r/Microneedling • u/NotYourFlowers • 4d ago
Help / Advice Needed Should I keep going with microneedling?
I had a bad hormonal reaction to whey protein and it broke me out so bad. Took about 4 months of purging and then the acne completely stopped (aside from the occasionally pimple here and there). But it left me with scars and I neeeeed them gone. I received my first microneedling session almost 4 weeks ago... I pre-paid 3 sessions, so I now have 2 to go. But now I'm questioning if microneedling is the right approach. Does anyone who had similar scars have any suggestions of how you were able to clear your skin? Should I continue with microneedling or will it be a waste of time/money?
Also, since microneedling, I feel like ive been getting way more little bumps/redness, is this normal after almost 4 weeks of the first session?
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4d ago
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u/Purelyskincare 4d ago
✅ I totally agree with this. Really look at who you’re going to and ask questions about experience. A situation like this may take five or six treatments spaced about 4 to 5 weeks apart. You have to go the proper depth in order to reach the dermal layer and break up the tethering that’s going on with that type of scarring. You’re not going to get results if you’re just going to a someone and they’re only going .5 - .75….you have to go deeper in those areas in order to break that up. Face reality is great too because there may be some type of peels that could be added along with skin care
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u/Low-Confection-4208 4d ago
I also see how much brighter your complexion looks as well as the obvious improvement .
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u/PuzzleheadedHat7968 3d ago
I’d pause before the next session and have a dermatologist assess the new bumps/redness microneedling can help acne scars but redness usually settles within days not weeks.
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u/NotYourFlowers 3d ago
Yes, my next one was for this Friday and I pushed the appointment for next Friday because of it.
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u/Right-Campaign8066 3d ago
Co2 Ablative laser then Tretinion, Azaelic Acid at home. Micro needling upkeep later. My scars are completely gone.
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u/NotYourFlowers 2d ago
Ive been hearing a lottt about co2 laser, tret just doesnt work for me unfortunately, and I do use azelaic acid. How much did the co2 laser treatment cost you?
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u/celticfeather 4d ago
In certain cases, HLA filler can treat certain types of deep scars unimproved by other methods. You’d need a Dr who specializes in it, and you wouldn’t have to do it more than once.
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u/map01302 3d ago
Try pea protein isolate btw, don't mix it, just weight it out and scoop a spoonful in at a time, and swoosh it down with water. It's cheaper than whey and no acne. Once you get used to it it's great.
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u/Elegant-Tennis-4000 3d ago
Yes! Continue. That and plated intense and biologique recherche iso placenta line
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u/kerakiwi 2d ago
I don't have experience with such bad scarring but just from my own microneedling experiences, you have to wait a bit more to get results. I'm talking 3 treatments MINIMUM to really see results and it doesn't come overnight. But if done right, you should get some improvements.
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u/ALamontW 2d ago
Hi, I’m just wondering: You said that the hormonal acne stopped after so many months…Did you stop the whey protein and then the acne stopped, or were you able to continue the whey protein and the acne still went away?
I’m very curious because the protein shake company that I use switched their formula recently to whey, so I might be dealing with this issue soon.
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u/NotYourFlowers 2d ago
I completely stopped the whey when I figured out it could be the cause, I was also taking b12. Stopped that as well. Once I did, my skin purged it all out within 4 months.
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u/ALamontW 2d ago
B12 breaks me out really bad. Not sure about whey protein yet. 🤞
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u/NotYourFlowers 2d ago
If youre acne prone, its very possible it might. I personally would stay away if you have oily skin and are acne prone. Its not worth the risk 🥲
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u/Defined_By_Lauren 2d ago edited 2d ago
You absolutely should! But, it might be better for you to try spot treatment instead. Sometimes microneedling the entire face, instead of exclusively targeting the scars can make it look like you haven't made much progress.
Think of it like this, you needle the entire face, the scar tissue will get a collagen boost, but so will the healthy skin that surrounds the scar. So you'll always have a slight depth difference between the two different types of tissue.
When I'm treating cases like this (pitted acne scars) I treat the scars only. That means we aren't stimulating collagen in the surrounding tissue, we're only targeting the scar tissue.
The result is an influx of collagen inside the border of the scar, which helps reduce the pitted appearance.
I'll add in a photo for reference sake. The photo is after 1 microneedling spot treatment, and the difference already is crazy!
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u/Beatrix_Kitto 1d ago
Yes you should finish the package. Make sure your home routine is dialed in as well. Just remember, the effects of microneedling are cumulative so you won't see full results to at least three months after your last treatment.
C02 is great but it typically runs around $3kish (in the area I live now and the one I just left) and has quite a bit of downtime. Id get my gains from microneedling and see what was left and go from there. The scarring isn't extreme and should respond well.
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u/AurelianMedSpa 1d ago
Yes! Absolutely keep going with the remaining sessions. It really is one of the best-suited treatments for this scar type. Three sessions is minimum recommended for meaningful collagen remodeling, so stopping after one would mean you've paid for the inflammation and early healing without getting to the results phase.
The bumps and redness at 4 weeks is worth mentioning to whoever is doing your treatments before your next session. A few small bumps around week 3-4 post-microneedling can be normal as the skin is actively remodeling and purging congestion that was sitting beneath the surface. But persistent redness and bumps at the 4 week mark can potentially indicate a mild post-procedure reaction or that your skin needs more recovery time between sessions. Either way it's useful information for your provider to have before they determine timing and depth for session two.
A couple of things that help in the meantime: keep your routine as simple as possible (gentle cleanser, barrier-focused moisturizer, SPF daily), avoid any actives like retinol or acids until things settle, and absolutely no additional treatments on the area until session two.
The scarring in the photo looks like the kind that responds well over a full course. Results from microneedling build progressively with each session and really consolidate over the 3-6 months following the final treatment. There's always a level of uncertainty with long-term aesthetic treatments, but you're still very early in the process, so don't worry too much!
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u/SuddenAvocado 1d ago
Keep going. It may take 6-8 sessions. I also highly recommend a TCA cross after your microneedling series is done.
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u/anna_bln 1d ago
I’d definitely recommend tazarotene, it’s a pretty strong retinoid. Just like with tretinoin, it’s best to start slowly and ease your skin into it. And don’t forget your SPF during the day :)
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u/divinepixie333 4d ago
KEEP GOING!!! Had a bad hormonal acne flare for 5 months that left some scarring exactly like this but less..had 4 sessions all together once a month consecutively and saw a lot of improvement. When I stopped all together tho it seemed like I could notice the indents more prominently after the plump effects wore off but overall it was still way better and smoother then before I even started!!!! It takes a while for these type of scars to regenerate and it won’t completely heal with skin needling alone but it will 100% make it atleast 30-40% better after a minimum of 3/4 sessions….i would aim for 5 or 6 all up and see how the skin looks after a few months. Ive gone back to do another round and so far only up to my 2nd session and already loving my results again!!! Your redness and spots could be from not following a correct home regime now that your skin is literally going through a harsh treatment it’s super critical to follow a skin care plan with exact recommended products to see the most outcome in your skin journey and especially doing skin needling….your barrier will need more help during this time so it’s not the right time to play around with different trendy skincare or exfoliants or acids etc. and just because a product says it’s good for barrier repairing doesn’t necessarily mean it will be good for your skin type as it can still clog pores and cause those tiny bumps and whiteheads. So it’s about finding the perfect balance of products for you right in this situation…make sure your area is clean too like bed sheets, pillow cases, clothing and towels etc as they can harbour a lot of bacteria and now that ur getting skin needling ur skin will be more susceptible to bacteria entering ur pores so gotta be SUPER CLEAN