I bought the derminator.
What kind of topicals should I use for desensitization and proper healing?
I have a few minor breakouts around the hairline, possibly from my hair product. If I microneedle them, what will happen?

I had terrible reaction to micropen. Caused cystic acne to be aggravated and left me a new scar that im now working on...everyone is different.

Thanks for the response.
I will speak to my dermatologist soon about some other issues I'm having with my skin such as redness, clogged, enlarged pores and some minor acne formation.

Derminator. A great purchase.

My dermatologist said the dot laser would be good for the broken capillaries around my nose and for everything else would be microneedling.

Do current breakouts get worse with the micropen? I got 2 new non-cystpimples.

What should I use for the skin desensitizing?

I used 0.25mm depth needles but all the studies that I've read use 1.5mm. How can I prevent the pain?

2 hours ago, GlowNShine said:

I have my lidocane 4% topical and Benzocaine 20% topical for the pain-relief. Hopefully this will be enough for the 1.5mm needles.

I have this pimple and idk how to treat it. I use cetaphil for a cleanser, witch hazel as a toner and aczone gel, but it is not going away. I used some tea tree oil as spot treatment for 3 nights to no avail. Any advise?

I mixed witch hazel with tea tree oil and I've been using it as a toner. I've been getting great results. Highly recommended.

Hey. Your skin already looks pretty smooth and good. With some simple make up nothing would be noticeable.

How was your experience with the Derminator?

I still haven't used it at the depth I was planning on, because of the potential downtime. I think I will start doing less intensive treatments over select weekends within an extended period of time, probably a year, and see where that will get me. I don't want to walk around with a red face.

I think that a lot of the studies are focused on fewer but more intensive treatments because usually the ones who perform them are the medical professionals and the information in general is tailored for the medical community, where patients want to see instant results for the money they're spending.
I believe that I can achieve great results with consistent care at low intensity.

My nighttime regimen has been:
1. Cetaphil cleanser (normal to oily skin)
2. Alba botanica natural acne dote scrub
3. Mario Badescu seaweed cleansing lotion (toner)

I just added:
4. Mandelic acid (every other night)
5. Derma E hyaluronic acid night creme

and my skin feels amazing with the new addition.
Yes, it's a long process (5 steps), but my skin has never felt cleaner.

I don't have a morning regimen as I like to give my skin a break from overwashing.

I will do a round of Dermapen treatment tomorrow morning.

I used 1 round of .25 mm on both cheeks which only reddened them, so I did another round at .55 mm and my skin started to let a little blood (good sign).
It's Friday and I have 3 days to recover. I might do a 3rd round of .75mm just to see what will happen.

I did a 3rd round with .75 mm and there wasn't much of a difference in terms of pain or blood between .75 and .50.

Next time I'll probably do 3 rounds of .75mm. Hopefully I'll do a better job than I did today, because I feel like I didn't go deep enough nor did enough rounds. I'm curious to see how well Ill heal for Monday.

The forehead and the nose werent treated as there are no acne scars. However, there are clogged pores, blackheads and hyperpigmentation that must be treated with the acids. I'll probably wait until next weekend to give my whole face a chemical peel. The cheeks should have recovered by then and will benefit from it.

I wonder if it'll be a good idea to alternate weekends between microneedling and chemical peels. As I don't use high concentrations nor deep needling my skin should be able to tolerate weekly treatments.

2ND day after microneedling:
My skin is experiencing minor peeling and the redness is completely gone. It also appears tighter and the scars are less noticeable. I started applying moisturizing cream during the day. 
I should probably start taking pictures under the same circumstances in broad daylight preferably against the sun so the progress is more accurate. I think that the current pictures look a little too good and I don't want to give anyone false hopes. The improvement is quite small in reality.
 

Remember that microswelling is to be expected in the immediate aftermath following a microneedling treatment, so don't get too excited - it's only a temporary result (at least for now). That said, it does look incredibly smooth in your latest photographs. No scarring can be seen.

