Hi Lily. I'll help you out on this one 
. There was an old thread made by DRD about autologous blood injection, and in the thread, he made some key points about dermarolling that i think will be helpful.
"I would say that the genuine MTS rollers are top quality at the moment. As far as using the clearskin .75mm roller on a daily basis, I would say that your skin could get pretty irritated, but there should not be any other problems. You must also make sure that the needles are not dull and/or bent from prolonged use. Finally you should sterilize your roller with ethyl alcohol. However before you do this I suggest you contact Clearskincare and ask them if their roller was designed for this type of sterilization and if not, what their recommnedations are for future use."
"The dermaroller can be effective, although it isn't wise to use a roller with needles that are more than 2mm in length. One also has to be careful how they use the roller, as improper technique could result in small line scars. It's also important to always check whether the roller's needles are straight. That's why getting high quality rollers is the only way to go."
The MTS Rollers are expensive, but the main problem is, the 2.0 ones are only sold to professionals. Lily.. where do you get rolled professionally? This might sound funny, but even though my screen name is ROLLER, I've never rolled or been rolled 
haha.
WHAT:1.) What size needles were/are you using?
1.5mm
2.) What kind of scars were/are you treating?
hypertrophic acne scars, discoloration spot
3.) What topicals, if any, did/do you use before & after each treatment?
hyaluric (spelling?) acid serum followed by kojic acid with vitamin c and arbutin gel
4.) What vitamins/supplements, if any, did/do you take?
none
5.) What was/is your time interval between each treatment?
3 days
6.) What percentage (0-100%) would you put on your scar improvement?
20% after one week
HOW:
1.) How did/do you clean your device?
alcohol and water spray
2.) How often did/do you clean your device?
after each use
3.) How long had/have you been doing treatment?
almost 3 weeks
4.) How old were your scars when you first started?
month or so old, the discoloration spot was about two months old
*And last but not least, do you believe dermarolling/ dermastamping is worth it?
YES, for me I had a really bad discoloration spot right between my eyes that would not go away and dark acne spots. A week after my first use of the dermaroller, the discoloration was gone. My acne spots are fairly new but I have noticed they are smoother and fading faster. It's not a cure-all but for me, it definitely helps speed things up.
If you have any pictures to share, please feel free to do so.
This is amazing! I wanted to know when you say discoloration, I'm assuming you mean a dark spot? I've got a red dark spot on my cheek from a couple months ago that I'm desperate to get rid of.
How hard are you going to get these results? You must not be scabbing over if you're doing it every 3 days right? How many times do you roll over the mark when you roll, or how long?
And lastly, wondering about the vitamin c and arbutin gel..........what kind of arbutin gel do you use? Do you wait for the Hylauronic acid to set in for like a half hour before you put on the vit C and arbutin gel?
WHAT:
1.) What size needles were/are you using?
1.5mm roller
2.) What kind of scars were/are you treating?
I have ice pick, rolling, and box car. I focused on my temples bc that's the area that bothers me the most.
3.) What topicals, if any, did/do you use before & after each treatment?
Retin-A. But I don't use it bc I roll, I use it bc it helps me from breaking out.
4.) What vitamins/supplements, if any, did/do you take?
I just try and eat healthy and exercise. Stay away from sugars and carbs. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.
5.) What was/is your time interval between each treatment?
At least a month, but that's bc it's hard for me to find a window in my schedule where I can spend a few days indoors and let the redness subside.
6.) What percentage (0-100%) would you put on your scar improvement?
Too hard to tell, but there are improvements.
HOW:
1.) How did/do you clean your device?
I soak it in rubbing alcohol and wash it with warm water both before and after use.
I wouldn't put it in boiling water bc that might degrade the integrity of the plastic handle.
2.) How often did/do you clean your device?
Before and after use, then I let it air dry before storing it.
3.) How long had/have you been doing treatment?
I've done it about 6-10 times over 2 years. But the first few times I did it, I was very cautious.
4.) How old were your scars when you first started?
The scars I'm focusing on are at least 10 years old.
*And last but not least, do you believe dermarolling/ dermastamping is worth it?
If you have a good amount of scarring I think it's worth it. I think the chances of causing additional scarring are less compared to self TCA. So at the very least, I don't think you will make things worse.
I think rolling definitely improves a persons general skintone. My skin seems a little tighter and more evenly colored. I think it helps removes red marks left by acne scarring.
While my deeper scars may look a little softer and less harsh, I unfortunately can't say I've had any miraculous improvements. But I will keep at it.
The worst part isn't the pain from rolling, although it can be intense. The worst part is the recovery period. I always look strawberry red for 3-4 days. I just wish I could recover quicker, like over a weekend. That way i would be able to roll more and not have to worry how I look when I go to work.
Good luck, stay positive. Continue to fight your scars but view it as a hobby. Don't let thoughts about scars infect how you live your life.
A word og warning using dermastamp and dermaroller for some acne scars
I have treated icepick scars and rolling scars on my cheek for a year now and they look worse then ever.
Sure the dermastamp made the icepick scars less deep but alo much more noticable, for the rolling scars it has not made any noticable approvment at all
My experience is that dermaroller and dermastamp only helps for really tiny scars and large pores/wrinkles
Now I must use fillers to flatten out this scars that is very noticable after a year of rolling and stamping
Wish I never started, so be careful because it can get much worse....
A word og warning using dermastamp and dermaroller for some acne scars
I have treated icepick scars and rolling scars on my cheek for a year now and they look worse then ever.
