Greetings, everyone.
I've decided to choose the dermaroller as my choice to reduce my acne scarring, and I will be documenting it inside this thread.
I suffered cystic acne for around 6-7 years in my teenage years. Although, I had tried many remedies such as tea tree oil and cleaning up my diet, I was to no avail and it only stopped when I finally went on a course of Accutane.
A good thing I took from that experience is, I lost quite a lot of weight when I started dieting and exercising. I still do to this day and have lost 80 lbs, going from weighing 240lbs to 160lbs.
For now, I've taken a picture of both sides of my face. One in color, and the other in black and white with high contrast applied, so as to focus more on the physical scars, rather than any redness or pigmentation.
I am only somewhat educated on the types of scarring.. I have many icepick scars on my lip area, and what I believe are atrophic or rolling scars on my cheeks. And there are some more icepick scars between my eyes and on my forehead, and a very large one on my upper nose area (not visible in the pics, I'll take more later).
Taken just after my first treatment, with Vitamin E oil applied to the skin.
I am using a 1.5mm sized dermaroller.
Feel free to ask me questions! Or if you happen to have any useful advice or experience, drop me a comment! I'd love to hear from you guys.
I'll be checking in weekly with updates.
Update #1 - 7/13/2013
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10 Days after my first application with the 1.5mm Dermaroller and Vitamin E oil.
I've been made aware of this DMAE cream by a member on this board and I've seen people get some great results with it, so I decided to order it. I've been using it for the past two nights. And I'll be using it after my next roll in a few weeks.
I sweat quite a lot at my daily job and the environment is practically made of dirt and dust.. my hands will be black by the end of the day. So this scrubbing cleanser seemed like a great idea. It feels like my skin can actually breathe now.
Hopefully I'll avoid the occasional small breakouts I still have by using it.
I use the scrubbing cleanser every morning and night before applying the DMAE cream.
I've been rolling for over 2 years and have had great results. Just stick with it, roll every 4-6 weeks. I usually wait 6 weeks..sometimes longer if I have a breakout 
The wait is hard but worth it.
I did a ton of research before I started and read that if you roll more often (with a 1mm-2mm roller) that not only are you not giving your skin time to form new collagen but you could also be causing scar tissue to form. I personally wouldn't go past a 1.5mm roller. 2mm could damage your skin unless you do it properly. I wouldn't take that chance. Some people on here use the 2mm and haven't had any problems though.
Apply Vitamin A after you roll (and after you rinse your face) and then wait until the second day or so to apply vitamin c. I wait a day or so because it burns like hell. That can't be good, right? I usually don't apply vitamin E until a few days later in cream form. I just read (on a doctor site somewhere but don't remember where) that vitamin E could actually impede healing. It's a new study that came out or something.
When you roll, make sure it's hard enough to cause some bleeding. Dr. Fernandes (inventor of dermarolling) says your skin has to bleed in order for it to work. I get lots of pinprick bleeding and it's worked for me. I don't get all bloody like some of those pics I've seen. lol
Always sanitize your roller before and after every roll and just to be safe sanitize inbetween rolls. Better safe than sorry.
Check needles before you roll. Even if 1 is bent, it will drag across your face and could scar.
While rolling, lift your roller every time you change directions. That will help avoid trackmarks AND you won't be puncturing the same spot over and over again.
Never roll over active acne. That will spread the bacteria and make things worse.
Once the skin grows in, I would recommend getting microdermabrasion to smooth it out. I had to do that. I had a lot of icepick scarring so when my skin grew in it was so bumpy. My dermatologist recommended Micro so I got it done and it helped smooth my skin out. I need to go back again because of the new skin I have (problem I have is after my scars have filled in I get new cysts and new scars. Totally sucks. )
Dr. Fernandes (inventor of dermarolling) says your skin has to bleed in order for it to work. I get lots of pinprick bleeding and it's worked for me.
Desmond Fernades : If you don't bleed, you won't get the results and that is the part that most people aren't willing to do!
Thank you so much for all the very helpful, nice and informative replies, everyone.
I somehow get the feeling I'm probably not rolling hard enough... considering I really only bleed on my cheeks and my forehead usually, which happens to be where the skin is closest to the bone. I'll be puffy and red for the night, and slightly red for the next two days, but after that I'm pretty much back to normal.
Except for my forehead and cheeks as I mentioned earlier, which seem to sort of scab over where the bleeding was. Is this normal?
I do apply quite a bit of pressure. It's not pleasant by any means.. should I just press harder to ensure I am bleeding much more?
Also, I'm really just curious... why is the Vitamin E not good to use?
First google search : This study shows that there is no benefit to the cosmetic outcome of scars by applying vitamin E after skin surgery and that the application of topical vitamin E may actually be detrimental to the cosmetic appearance of a scar. In 90% of the cases in this study, topical vitamin E either had no effect on, or actually worsened, the cosmetic appearance of scars. Of the patients studied, 33% developed a contact dermatitis to the vitamin E. Therefore we conclude that use of topical vitamin E on surgical wounds should be discouraged.
Updated 1st post with new pics and progress.
Update #1 - 7/13/2013
--------------------
10 Days after my first application with the 1.5mm Dermaroller and Vitamin E oil.
I've been made aware of this DMAE cream by a member on this board and I've seen people get some great results with it, so I decided to order it. I've been using it for the past two nights. And I'll be using it after my next roll in a few weeks.
I sweat quite a lot at my daily job and the environment is practically made of dirt and dust.. my hands will be black by the end of the day. So this scrubbing cleanser seemed like a great idea. It feels like my skin can actually breathe now.
Hopefully I'll avoid the occasional small breakouts I still have by using it.
I use the scrubbing cleanser every morning and night before applying the DMAE cream.
Help! used the 1.5 mm dermaroller on saturday morning. I didn't apply any topicals after because I was afraid I'd breakout. I've just kept it clean and moisturized. Today is Monday morning and my skin feels rough and bumpy. Is that normal even after 2 days? There is definitely a textural change between the treated areas and untreated areas. I'm already sensitive about my skin texture and I'm worried I've made it worse. Is this temporary? Is it microswelling? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Hello. I just used my 1.5 mm dermaroller for the first time on Satuday morning (today is Tuesday) and I'm noticing the area on my forehead and in between my eyes is bumpy and has a rough texture. It's not an infection or an allergic reaction or anything but just a bumpy texture. Is this normal? I've been goggling it for days and haven't read much about rough skin texture the days following rolling. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm already insecure about my skin texture and I hope I didn't make it worse. Thanks so much.
