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.

Doxycycline: Does it help with Acne?

I recently had jaw surgery (again) and was prescribed a 14 day supply of Doxycycline to help prevent infections. I hadn't paid much attention to the information sheet that the pharmacist provided with the medication until about a week after I had been taking the antibiotics. I noticed my skin was clearer and the cysts were gone.

Doxycylicne helps with cystic acne

My first thought was that the medication (Doxycycline) was doing something to the acne! I ran over to the my medication cabinet and grabbed the information sheet I had stuffed in it. Turns out Doxcycline is a tetracycline antibiotic and is sometimes used to treat acne. I didn't know that. I was just happy that it helped keep my cysts at bay!

Does it work in the long run? 

After I was done with my prescription, my skin started breaking out again. Badly! Right now I have 5 cysts! My skin is a mess. 2 weeks of beautiful clear skin is not worth it to me! The sad thing is I wasn't even taking the medication to clear my skin. I was taking it because of my jaw surgery and the clear skin was a happy side effect....until I finished the prescription. 
I've come to the conclusion that tetracycline is not good for me. I need to stay away from that stuff because although it works to help get rid of the cysts, they end up coming back worse once I am done with the medication. That's just not worth it. Not to me.

Dermarolling update

Because of the cysts, I haven't been able to Dermaroll. I do have some great news to report though! If you've read my previous post, then you know about the one scar that I HATE because it looks like a wrinkle (in my smile line). It seems that the Dermaroller may have helped it. As soon as my terrible skin heals, I'll post a picture so that you can see what I am talking about. For now, I'll leave you with the image of my bad skin thanks to Doxycycline:

All those red marks are where my cysts are. The big red mark is where the cyst I had was popped by me (yesterday). It may scar in my smile line. :( I couldn't resist.

Minocycline side effects

Minocycline can be used to treat a variety of conditions such as bacterial infections, tick fever, chlamydia, and skin conditions. What most people aren't aware of is that the side effects caused by Minocycline can be devastating!

Side Effects of Minocycline

 Minocycline can cause birth control to be ineffective and if you're pregnant can cause birth defects in babies. It can also cause tooth discoloration (in your baby) later in life. If you have a baby and are breastfeeding, do not take the medication. It can pass into the milk and cause your child's teeth to turn yellow or gray. It's permanent so don't take any chances!

Taking Minocycline for an extended amount of time can also cause your teeth to turn yellow or gray. It also will cause your skin to discolor both of which are permanent. I've read stories of people who claim the discoloration on their skin fades while others have been living with it for years so there is a possibility that once Minocycline is out of your system your skin will clear up. That is not so for your teeth. Once they become discolored, they stay that way.

It can also cause Lupus! How scary is that! For those of you who don't know what lupus is, it is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks healthy tissue.

Every drug you take will have side effects. I wanted to point out the side effects Minocycline causes that were the scariest but could be controlled as long as you do not take a high dose or take the drug for a long time.  Don't take Minocycline for more than 4 months because it could cause a lot of problems for you and you'll be even more miserable than you were before you took the drug.

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. 

Minocycline: Does it help cystic acne?

For the past 7 years, I have been suffering from cystic acne. I would normally get 1 small cyst which wouldn't be too terrible except when it went away it left behind a scar. I'm not talking about a red mark either (I get those too but I can live with red marks...the scars are a whole different story)! It would leave behind a small indented scar.
If you've read my previous posts, you'll see (pictures) the damage those cysts have caused. I was left with a ton of little holes on both side of my lips. For the past 2 years, I have been picking at the cysts. BIG MISTAKE! Picking at the cysts left a couple of medium sized scars including 2 icepick scars in my smile line where it now looks like a wrinkle!

What Minocylcline did to my skin

Before I started dermarolling, I went to see a dermatologist who prescribed Minocycline. I took 50mg daily and I was only allowed to take it for 4 months because of the side effects (which I will discuss in my next post). During those 4 months, my skin was fabulous! Not one single cyst appeared. I felt great! I was happy and I was hoping this effect would last once I was off Minocycline.  Unfortunately, that was not the case for me.
Once I was off Minocycline, I started getting 2 cysts at a time. That had never happened before. I lived with it for a few months and then went back to my dermatologist who once again prescribed more Minocycline. That would be my last try and I was hoping for the best. After I finished the prescription, my skin got worse. I now break out with 6-8 small cysts a month and they aren't just near my mouth anymore. They now appear on my forehead and in between my eyes.
I want to make it clear that even though Minocycline did not work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. I've heard that some people take it and never get another cyst again. Others end up having worse breakouts after they are off the medication which was what happened to me.
If you've taken Minocycline, feel free to comment about your experience with it.

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.