed collagen. If you want, you can dermaroll weekly with a .5mm roller to help with product penetration. The needles are too short so they won't interfere with collagen production.

 Before you put away your tools, sanitize them! It's better to be safe than sorry!

Happy Rolling!

Dermarolling stretchmarks

I have been dermarolling acne scars since 2011. I have had amazing results! I won't lie. There are still a few anchored scars (more on that in another post) that remain but no amount of dermarolling or dermastamping will help them. I will continue to dermaroll my acne scars, just in case, but I am pretty sure I have gone as far as I can with the dermaroller and dermastamp (on my acne scars).

 Dermarolling stretchmarks: Will it Work?

I am moving on to dermarolling my stretchmarks. I had my first baby 18 years ago and was left with a stomach full of stretchmarks. They don't bother me at all and I don't plan on getting rid of them (because they were created out of love) BUT I am curious to see if dermarolling will help even them out. This will be a little experiment of mine. Please keep in mind that these are old stretchmarks so they have faded and match the color of my skin but they are indented and that is what I'd like to work on.

I plan on dermarolling ONE small section. I will take photos and post them for you to decide.  For those of you who are looking for a way to get rid of stretchmarks overnight, don't expect a miracle. Dermarolling takes time. It may take up to 6 months or longer to see results.

I will start dermarolling my stretchmarks this weekend. For now, take a look of a close up of what my stretchmarks look right now. 

Arrow is pointing to the stretchmark I plan on dermarolling. It's a big one!

Does Dermarolling and dermastamping get rid of wrinkles

The claim is if you dermaroll, the wrinkles will disappear. I can tell you from experience the dermaroller does not help with wrinkles. If it does, it's a VERY minor improvement. It is so minor that it's not even noticeable.  I have been dermarolling since 2011, but I haven't seen a difference in my wrinkles other than them getting deeper as I age.

The reason people claim dermarolling/dermastamping gets rid of wrinkles

I have read reviews from people claiming that dermarolling has help some people get rid of their wrinkles. What I have noticed from these reviews is that these people have only been dermarolling for a short period of time (less than 3 months). It takes up to 6 months or longer in most cases to see results. Are these people lying? I don't think so. I believe their wrinkles diminish in appearance but only for a short time.

Microswelling

What they are experiencing is micro swelling. This happens when the skin has been injured. The skin swells up. It's working hard to repair itself. What happens when the skin swells up? All the wrinkles fill in but this is only temporary. Microswelling lasts for up to a week but can last longer if you are dermarolling or dermastamping every single day. You don't want to dermastamp or roll everyday because you need to give your skin time to heal UNLESS you are using a short needle (.5mm) which is great for product penetration.

Have you been dermarolling or dermastamping once every 6-8 weeks for over 6 months? Have you seen results? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Dermarolling #6 update

Just thought I'd give you all a quick update on my last dermarolling session.

Dermarolling progress

The holes that were left on my forehead have closed! YAY! I was so worried about that. I am going to see how things go these next 6 weeks and if I see even a teeny tiny change I may roll my forehead again. I would love to minimize the lines on my forehead but I can live with them if I have to. It's the acne scars I don't want to live with.

My nose is fine, Thankfully. It is flaking alot but I don't know if it's because I rolled that area or if it's because of the weather.  The area around my lips (on both sides) are also flaking (very minor flaking). I don't think that's happened before.

There's absolutely NO Microswelling going on around my nose area or forehead. :( But the area I normally roll (from below my nose to my chin)is nice and plump. My skin looks fabulous right now. I believe that if I didn't keep on getting new scars (Thanks to my cystic acne) that my skin would be scar free (or at least almost scar free since I know the dermaroller won't completely 100% get rid of the scars) but unfortunately I have new scars. New scars seem to be harder to get rid of. The old ones respond better to the dermaroller.

I will post pictures the next time I roll so that we can compare the changes. Happy Rolling! 

Interesting Study with pictures done on Dermarolling

I found this interesting study done on Dermarolling and thought I'd share it with you. The study shows that dermarolling does work but only on certain types of scars which could explain why dermarolling works for some people but not for others. Check out the pictures and tell me it doesn't work! I love it!
Here's the article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2840919/

Dermarolling Session #5

My skin finally healed and I have not gotten another acne cyst lately so I was able to Dermaroll on Sunday, September 2nd, 2012.  I was so excited. It had been awhile since I last Dermarolled so there were quite a few new scars that needed to be worked on.
My scarred skin was really HARD so when I started rolling it started to pop. The popping sound always creeps me out but at the same time it feels good knowing I am breaking up the scar tissue. 
I ran out of my Vitamin A cream so I had to apply Vitamin E afterward. I prefer the Vitamin A cream better. I think it works better on the scars. I used Vitamin E when I started rolling but once I switched to Vitamin A I started to see (faster) results.
I took some pictures before I Dermarolled but I am going to wait to post them until 6 weeks so that I can post side by side before and after pictures to see if there are any changes in my new scars.
Right now, my skin looks amazing! I Love Microswelling!
I'll keep you all updated. Oh and I may have discovered what has been causing my cystic acne!!!!!! I am still doing some research but once I read more about the potential culprit, I'll share it with you.

