Dermabrasion

THE TYPICAL PATIENT

• Desire for a more youthful appearance with smooth, silky, shinning skin.
• This procedure is excellent if you focus on fine, medium or even deep wrinkle lines.
• If you have pigment spots, age spots, or blotchiness, dermabrasion will remove these.
• Acne scarring can always be improved 40%-60% and sometimes better, depending on the features and your skin thickness and your anatomy.
• Skin texture, especially irregularity, can be improved and made smoother.
• Large pores are often made smaller.
• Facial skin laxity will be improved and tightened. This is not a substitute for a facelift but it will tighten your skin and the amount depends on your anatomy and feature.

THE PROCEDURE

• Anesthesia consists of either local or general
• It is performed in the outpatient surgical center and takes only 30 minutes to 1 hour at the most.
• It is a surgical procedure more invasive than microdermabrasion.
• You are completely comfortable throughout the entire time and there is no pain at all.
• There are no incisions at all.
• Ointments and creams are placed on the areas to be treated. These have and anesthetic substance as well as a cream so you will not feel pain, or only very little after the procedure and while healing.
• This can be combined with other plastic surgical procedures.
• A rotaty instrument is used that sands down the skin surface removing the epidermis and several layers of the dermis depending on what you are treating.
• This is a deeper treatment so the results are better and more permanent.

THE RECOVERY

• You can go home after several hours or stay overnight.
• There are no dressings at all. You will not be wrapped or look like a mummy at any time.
• There is some pain that is mostly gone by the second or third day and easily controlled by medications.
• Swelling is mild to moderate and peaks at two to three days then disappears rapidly over the next three weeks.
• There is no bruising whatsoever.
• There is redness associated with healing. This is rapidly and nicely decreased by special treatments and ointments but redness then pinkness then light pinkness occurs and lasts up to 6-9 months. This is easily camouflaged after about 7-10 days.
• You will have an open oozing surface of the face that leaks apple juice colored fluid for anywhere from 3-10 days depending on your anatomy and the level of dermabrasion performed. This does not even scab or crust. The creams keep it soft and easy to remove with warm compresses.
• You must be prepared to avoid sun exposure almost entirely, especially early on since this may pigment the skin darker.
• You will have creams and ointments prescribed to help you heal, then preserve your result.
• You can resume many activities within the first week, and most by at least 3 weeks.
• There are no stitches to be removed.
• You can expect to be off of work for one, often two full weeks.

THE RESULT

• You will look younger
• Beautiful, smooth, shiny skin.
• Less acne scars and more even texture to the skin. Easier to put on makeup in these situations.
• Removal of blotches, spots, bumps, raised skin tags or lesions.
• Lasts the rest of your life and always looks better than if you did not do anything. You can repeat or "touch up" the procedure at a later date if needed.
• Natural and presentable appearance in the second week that just gets better over the next three to six months.

For before and after images of this procedure click here

Please call or contact the office for any further information or to schedule an appointment.