Hey there,

I would personally suggest waiting about 2 weeks between rolls with .5mm. Unfortunately, the improvement you're seeing is likely not "real" - that is, you're seeing results from microswelling which will eventually go down. It can take a long time to see results from dermarolling, especially at a smaller size like .5mm (I would personally suggest 1 or 1.5mm). Best of luck to you!

Hello Riegn,

Please ensure you do a lot of research & watch a lot of demonstration videos regarding the right rolling technique & sanitation methods to use (see www.clearskincare.com.au roller which have information about correct rolling technique i.e. roll in an asterisk pattern, once right to left, once horizontal, once diagonal to the left, once diagonal to the right...and make sure when you roll you lift your roller off the face - do not roll back & forth or you will serrate your skin - less is more - you only need to puncture the skin once - the objective is to puncture the skin in the greatest area, not the greatest times...) . Also, depending on what type of roller you have, you either need to use piping hot water to sterilize your roller or a proper sterilization powder (see owndoc.com). I also recommend you having 100% pure quality organic Tea Tree Essential Oil on standby in case you need extra help disinfecting your skin the days after you roll in case you notice any breakouts etc.

I agree with Jfiligree. I also think you should start slowly. Nothing less than two weeks apart per rolling session. However, to be safe, I would even suggest every 3 or 4 weeks. Basically, you need to ensure you don't disrupt the collagen regeneration phase...and so you don't want to over roll your skin. Also, you won't see true results until 2 or 3 months, as that's how long it takes for collagen to reform. In fact, as Jfiligree wisely noted, most people don't see major results for a long while...i.e. until 6 -12 months after commencing rolling. However, more intensive single needling can hasten that timeframe for isolated stubborn/ deeper scarring in my experience. But, if your skin is not healing sufficiently after 4 weeks, then you might want to skin roll every 6 weeks or 8 weeks. Every person's skin is different and has different rates of healing. Whatever you do, you should notice your skin significantly healing. If not, then you need to slow down the rate of your rolling sessons or perhaps use a smaller needle size like 0.25mm.

Lastly, after 2 or 3 months, if you notice that stubborn/ deep scars are not improving as you desire, consider more intensive single needling too on isolated scars. You can do this on individual areas once a fortnight for 2 months then stop for two months etc. You can purchase a lancet or syringe to do this hygienically (owndoc.com also sells single needles).

All the best

PS Are you using any topicals with rolling?

i.e. It is advisable to use a quality vitamin c serum, copper peptides or hyaluronic acid. You should also consider using retin a once a week or fortnight if you have significant scarring or skin damage. Owndoc.com has options & so too clearskincare.com.au . Beta glucan liquid is highly recommended too. See the Garden of Wisdom brand etc.

Otherwise, you could consider applying fresh lemon juice to your skin once a week for 10 minutes to 1/2 hour for an infusion of vitamin c. You can then work your way up to applying fresh lemon juice to your skin for 24 hours after a few months. This helps to induce collagen & slough off damaged skin.

Reputable dermatological brands with B3 niacinamide are also highly beneficial.

What type of scarring do you have? Indentations or red marks?

I roll every 4-6 weeks and I use a 1.5 mm dermaroller. I don't think you'll see much, if any, improvement with a smaller needle size. You're seeing improvement because your skin is experiencing microswelling.

Scars won't be 100% eliminated but you'll see improvement if you're consistent. I've been doing it for over 2 years and my skin looks so much better than it did before I started.

Hello everyone

Thanks for the replies they have been helpful.

I must concede to being misled and thus overly optimistic during the few days of rolling. My glee was swiftly dispelled as the swelling receded. Alas!

In any case, its been over a week and I can see about a 20-30% improvement which is still very significant (no swelling btw). The rolling was subsequently followed by skin peeling which was quite insignificant.

I should point out that I was markedly aggressive on my skin, I did approximately 20 rolls on my cheeks which I don't think would be possible with a larger needle size without inducing much injury and possibly further scarring.

I didn't apply anything post-rolling, however I do apply aloe vera on my face before sleeping every night, religiously.

Wait a few more weeks.

Swelling doesn't equate to improvement in scars. I recently did a 0.5, no swelling after a week, my skin still looks improved, but it'll revert soon (I've been rolling since 2008).

With a 1.5mm sometimes I get 3 weeks of improvement. I did 40 rolls per section for this.

But don't let this get hopes down. Roll regularly, at least mentally it'll feel like it improved, and that's what matters.

Eventually the collagen will build up and the scars will ease.

Also I've a bad feeling about the 540 needles - sounds like a needle bed.

0.5mm never did squat for my scarring.