How to prevent Track Marks when you Dermaroll

Before I started Dermarolling, I did a lot of research and one the of things I kept coming across was people talking about track marks that had been left on their face after they had Dermarolled. Some people claimed to have had the track marks for months and months and feared the track marks were permanent. Nobody knew what caused the marks and if they did, they didn't mention it.
My biggest fear was scarring my face with track marks. I mean, the reason I was going to Dermaroll was to get rid of scars so what was the point of Dermarolling if it was going to leave even uglier scars on my skin? It actually took me a while to take the plunge.
I know exactly what causes the track marks after Dermarolling and I'm going to share it with you. It's all in the roll.

How to prevent track marks when dermarolling

This is what you need to do to prevent track marks:
 As you come to the end of a roll, LIFT the roller before rolling in the opposite direction. So, you Dermaroll up and at the end of that roll lift the Dermaroller before you roll down. Keep lifting the Dermaroller after every roll. If you leave the Dermaroller on your skin and start to roll the opposite direction, the needle are going to drag. The dragging of the needles are going to leave the track marks and possibly even scar your skin.
So there you go. You now know how track marks are made and how to prevent them. 

Dermarolling: Before and After

I haven't been able to Dermaroll in quite some time thanks to my acne cysts. I was planning on Dermarolling this weekend but I woke up with a big fat cyst on my face so I may either roll the other side or wait until my skin has cleared up and roll both sides at the same time.

My new cyst. I hate this. I will not be able to dermaroll this side for at least another week or 2. If I'm lucky, another one won't pop up preventing me from rolling. It's been way too long

 I have a few new acne scars and one that is a big line scar that I haven't been able to work on. It's never been rolled so it looks bad but I know once I start dermarolling it will heal. Maybe not 100% but it will look better. Here's my pictures (the next time I take pictures, I'll try to recreate the same lighting. I had a hard time today but I'll work on it).

That line (not talking about Parenthesis line..that's just old age. haha I'm taking about the one below my smile line) is a new scar that I have not rolled. I'm sharing this as a Before picture so that I can measure the improvement once I start rolling.

Here are Before and After Pictures of the scars I have been working on

Taken before I started rolling

 Picture taken today. Sorry the lighting is different but this is the best I could do. As you can see, the dark red spot (indented scar) isn't as visible. That has healed about 50% or so. All the other holes are slowly closing too. You can barely even see them! 

 

Dermarolling updates will be more consistent

I am sorry I haven't been updating this blog as often as I should. I've been really bummed about my skin. No matter what I do, I can't seem to control my cystic acne. Just when my skin is starting to look normal (thanks to my dermaroller), I start breaking out.
I can live with normal acne...it's the cysts that are driving me crazy! Not only are they ugly and painful, but they scar. Like I've said in previous posts, dermarolling seems to work best on old scars but it has helped a little bit with the new ones. It just takes longer for it to work on them (new scars).
I will be more consistent with updates and pictures. It's kinda hard to show the improvement when I keep getting new scars but I am going to share it all with you.
I am still a big fan of the dermaroller. It has done wonders to my skin. I can only imagine how terrible my skin would have looked like if I hadn't taken a chance on the dermaroller. 

Dermarolling: Recent breakout has caused red marks

 I have had another bad breakout and now I've got red marks that are taking waaay too long to disappear. This past month I got 6 cysts. They aren't huge but they leave red marks and a couple look indented but the skin is fine. It's just red. Isn't it weird how sometimes redness makes the skin look indented?
As soon as these red marks clear up, I'll post more pictures of what my skin looks like now. I really love how the scarred areas are filling in. Like I said before, it works on the small scars the best and that's what I am full of.....A whole bunch of little clustered scars (on both sides of my lips). I've got a few med. sized ones too and those have healed a bit too but I am not expecting a miracle. I know scars can not vanish completely and that's fine with me.

Dermaroller Session #4 and What types of scars has it healed and what types of scars it did not work on

I finally rolled again on April 1st. Before I tell you how that went, I'd like to talk about my results from past rolls and what I've noticed.

