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Dermabrasion

What is dermabrasion?

Dermabrasion is a skin rejuvenation technique used to treat facial scars. When it was first developed in the early 1950s, it was used primarily to improve acne scars, chicken pox marks, and scars resulting from accidents or illness. Today, dermabrasion is also used to treat deep facial lines and wrinkles, severe sun damage, pigmentation disorders and certain types of skin lesions.

Dermabrasion equipment

Dermabrasion is a surgical procedure that uses a power-operated hand tool that looks a bit like a dentist's drill. The tool has an abrasive end piece, such as a metal toothed wheel, diamond frame, or wire brush. Frames come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and degrees of roughness. The doctor moves the rapidly rotating wheel gently on the surface of the scar causing the upper layers of the skin to wear away.

Preparation for dermabrasion

Before you can receive dermabrasion, your doctor will take a complete medical history and carefully examine your skin. injury or defect. The doctor should know the following factors:

  • Skin type: A mid-range skin type (III-IV) that tans easily is more likely to show transients hyperpigmentation (dark marks) 4-8 weeks after surgery and hypopigmentation (pale marks) 12-18 months after surgery. However, discoloration can be a problem with all skin types.

  • A tendency to form keloids (fibrous tissue deposits) or hypertrophic scars: patients with a history of keloid formation may need to have a test done before any full facial rejuvenation.

  • Herpes simplex lesions (cold sores) - active herpes infection Usually the procedure needs to be postponed until the lesions have disappeared.

  • Other active facial skin diseases such as acne, rosacea and dermatitis - These can flare after dermabrasion.
  • Recent Isotretinoin Therapy: This can delay healing and cause scarring, so dermabrasion should be postponed for 6-12 months.

The doctor will inform you about the procedure, possible risks and complications, and what results can realistically be expected. Photographs are usually taken before and after surgery to help assess the degree of improvement.

Medical treatment for dermabrasion

Dermabrasion can precipitate Herpes simplex infection that causes unsightly blisters and possibly permanent scarring, so acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir tablets are used to prevent it. People with a history of cold sores may require larger doses than normal.

Most patients only receive antibiotics if an infection occurs after the procedure. The exceptions are immunosuppressed patients or patients with a recent history of impetigo, or who are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus, which can be started with antibiotics beforehand.

For two to three weeks before dermabrasion, tretinoin cream it can be prescribed to apply every night to the area to be treated. Tretinoin appears to decrease the time to re-epithelialization (re-growth of the skin).

Dermabrasion can be performed using general anesthetic but Local anesthesia may be preferred for small areas. Sedative medications can be used to induce a calming effect before and after surgery.

Dermabrasion procedure

Dermabrasion may require admission to a hospital or it may be performed as an outpatient procedure in a physician's surgery. The procedure begins with thoroughly cleaning the area to be “sanded” with an antiseptic cleaning agent. A numbness spray can be applied to freeze and firm the surface being treated. The doctor will then carefully maneuver the dermabrasion tool over the area to carefully remove the layers of skin until it reaches the desired level that will make the scar or wrinkle less visible, with the goal of avoiding further scarring.

For small areas, the procedure should only take a few minutes. For larger areas, the procedure can take 1 to 2 hours.

Care after dermabrasion

After the procedure, the treated skin will be red, swollen, and tender. Usually a compress or special dressing is applied to reduce any tingling, burning, or itching sensations and speed healing. Instructions on wound care will be given until new skin begins to grow; This generally takes 7-10 days. The face may itch as new skin grows and may be slightly swollen, tender, and bright pink for several weeks after dermabrasion.

The following steps should be taken to ensure rapid healing and avoid complications.

  • Inform your doctor of any yellow color. crust or scabs: this may be the beginning of an infection.
  • The swelling and redness should go away after a few days to a month. Persistent redness in an area could be the sign of scar formation, so contact your doctor immediately.
  • Follow antiviral medication for several days beyond the new skin formation.
  • To avoid pigmentation, once the new skin has healed, stay out of the sun and apply a broad spectrum sunscreen daily for at least 3 months after dermabrasion. Even the sun through the window glass can promote unwanted pigmentation.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion was developed in Italy in 1985 and has since become a popular technique for skin rejuvenation. It has the advantages of low risk and quick recovery compared to other techniques such as standard dermabrasion, chemical peel and To be Coating.

Microdermabrasion is similar to dermabrasion, but as the name implies, it uses tiny crystals to remove the surface layers of the skin. It is promoted to correct fine lines and more superficial scars.

Advantages include:

  • Anesthesia It is not required
  • It's almost painless
  • Facial redness is minimized.
  • Simple and quick to perform
  • It can be repeated at short intervals.
  • Does not interrupt the patient's life to a great extent

The disadvantages of microdermabrasion are that multiple treatments are needed and there may be minimal improvement in appearance.

Microdermabrasion is now possible using home kits that use a vibrating foam applicator to massage a moisturizer containing aluminum oxide crystals onto the surface of the skin.