Sure the dermastamp made the icepick scars less deep but alo much more noticable, for the rolling scars it has not made any noticable approvment at all
My experience is that dermaroller and dermastamp only helps for really tiny scars and large pores/wrinkles
Now I must use fillers to flatten out this scars that is very noticable after a year of rolling and stamping
Wish I never started, so be careful because it can get much worse....
*quivers in fear*
I am sorry to hear that.
good thread - haven't been on forums in forever... trying to not thing about this nonsense as much life is kind of short... anyways people keep posting dermarolling experience.. I myself haven't taken the plunge but if I did I would go for a .5 or something minimal to start and do it lightly and see how I respond and then go from there....
anyways people please post responses to lilys questions also provide the core things we need to watch out for on how to heal properly... did you guys use antibiotic cream after? was there a lot of blood? how red did you get?
Where did you guys buy your dermarollers? Where is the best place? I would like to know
can somebody please tell me where can i buy a high quality dermaroller for my face. I want the best and i read that the one made with high grade surgical steel is the best. Which brands to you recommend ? Will it help with my indented scar that is in between my eye lashes ?
WHAT:
1.) What size needles were/are you using?
1.5mm derma-roller
2.) What kind of scars were/are you treating?
Box, ice pick, rolling, orange-peel skin, all kinds of ugly sh*t.
3.) What topicals, if any, did/do you use before & after each treatment?
Julie's Apeel Correct and Bio Oil
4.) What vitamins/supplements, if any, did/do you take?
A multi-vitamin
5.) What was/is your time interval between each treatment?
In the beginning, I rolled almost everyday, but light to medium pressure. Now I roll once a week using deep pressure.
6.) What percentage (0-100%) would you put on your scar improvement?
Can't tell you yet because it's only been three weeks, but I can see some improvement 30% thus far.
HOW:
1.) How did/do you clean your device?
Hot water and alcohol.
2.) How often did/do you clean your device?
Before each roll.
3.) How long had/have you been doing treatment?
3 weeks.
4.) How old were your scars when you first started?
15 years
*And last but not least, do you believe dermarolling/dermastamping is worth it?
Hell...to...the...yes...
Great article however the dermapen i was treated with was electric
...yes, a dermapen is electric. The article mentions that.
Yeah sorry just reread that and seen this, i do know one i was treated with cost in region of $2000 will be interesting to see if it something that gives results.
I have just had my first dermapen treatment for boxscars on cheeks, personally found it less painful than dermaroller and needle size was 1.5mm, i also had it done at 2.5mm for few scars which did hurt.
Worth a read: http://owndoc.com/de...-micro-tearing/
Not worth a read at all, she reviewed a cheap plastic version of the Dermapen, i.e. not the Dermapen at all. Until she coughs up the money for the actual product and tests it her opinion is worthless. I've tested the Dermapen on paper with different settings and there were never any tears, in fact the holes were even smaller than your average dermastamp.
Don't be fooled by this Sarah Vaughter characters apparent sincerity, at the end of the day she just wants to make a profit like everyone else.
Great article however the dermapen i was treated with was electric and I didnt pay for the treatment, have fully recovered so can only report back on any improvements I see
Rest assured the official dermapen does not cause tearing.
Worth a read: http://owndoc.com/de...-micro-tearing/
Not worth a read at all, she reviewed a cheap plastic version of the Dermapen, i.e. not the Dermapen at all. Until she coughs up the money for the actual product and tests it her opinion is worthless. I've tested the Dermapen on paper with different settings and there were never any tears, in fact the holes were even smaller than your average dermastamp.
Don't be fooled by this Sarah Vaughter characters apparent sincerity, at the end of the day she just wants to make a profit like everyone else.
Not sure if you clicked the link or just assumed I posted a link to their (knock off) Dermapen review. Could you tell me why her point on the Duty Cycle is not applicable to the official dermapen? I don't see why it wouldn't apply.
Duty cycle means in this case how many percent of the time the needle is down. With a dermapen, the needles are more or less fully down 25% of the time, more or less fully up 25% of the time, and somewhere in between 50% of the time. Approx. 10% of the latter 50%, the needles are scratching over your skin, while you move the dermapen. And while the needles are down (approx. 25% of the time), you are also moving the device, causing skin tears because a dermapens needles always point straight down. By design, its needles cant slide out of the skin. So what you do is causing small horizontal tears in the skin, even when you move it quite slowly and that is totally inevitable, no matter what setting you use. It would be theoretically avoidable, if the dermapen would have a different duty cycle but that would require a strong spring combined with an extremely strong electromagnet. That way, the needles would be down into the skin only 5% of the time or less, and that would be sufficient to avoid microtearing. The very strong electromagnet would be able to quickly pull the needles up, yielding a spike-patterns instead of oscillating in a sinoid pattern. The strong spring would push the needles very quickly down. That combo would be able to have the short duty-cycle required to avoid microtearing. However, such a device would be much more expensive to produce and bulkier and heavier than the currently available dermapens that use cheap, simple technology.
>in fact the holes were even smaller than your average dermastamp.
Well the needles are thinner iirc.
I know Sarah's out to make money, but her site has alot more honesty and science behind it than any other microneedling focused site I've found to date, which is why I link to it so often, since alot of needling posts here are absolute bs "aggressive/hard rolling" daily and other such 'tips'
Edit: i accidently a whole word
I clicked on the link and the only practical test she refers to is with the plastic knock off. I don't know how seriously I can take someone who doesn't even bother to test the real thing.
I'm not interested in theory, nothing beats practical testing. Her sensational claim that 'there are no safe derma pens' reeks of someone trying to sell their own products. The product is available darling, buy it, test it, show us the results. Until then she should keep schtum on the subject.