Results

Dermarolling helps the small scars. I had a ton of tiny little ones on both side of my mouth. Yuck I know...when I stretch my skin it looked like cottage cheese. Most (but not all) of the little holes have filled in. I am happy with the results but I am going to continue rolling to see if more of the little holes fill in.

I've also noticed the older scars seems to react better to the rolling.

Bigger scars take longer to fill in. I have a big (kinda big but not huge) scar on one side of my mouth. It filled in halfway but there hasn't been any change in months. I don't know if it'll fill in more but I'll continue to roll to see if it does. You can't see it unless I stretch my skin. Before I started rolling, it was noticeable even without being stretched.

I have 2 icepick type scars that I got from squeezing a cyst. Those are the scars that create the line....well it's still there. :((( I really want that one gone but I don't think the roller works on those types of scars. 



April 1st 2012, I rolled. I rolled the whole area around my mouth and all the way down my chin. My skin was bleeding like it always does and it felt windburned for a few days but my skin looked awesome for the past two weeks. The microswelling has gone done and now it's time to wait to see what happens. I love rolling.

Update:Dermarolling

I rolled on November 6th, 2011 and actually wrote the blog but I have been having trouble posting the pictures. Once I figure out the problem, I'll post the pics.

I haven't rolled since then because I have had some work done on my teeth (gum grafts) and I'm afraid that if I roll the pressure could mess up the gum graft. The area I roll, as many of you know, is on both sides of my lips and that's pretty close to where I got the gum graft. Once it's healed, I'll continue. I hate the waiting....

Results

As far as the results go, my skin is so much better. I am still getting cysts so that sucks. But the scars are so much smaller and I feel better about myself. My son told me the other day that he could hardly see the scars...that they look alot smaller than before. I'm excited and really believe in this.

Dermaroller: Pictures of results

Here is the article I was talking about in a previous post: Skin needling for wrinkles and difficult scars

It's interesting and has some before and after pictures.

I rolled today! Yeahh! I bled ALOT! I don't know if that is a good thing or bad. We will see...my husband says I look like a clown right now. I don't care because I know the redness will fade and my skin will look better. I will blog tomorrow and post before, during and after pictures and will tell you a little more about what I did.

Dermarolling: Look at my results so far!

My skin has finally cleared up! I got microdermabrasion done this past Tuesday and will be ready to roll by tomorrow! I am so excited.

My skin is finally clear and ready to roll! Yeeahh!

Close up of my scars

Stretched skin on the side of my lip. The red mark was a deepish pitted scar. It has shrunk dramatically and is filling in nicely. The little red marks are all the icepick scars I had. Most (but not all) have filled in and now there's just red marks where there used to be holes. I am a HUGE believer in this because it IS working for me!

Dermarolling has changed my skin

I LOVE dermarolling! It has dramatically changed my skin for the better! I won't lie...there is still work to be done. Not all the holes have filled in but most of them have. It's amazing and I can't even believe it sometimes. I know if I continue I will be able to get my skin to looking decent! I know there's no way to get perfect skin. That is not what I am expecting and you shouldn't either. I've read reviews where people have said that they have completely gotten rid of their pitted scars. Don't believe it. That's not possible. If it were, all the movie stars would have flawless skin.  What is possible is that you can have beautiful skin again. It will take time. Don't expect a miracle. It has taken months for me to get to this point and I've still got a ways to go but I am optimistic that the time spent on this will be worth it. It's working and that's what matters! whoohoo!

I will ask my husband to take pictures of me in the same lighting and angle as the last time I dermarolled when I roll. Taking pictures myself (like these)come out blurry but I don't have a full time photographer (in other words, it's work to get my husband to take pics of me so I have to take them myself most of the time).

Dermarolling: Scars are red? Is that a good thing?

My skin is really nice and plump but my scars are red. Is that a good thing? Does that mean I micro needled them really well? This did not happen last time...I must've done it wrong the first time. I am REALLY hoping this works! I know it's too soon but I am getting really exited! :)))))

Dermarolling session #2

I caved and rolled last night (Sunday June 26, 2011). It's been 5 weeks so I think I'm fine. I read that if you roll with a 1mm-2mm roller weekly you could be causing scar tissue to form.

It's recommended to roll every 4-6 weeks (6 weeks being better so that you give your skin time to heal).  I did a WAY better job this time than last. I pressed harder so it hurt pretty badly and there were lots of little specks of blood all over the areas I rolled. It was a scary little sight! And I could hear popping noises!!!!! I was afraid that I had scarred my face even more. But after I washed off the blood specks, my skin didn't look worse. Just really red and puffy. I didn't get any redness the first time I rolled so I am taking this as a good thing. And my skin didn't fluff up last time like it did this time. My husband says he can't even see the scars anymore. :))))  I know it's just microswelling but it feels good not to have holes on my face even if it is just temporary.  The wrinkle that I hate (caused my 2 icepick scars in the smile line area) is still there (sad face) but it's less obvious. I want it gone.
Right after I finished rolling, I put on some Vitamin A. I am hoping it will help with the healing. I didn't have any the first time I rolled so maybe this will make a bigger difference.

