Acne really effected my self-esteem in my 20’s.

There’s hundreds of posts on Acne online, what you should and shouldn’t do.

From little tips on skincare to product reviews but I never see anything on the mental health issues that having acne can cause.

I know what you’re thinking, you shouldn’t be so vain.

You shouldn’t let how you look affect your confidence. Well if you think like this, I can tell you’ve never suffered from Acne.

For the people out there that are suffering from Acne, I feel your pain.

I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve felt those dark days, I’ve avoided every social event I’ve been invited to and hid at home where ever possible.

I wouldn’t make eye contact with people, which made getting a job hard.

I was even asked at work once while I was waitressing ‘do you take drugs?’ by an extremely rude customer and had to fight back the tears.

I’ve felt the disgusted looks from people walking past.

I’ve woken up in the mornings and looked in the mirror and cried, and cried some more and thought this is never going to end.

I’ve tried to put a brave face on it and get on with life, even though inside it was crushing me.

I’ve sat and listened to people’s unhelpful advice. I was advised on having everything from colonic irrigation to buying a ‘special sponge’ on holiday in Greece. A market stall guy just kinda leapt out and started telling me it would get rid of my acne. I was mortified.

Some people are so insensitive.

Acne takes a lot of hard work to get rid of it


While acne is very common, cystic acne is relatively uncommon and more severe. The main factors behind cystic acne are the hormonal changes in puberty, but they can occur in older individuals, too.

I was one of the lucky ones suffering from cystic acne from 14 until I was 26.

The truth is if you have acne, everyone wants to sell you a cure and you’ll probably buy it because who doesn’t want to get rid of it, am I right?

Even after I beat it, (after spending a small fortune) I had finally got rid of it but I was left with scarring, which used to upset me every time I caught sight of it.

I had lots of different scarring caused by it but the most prominent was the Ice Pick Scars.

It was a cruel reminder of what I went through all those years ago. Sound familiar?

Well, that was all until I started Derma rolling at 25 and let me tell you, if you are feeling like I used to, there is hope.

The benefits of derma rolling are bountiful.

What is Derma Rolling?

So Derma Rolling is the act of micro-needling the skin. The results? A powerful aid in anti-ageing.

The needles pierce the skin allowing the moisturiser to go much deeper. Therefore giving you a beautiful, hydrated glow.

But, derma rolling also pierces the collagen cells under the surface of the skin which makes your body produce more collagen. This is a very slow process. It takes about a year.

Eventually, your skin will begin to glow with a youthful appearance. Your wrinkles begin to plump out and scars? It actually begins to rebuild the tissue that was lost!

Yep, it has an amazing effect on ice pick scars.

You can even use derma rolling on stretchmarks, hair loss or any scars with the exception of keloid scars (as these are caused by excessive tissue so you’ll just encourage more tissue to grow).

My Experience with Derma Rolling the good, the bad and the pretty…

1. You must have clear skin before you derma roll.

So firstly, always make sure your skin is clear before you derma roll. My first derma roll was at a skin salon, it was a fairly new experimental process at the time. My first derma roll made me break out everywhere! I was so upset because it was such an expensive facial at the time.

The lady doing the treatment clearly didn’t realise the implications of Derma Rolling my skin while I was breaking out. Big mistake.

It actually put me off having another one until a year later. But as I mentioned earlier it takes about a year to start seeing a difference and I really could.

During this time I started taking a contraceptive pill, after trying countless things (in all honesty I lost count).

It really helped to clear my skin which meant I had clear skin for the first time in 12 years. It might be tempting to try it out on you’re scaring, but you must have completely clear skin before you attempt to Derma roll!

2. You can’t use a needle bigger than 1.5 mm on your face

My second Derma roll, I did myself. They were starting to sell Derma needles online and after the price (and results) of the first one I thought I’d try it myself.

I bought the biggest needle I could find at 2.5 mm although now I know that a derma roller this size is suited to the body and stretch marks. A needle should be no bigger than 1.5 mm when derma rolling on your face.

I sterilised my needle head with antiseptic and let it air dry for 5 mins and got to it. I rolled each piece of skin with scarring in a star shape.

Then I ran the derma needle on the entirety of my face. It doesn’t hurt too much, it’s just more of a sting. Like getting a tattoo somewhere that’s not too painful.

The results? I ended up not being able to wear makeup for 4 weeks and holes all over my face. Amazingly 5 weeks later I actually did it again.

I realise now I am so lucky that I didn’t damage the skin. Be really careful not to get past a 1.5 mm needle on your face.

Anyway, after this, I waited 6 months and got a professional derma roll done. When I told her I’d used a 2.5 mm on my face she was absolutely horrified and asked me not to do it again.

I purchased a 1.5 mm needle later that day.

3. The bigger the needle the longer it takes to heal.

So generally if I derma roll my face with a 1.5 mm needle I don’t wear makeup for at least two days afterwards. I use an antiseptic oil and slather it on several times a day.

If I use a 0.25 needle I use it at night, moisturise with CBD oil and then wear makeup the next day.

If I use a 2.5 mm needle on stretch marks it takes about three days for the stinging to stop.

4. Don’t derma roll on your period

Obviously, this doesn’t apply to guys ha! But generally, you’re more sensitive to pain so it makes sense not to. I tend to do it a couple of days before I’m due. This fits into my routine nicely.

Also, be warned things like hangovers can also make you super sensitive to pain.

5. Don’t keep going over the same piece of skin. Derma roll then lifts it off the skin and repeat.

You are trying to create lots of different holes to avoid going backwards and forwards.

You can damage your skin doing this and it’s less effective.

6. Months later you’ll still get tingles in the skin

So this one doesn’t hurt it just feels odd. I love it though it reminds me that my skin is going to look awesome soon.

7. It won’t completely heal your scars

So this one’s obvious but if you’re expecting to get rid of them that’s not a realistic goal.

You can dramatically improve them however and your ice pick scars will heal a lot.

This means you won’t have to use buckets of primer anymore. Woop and sometimes I actually go outside without makeup on.

8. It can cause hives

So this one is a bummer, I guess you won’t know if this will happen until you try it but the good news is that it’s unlikely.

If you’ve had hives in the past I wouldn’t recommend trying derma rolling.

9. Needles under 1.5 mm won’t heal scars

They will help serum, facial oils and moisturiser, sink into the skin, however, which will help your skin hold more moisture.

This in turn will stop you from breaking out as much as your skin is less likely to produce oil to compensate (Less sebum = fewer spots).

I would seriously also recommend CBD oil, I have a post on that here.

10. Your skincare routine is going to need an upgrade.

This means collagen booster serums, hyaluronic acid serum, Facial oils, scar oils (like bio-oil) CBD oils, moisturiser, overnight moisture masks and I like to use rose water toners too.

This means more expenses but hey, it will heal those scars and give you that babe skin you’ve been dreaming of so it’s worth it.

I actually buy cheap makeup now and spend more on skincare. Goodbye Nars sheer glow, hello dreamy skin.

Results After five years of Derma Rolling

It sounds like a lot, but once you get the hang of it it’s super easy, it’s become part of my routine and the benefits on my skin have been amazing.

My ice pick scars have significantly faded.

My skin looks better than it ever has.

I actually look forward to taking my makeup up off at the end of the day and applying my skincare routine.

I’m the morning I wake up feeling blessed that those days are behind me.

And as for turning 31 next week, I think I look pretty good.

Thank you, Derma Rolling.

Soph.

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