What I'm confused about however is if you are trying to tackle acne scars, then don't you need to be using a 1.0mm needle length at the absolute minimum? I fear that this will only ever serve to be a temporary solution if you persist with these relatively modest needle lengths.

Are you going conservative because you don't want a period of prolonged redness?

Kudos for documenting what you are doing.

It's been 4 days since my microneedling session and my skin is still peeling and looking very tight. I've attached pictures after I used a facial scrub and toner to get rid of the peeled skin under different light conditions.
Paul B., I'll go slow and easy on treating my acne scars as the reality of dealing with them at home is very different from the theories and studies we read about online. I think that every individual case is different and we all have to make our own informed decisions.

The reason why I'm so patient with treating my acne scars stems from my past- I've dealt with bad skin for 10 years
 

14 hours ago, GlowNShine said:

Paul B., I'll go slow and easy on treating my acne scars as the reality of dealing with them at home is very different from the theories and studies we read about online. I think that every individual case is different and we all have to make our own informed decisions.

I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, I'm just curious as to what your line of thinking is here because personally I do not get it.

I don't doubt that there is some logic behind what you are doing, based on all your research that you have no doubt done and past experience.

The only reason I posted is because I was trying to understand the approach you are taking to try and expand upon my own knowledge or maybe look at things from a fresh perspective.

In simple terms, I thought that when it comes to acne scars you need to use a 1mm needle length at the absolute minimum. No matter how minor the scarring might be, as the problem lies at a certain depth below the skin. I don't see how regular treatments at lesser lengths can do any long-term good apart from tightening of the skin which only lasts so many days. The tightening, micro-swelling - call it what you will makes things look a whole lot better admittedly - but repeated needling sessions at relatively short intervals only serves to maintain that look. It doesn't do any long-term good - for example, if you stopped micro-needling altogether - things would go back to the way they were. As far as I can see, what you are doing is merely a method of concealing rather than working towards a long-term solution that would hopefully mean you don't have to keep performing this constant maintenance.

You mention that the reality is different to what we read online - care to elaborate? Thanks.

More than .75mm hurts a lot.

Sure it does, but no pain - no gain and all that.

You can buy products to numb the skin in advance if pain is an issue. Some people can tolerate the pain, even at higher needle lengths without any numbing, whereas others cannot. You may find that using a dermastamp as opposed to a roller is both easier to use and less painful.

Anyway, I'm not going to argue my case any more and will allow you to get on with things. I don't happen to think you will get what you're hoping for out of this the way you're doing things currently but I wish you well and am happy to be proved wrong. Keep posting updates as others can learn from your experience one way or another.

Hey Paul,
Let me know which cream you get to use when you use a needle longer than 1mm. I tried 2 OTC creams, but they didn't desensitize my skin enough.
It's DAY 6 since my microneedling session. While my skin is still somewhat tight (especially without a moisturizing cream), the peeling is completely gone. [Redacted]
 

Lookin good, Im about to order a derminator.

Do you guys lay off harsh topicals for a few days before and after a treatment? I use epiduo almost every day and peel every 2 weeks.

11 hours ago, GlowNShine said:

Hey Paul,
Let me know which cream you get to use when you use a needle longer than 1mm. I tried 2 OTC creams, but they didn't desensitize my skin enough.

I'm not exactly an expert on numbing creams as I don't personally use them as I can tolerate any pain. I do believe that EMLA cream is a common choice though. I think you can get a hold of some easily enough.

Do you not find that the Derminator greatly reduces the pain though? On the highest speed setting, I can hardly feel anything - even on some of the longer needle lengths. Everyone's different I know, but personally it's no trauma for me. You set the thing going and look at the needles popping out and think you yourself "OMG, this is gonna hurt like hell" but then I place them against the skin and it's virtually without sensation, yet alone pain.