Today my skin is feeling a little bit rashy and the area I rolled is red but the scars have greatly diminished. I am feeling happy and  hopeful! I plan on rolling at least 6-7 more times or maybe I will roll for the rest of my life. It depends on how well this thing works. I will keep you all updated and will try to take some decent pictures for you.

Dermarolling: I May give in to my urge to roll again

It will be 5 weeks this Saturday since I rolled and I am feeling an overwhelming urge to roll this weekend. I wanted to wait until the 6th week but I don't know if I can wait that long....

Dermarolling: Is it working??

It's been a little over a month since I dermarolled. I have not seen any improvement on the scar in the parenthesis (smile lines area)area. Nothing. :( That is the one that bothers me most. I can't tell if there's been any improvement to the ice pick scars. BUT the indented scar near the parenthesis area has definitely filled in a little bit. I would guess that it's about a 10% improvement. Not much but better than nothing.

Stretched skin: just showing one side of where scars are because this is the worst side

Same side: Scarred.

My first experience using the dermaroller on my acne scars

I heard about dermarolling sometime last year and thought it was crazy to roll a bunch of needles all over my face. There was no way I was doing that...it's one year later and guess what I did!

My Skin Issues

I do not have a bad acne problem or scars all over my face but I was having problems with cystic acne. One would pop up once a month around my mouth and every month a hole would be left behind. Sadly,  I have been left with a ton of ice pick scars on both sides of my lips.

About 3 months ago, I got a HUGE boil which I picked. It got inflamed and my whole face swelled up. What was left behind was an indented scar right where the ( ) parenthesis are so it looks like a big wrinkle!  It looks so horrible.  I became desperate and started looking for something to help get rid of my scars.

The Dermaroller

I looked all over the internet for a cure...for something to help make the stupid scar and ice pick scars disappear. What kept coming up was the little dermaroller. I gave in and bought a 1.5 mm Dr. Roller for $80 on Amazon. I waited a whole month before I used it...it scared the heck out of me. What if it scarred my face even more? Will it hurt??? Will it make the scars worse? Will it really work? Those were the questions that kept going through my mind...

On May 2, I started using Avalon Organics Vitamin C vitality facial serum ($25). I couldn't find any vitamin A that was affordable so I ended up buying the Aveeno Smart Essentials moisturizer with vitamins A, C, and E which was about $13.

One May 21, I did it! I rolled my scars. I did spot treatments since I wasn't too sure about what the dermaroller would do to my face. My only concern were the scars near my mouth and the big crease scar. ugh.

Rolling on either side of my mouth did not hurt. I did not use numbing cream...I guess I can tolerate pain. Rolling the parenthesis area (smile lines) hurt like crazy. My eyes watered and everything! The indentation on the smile line bled a little...it looked like 2 small blood spots. Other than that, everything was fine! No extra holes were left behind.

After I was done, I waited about 10 minutes and put some Vit. E on it. My skin felt like I had a bad rash. Fortunately, I rolled right before bed so I fell asleep right away and when I woke up the rash feeling was gone and the redness was gone too!

 It will be a month since I rolled on June 18th. I can honestly say that I see no difference whatsoever. The scar is still there. Nothing has filled in at all. :( I am guessing I need to give it more time.

 I just found some Vitamin A for $10 at a Beauty store and started using it yesterday. I am hoping that will help.

Photos to Keep Track of Progress

I took some before pictures but my photographer (hubby) didn't do a good job. They all came out blurry but I'm posting them anyway. The next pics will be better. Now I know why people never post pictures...it's really hard to get good ones and the scars don't really show up very well. Sorry that these are so bad....

These were taken before I rolled:

These scars are worse than they look. They are Not super bad but there are holes that are not showing up here and the indentation that I hate doesn't even show up. but it's there!


These pics were taken a week after I rolled (sorry but my photographer was no where to be found so I had to use my computer to take the pics so lighting is different).

You can see how the scars are more visible. The other side isn't as bad.

 

I stretched my skin to show you the holes...they sure don't look like they are filling in! But it had only been a week and I hear it takes 3 months to see results.

stretched skin

One month after dermarolling:

stretched skin

I am really sorry about the quality of the pics and the different lighting. I will try to do better next time.

 I won't be rolling until probably 2 more weeks.