I prefer doing it manually with 30g diabetic lancets. Takes more time, but im more in control and less risk. I try not to poke past 1-1.25mm depth, otherwise too deep has made my scars even worse. Learned the hard way...

Yes the same( too many tiny holes after Derminator done 1,5mm. Seems like it is unavoidable effect( you try to improve scars and damage the skin in general. I got holes and tiny lines like the cuts, you could see the pics in mine thread. And seems like nothing to do.. no improvement for the scars and new damage..

@Sibel, So the holes never healed? That's unfortunate. I don't think its an expected effect or anything guaranteed because people still use derminator just for anti aging and even discoloration and hypertrophic scars. I've done single needles before and they would leave a wound but would disappear the next day or two.

Maybe derminator proponents such as @beautifulambition can give us some insight?

Also, it's been 24 hours since by derminator sesh. My cheeks are still noticeably red. And I see tiny reddish dots. I can't judge if its atrophic or if it became "scarred pore" scars, but I will update and tell you guys how it is when the color has subsided for me to judge accurately

@AghhNeI am sorry you are having this issue. Many don't. Perhaps the setting was too aggressive for you or you do not handle this treatment or others because,... treatments again are personalized.

The only reason I mention derminator is it's priced fairly for what it does. Many do these treatments at Dr's offices and could buy their own unit for the cost. If something better comes out for DIY purposes I will recommend that. Micro-needling has been heavily studied as effective in White paper case studies.

IF you want try a manual dermastamp and see if it does the same thing,... that is the manual method. We only apply this to scars. Are you using the fastest setting.

There is no need to bleed for the treatment to work. We are stimulating healing.

If your referring to needle mars, ... those can heal in a few days for many people. When you get a shot from the Dr when does your injection site heal?

Are you on any medications or blood thinners, ... some products when used with micorneedling can cause a allergic reaction as well, or bacteria can also cause infection if the site is not cleaned.

Do you have any other issues when using topical, getting treatments done, healing from cuts, bruises, etc... Do you have sensitive or thin skin (dealing with any sort of sickness or auto-immune disease), ? These are the people who have issues with treatments weather at home or by Dr's. You are going to see red dots for a few days... the same as you would see if you had a shot at the Dr and bled.

We all have different healing times, ... some of us our extremely slow healers and they do a peel and take months to heal from it.

So maybe try faster speed, a lower depth, ... not to the point of bleeding.

Many people's cheeks are red for 3 days post microneedling, so that is not shocking. It's not a one day treatment. Have had many do it on a Friday and goto work Monday.

IF it's not for you it's not for you. Laser can cause similar issues for weeks or months, ... peels, etc. It's all about how we heal. Perhaps put some makeup over it while you heal if it bothers you.

Are you using a retin-a/tretinorin/differin nightly for cell turnover?

Thanks for the reply BA. Don't worry I know that any invasive treatment contains a risk. I agree, Derminator is pretty good for its price. I used to do manual needling in the past (single needling and dermastamp). Although, I only used the dermastamp twice. But the Dermaneedling I've had 3 to 4 sessions. I only do it once every 5 weeks but, I haven't been consistent so It's more like once every 4 to 5 months. I have also done peels for years but I never go to a really high %. I've done, 15% glycolic, then 30, then 50% in a span of 1 year. I have tried spot TCA peels at 15% for my scars 5 months ago. But I stopped 2 month and a half ago with any peels because I really careful about peeling the skin to not cause thin skin specially that I am was expecting to do derminator.

In terms of topicals, I don't use retin-a just because I don't want to thin my skin especially i'm doing peels already. I only use a cleanser, a topical for brightening skin w/o acid (for my brown spots), and beta glucan (healing, for inflammation, and studies say it helps the skin heal better and to not scar).

I'm not on any medication fortunately. I take vitamin C and zinc tablets.

In terms of my genetic factors, I'm not a really good healer, hence I have acne scars and tons of hyperpigmentation. I consider myself an okay healer.

I'm not really concerned about the redness as I do have the tendency to be red even just from heat and slight embarrassment.

As an update, I still have the reddish dots but they're like needle prick size. I really can't tell if it's atrophic or it has turned into scarred pores because it's stil red. So I will be assessing them in probably 1-3 days. I did my needling sesh at Saturday night, it's been about 1 and a half day. I'll keep you guys updated.

So, the visual red dots are normal from what I understood. How long do they last on the average person? How long did it last for you @beautifulambition?

@AghhNeYes "red" dots are normal. Healing can be slow in some people. After laser or rf needling some heal for a few months. You probably have sensitive skin. Do not go so deep next time and to the point of bleeding.

I have had some do microneedling and be red for a few weeks. All of this is very much about how you heal.

If you cannot use microneedling, ... then there is clear and brilliant which is expensive but gentler .

Do a test spot on your face at a low mm depth without bleeding or pushing down to hard. Try to glide with HA serum and see how you do on a small test spot that was not treated.

BA