Dermabrasion: Procedures and Results

Dermabrasion is a skin related treatment used by cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists to cure a number of ailments that may leave your skin looking less than healthy. This method basically employs a technique that removes the upper layers of your skin with the help of a rough edged diamond wheel or a wire brush. These edges are called a burr or a fraise.

Here is everything you need to know about the procedure as well as the results that it can yield:

• Areas and Conditions: The most common areas where this procedure is conducted include the face as well as the neck. It is mostly used to treat people who want to remove fine lines that form around the eyes and the mouth, as well as patients who are suffering from acne scars and other inflammation causing skin ailments as well as abrasions due to injuries.
• Preparation: The procedure includes cleaning and marking the area that is being treated. This is the first step that helps in seeing exactly what needs to fixed, the extent of the damage and the intensity of the treatment to be employed. Following this process, the doctor will administer a local anaesthesia such as, Lidocaine that will numb the area before the actual treatment begins so that the patient does not undergo any discomfort. Also, with this purpose in mind, the dermatologist may also apply ice packs on the face and neck of the patient so as to make the skin even more numb and remain like that for a longer period of time. Additionally, the skin may be sprayed with a freezing cryogenic spray in order to retain the numbness and keep the skin firm enough for effective treatment. If the doctor is going to treat deeper abrasions or the entire face, then pain killers and general anaesthesia may be used.
• Procedure: To begin with, a small area is exposed to the treatment at a time, rather than the entire area or face at one time. After the freezing spray is administered, the doctor may run the rotating brush or burr to remove the top layers of the skin. Gauze will be kept handy so as to stem any bleeding that may take place during the process. Finally, the area will be covered with the help of ointment and dressing.
• Results: The recovery time is said to take anywhere between five to eight days. But this also depends on the severity of condition that was treated, as well as the area that was covered. Little or no pain may follow and regular cleaning will be required. To prevent re-occurrence or re-growth of the problem, follow up visits to the dermatologist will be required.