Final Verdict: Derma Roller

I'm back for my final verdict about my Derma Rolling experience. I have already finished my 10th DR session last month and I believe that I can now give an unbiased review on it because it's already almost a month after my last session and I could inform you if it does have a lasting effect or not :)

Brief history about my skin condition:

- I have skin asthma that makes my skin really sensitive. I tend to break out with a lot of products and my scars takes a lot of time to fade away and they usually stays reddish and doesn't turn brownish.

- I have acne prone oily skin since I was 12 years old. I once got clear skin for a whole year after taking Tetralysal for 6 months (2 years ago) but my acne came back last summer because of the heat (my skin asthma attacked with a vengeance and made my already sensitive skin a lot more sensitive to the elements! Arrg!)

- After a lot of trial and error on different topical and oral medications (my skin tends to stop responding to meds after 2-3 weeks so I need to continously shift regimen), my derma and I decided to try derma roller coz it will "...stimulate your own skin to heal itself by increasing the blood circulation and producing collagen..."

Here's my BEFORE picture. This shot was taken after my 2nd session. I think this is my worst skin ever in my history!


At PRESENT, I have already stopped using my skin care regimen from my dermatologist. I can't continually use my dual action acne cream (I used this at night) anymore because it contains adapalene that doesn't do anything for me except creates more pimples and benzoyl peroxide which makes my acne scars a lot darker than usual. Although, I do swear by this product because it's the one and only product that I used for a long time and it helped cleared out my acne. It's just not advisable to use if you don't have active acne anymore, so I stopped this three months ago.

note: I think Galderma has a similar product named Epiduo. You might want to check it out if you have stubborn acne :)

I also used a medicine called extra strenght acne gel (I used this in the morning). I think it's a topical antibiotic that targets those stubborn infected area to help kill the bacteria. I used this for a couple of months too until my acne stopped popping out :)

So for now, my current skin care regimen is:

AM

- Etude House Pure Joy cleanser (This is a hypo-allergenic cleanser)

- Laneige Pore Trouble refiner (This toner is so mild)

- Etude House AC Clinic Gel Lotion (it's a moisturizer with salicylic acid)

- SKII Facial Treatment Clear Lotion (this doesn't do anything special...this contains salicylic too)
- Etude House sunblock SPF 49 PA++ (for sesitive skin)

PM

- Cleanse with EH's Pure Joy cleanser
- Tone with Laneige Pore Trouble refiner
- Moisturize with EH's AC clinic gel lotion
- Treat with SKII Facial Treatment Clear Lotion
- Prevent aging with tretinoin cream (I got one from my derma)
Every other day
- I use Laneige pore trouble cleanser. I don't use this everyday since it can be drying. It has small beads that is not harsh on the skin so you can use this as frequently as you want.

I'm under this skin regimen for over 3 months already and so far, I only get one or two small acne during my period (as seen in my photos below). My current problem now are my blackheads and whiteheads. They don't really want to go away. I don't think derma roller can help prevent blckheads and whiteheads if you love oily and sweet foods like me. It would really take a good diet and good skin regimen for you to have clear skin.

What i look like now ^_^
I have nothing on my face. I just finished taking a bath and I thought of showing you guys whta my skin looked like now after 10 sessions of derma roller. What do you think? :)


What I liked about derma roller:

- It helped stopped huge cystic acnes from errupting even during my periods. I just get one or two small zits that goes aways after a day or two.

- It made my skin a lot more firmer, brighter, healthier and clearer

- I saved a lot of money because I don't need to have a lot of skin care products now to maintain my skin's condition (no acne!)

- I don't need to use a thick foundation anymore whenever I go out. I just need to use a pressed powder to control my oilies, dab a tinted lipbalm and I'm good to go. (My readers who dropped by the clinic and saw me knows what I mean. I rarely put makeup on atwork hehe)

- If I do get pimples, it goes away easily.

- It made my cheeks rosier. I have this healthy glow that I love.

- It has anti-aging benefits too so it'd like hitting two birds with one stone..actually three birds, coz it also helps in making deep crater-like acne scars shallower.

- It's not painful because your face has a thick topical anesthesia.

- Derma roller can also be used for hair loss, melasma, scars, wrinkles...it's just a matter of what serum your dermatologist will use on you.

*I used collagen most of the time and I tried the lightening serum too on my last 2 sessions for the scars.


What I don't like about DR...

- A little expensive because it costs Php20,000 for 10 sessions. Although, it's still a lot cheaper than other clinics that charges Php30k for 6 sessions. You need to provide 50% down payment then pay the rest during your next sessions.

- Derma rolling alone was unable to remove all my acne scars, both the dark spots and the crater-like scars. You might have noticed that I still have a lot of post acne scars on my cheeks. And my acne scars are not that deep either. So I'm still on the lookout for a better scar removing procedure.
- It did not totally helped with my oilies. I still have an oil mine in my face hehe.

- I'm not yet totally sure if my being free from acne can last a long long time without any kind of acne medication so I'm still looking for a great serum to put for maintainance purposes. I don't want to have bad skin again.

- There are some patients who do experience breaking out after every session even though their concern is not active acne but post acne scars only, so I don't know what to say about that.
Do I regret undergoing this procedure? No. Even though I still got a lot of scars and I'm not sure if the effect is long lasting, I am still very much satisfied that it removed my stubborn acne for the last months. Having clear skin even for just a while is already a blessing for me. I know that I have sensitive skin so I'll definitely breakout every now and then whenever I try new products but at least I now have a skin that reacts good with medications so that I heal quickly. And I will never regret paying and undergoing derma rolling.

OVER ALL RATING:

4.5/5 - for acne control/treatment (I still geet whiteheads and blackheads)
3.5/5 - for scar removal (for dark spots and ice pick scars)
4.5/5 - for anti aging (I've seen patients that had shallower wrinkles after DR)
5/5 - for healthier looking skin

Will I recommend this? Definitely! I recommend this for those who have saturated all the anti acne medications out there and have not found the one product that can help clear out their acne. I do believe that undergoing derma rolling combined with a good skin regimen, healthy diet and lifestyle can definitely clear outt stubborn acne.


TIPS:

- Consult with your dermatologist first about this procedure before having this done because it might not be a match for your skin type.

- Make sure that the one who does this procedure on you is trained and knows how to handle the instrument.

- Be religious in following the treatment schedule. Every session should be done every 2-3 weeks to maximize the effect.

-Lessen your intake of oily food and sweets to prevent breakouts

- Sleep early. Late nights will make your body produce more testosterone...more testosterone = acne.

- Change your pillow case as frequent as possible to keep your skin clean from all the dirts, oils and bacterias that are stuck in your pillowcase.

- Be patient. There's no fast track treatment on acne. You should finish your targeted number of sessions before deciding to give up on that procedure and look for the next one.

- As much as possible, stop trying out new products until you've cleared your acne coz it might aggravate your skin and makes your sessions useless.

My last words would be: "Self discipline, consistence and patience is the real key on achieving clear skin..." I'm still struggling with this manta but I am trying my best to follow this simple saying. It is hard to stay away from pizzas, burgers and fries, cookies and ice cream, but I am eating them less now than before. I also don't sleep without removing my makeup and washing my face even if I'm too tired to do it. Having clean face helps our skin breath and repair itself at night :)

I hope this post can help you guys decide if derma roller is worth a try or not. It's not for every one but you won't know if it's for you unless you went out and try it or have asked your derma about it.

Thank you so much for visiting and reading my long post. Till next time. Bye! ^_^