Dermabrasion, Skin Scar Removal Surgery

August 03, 2008 By: arlene Category: Cosmetic, Skin Care

Dermabrasion is an extreme form of exfoliation. For this procedure, the doctor actually uses a rotating wire brush like a sanding instrument to remove the entire outer surface of the skin. The epidermis and the upper portion of the dermis (about one-quarter to one-third of the thickness of your skin) is usually abraded.

The art and science of the process of dermabrasion lie in determining the correct depth of skin to be removed to achieve the desired cosmetic result. Dermabrasion is a safe mechanical process that can be highly effective, especially in resurfacing aging skin.

How does Skin Dermabrasion work?

Dermabrasion is very similar to chemical peels in the kind of correction it offers. The procedure is most commonly used to treat scars, especially those caused by acne or chicken pox. It is also effective for treatment of fine wrinkles of the skin. Just as a chemical peel, it can also be used to treat freckles or brown pigmentation. Also, as with a chemical peel, the improvement is caused by the healing phase. The abraded skin heals with new collagen and elastic tissue formation, generating a kind of smooth scar on the skin’s surface which is somewhat “harder” in texture than the original skin. As with chemical peels, dermabrasion is best suited to individuals with light skin.

Dermabrasion is always performed under intramuscular or intravenous local anesthetic. Immediately afterwards, the treated area is bandaged for at least 24 hours. As with chemical peels, the immediate healing period looks very unattractive, but surprisingly enough it is not painful. When the dressing is removed, the area appears frighteningly red with a great deal of crusting. These scabs are nature’s natural dressing while the healing is taking place; they will flake off spontaneously after one to two weeks. Within 10 days, the skin should begin to appear shiny and red. By that time non-photosensitizing makeup with sunscreen can be used to camouflage the healing face. The patient will then feel comfortable about resuming his or her normal social and work activities. The skin will usually be pink and tender for up to six months after the procedure.

Skin Dermabrasion Some possible problems

Following the initial scabbing and swelling of the face, when dermabraded skin becomes shiny and red, little whiteheads called milia can form. These can very easily be treated by your dermatologist. As with chemical peels, after healing, a demarcation between the area treated and the surrounding untreated skin might also become visible, the dermabraded skin often appearing whiter and shinier even after six months. In such cases, makeup is used to camouflage the area.

Sometimes the dermabraded skin will develop mottled dark spots, a problem that can almost always be prevented by avoiding all direct exposure to sunlight and (of course) to tanning beds. Individuals with dark complexions may develop such dark spots even without exposure to ultraviolet light. On rare occasions, there can be prolonged redness, though this gradually disappears with time.

Laser Skin Resurfacing High-tech

Let’s look at a new, “high-tech” method of resurfacing the skin. A laser produces a very thin, high-powered beam of energy that actually vaporizes the skin’s surface tissue to remove surface wrinkles and dark spots. Recently developed lasers can deliver this energy pulse in an incredibly short time — in fact one-two thousandths of a second! The laser’s advantages over chemical peeling or dermabrasion are precision and accuracy. The laser can control depth of treatment with great precision. Although previous lasers risked scarring when heat was conducted to secondary skin tissue, modern”ultra-pulse” lasers minimize such risk of thermal burn and so are ideal for eliminating wrinkles on sensitive areas. The surgeon can operate the laser with magnifying instruments, targeting each wrinkle very accurately.

Laser resurfacing can be performed on specific wrinkles and scars, on limited areas of the face, or on the entire face. The method is excellent for dealing with superficial wrinkles and scars but is not effective for deep wrinkles such as those between the eyebrows or the furrows at the side of the mouth (for which implants such as collagen are best). The laser’s precision is ideal for people with more pigmented skin as there is less uneven, splotchy pigmentation after healing.

The down-side

There are disadvantages to this high-tech magic. Most significantly, the skin’s healing time is longer then for a chemical peel or dermabrasion of comparable depth. After a laser abrasion, there is so much swelling and redness that most patients avoid leaving home for at least ten days. Redness can persist for up to two to three months and, in rare cases, for even longer! After two weeks, it is safe to apply makeup over the affected area. But treatment by laser can increase the skin’s sensitivity to many makeups or creams, and anything that irritates the skin must be discontinued.

Other disadvantages are similar to those that occur after chemical peels and dermabrasion: mottled dark spots can appear; a visible line between laser-abraded and untreated skin might show and herpes virus can be activated if preventative medication is not taken. This procedure is usually more expensive than a comparable chemical peel, reflecting the cost of the sophisticated laser equipment.

Your doctor, your partner

As Linus Pauling’s book title promised, today you can “live longer and feel better” than ever in history. You can also suit your appearance to your enhanced good health. It’s entirely up to you. If you wish to appear as young as you feel, today’s medical science has given us effective means. Your doctor can be your partner in this effort.

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