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Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:15 pm  |
I apologise for posting too many questions in a short period but my question is kind of urgent.... I am scheduled to have dermabrasion (surgical- not microdermabrasion) next month for acne scars.
Has anyone here had dermabrasion or do you know of anyone who has had it? If so, what were the results and what did you have it for? I was unable to find alot of info on the internet about it. I know people get laser treatments instead of dermabrasion now but the surgeons I have seen said Lasers will burn my skin because it's dark. Also, did anyone have laser treatments with dark or tan skin? My skin is tan and my plastic surgeon said I have a higher risk than normal of getting pigmentation from dermabrasion. She showed me pictures of patients she did dermabrasion on but they were just before pictures and two weeks after the procedure where the skin hasn't healed yet and I couldn't tell any difference.
I would appreciate any answers and suggestions anyone can offer. Thank you so much. |
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Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:33 pm |
| I usually hear good things about microdermabrasion, never bad. I haven't done it myself, but I have heard that people with darker skin really can't use laser treatments because it does have the potential to burn. |
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Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:41 pm |
i've had three- technically there were dermasanding procedures, as my derm was the guy who pioneered the method. he did a couple of them in conjunction with 25% tca. he'd leave the peel on for a bit then do a wet sanding. until the local anesth. kicked in, it was rather painful so i'd just rec that you make sure it's all well and numbed up completely before starting.  that said, it helps- what i saw was a smoothing effect of the edges. keeping it moist afterward for so long is a bit of a pain and i was sent home with a thin plastic sheeting covering it. it's a bit messy and takes a while to get back to normal; the microswelling makes it look pretty great for a while but once it goes down, there is definitely permanent improvement. ideally, i'd like to have a couple more. i hope yours go really well- best luck. |
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Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:28 pm |
| Dermabrasion is a surgery performed most commonly to improve scars due to acne, chicken pox, small pox etc. As the word implies it involves abrading the skin by various means so as to create a wound which is superficial enough to re-grow normally and deep enough to eliminate a pathology like tattoo or acne scar. Both dermabrasion and dermaplaning can be performed on small areas of skin or on the entire face. They can be used alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as facelift, scar removal or revision, or chemical peel. |
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Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:30 am |
I had this done 5 yrs ago and regret it.
First it was a longer recovery then I was told it would be. I was told about 2 weeks till I could go out in public. No way, my skin was sunburn red for for over a month. It wasn't easy to cover because the skin takes on a different texture while it heals and makeup doesn't adhere well at all.
Second the improvement to the acne scars was minimal. I was told I should get a 50% improvement but it was much less. It was definitely not worth the discomfort and down time involved.
I developed a raised scar from the procedure. I am not prone to them and have not had one before. I did get some steroid injections which did help soften it but I still have a large scar. I also developed some hypo-pigmentation. There is no treatment for it. I'm very fair so its not super noticeable but if you have dark skin really think about how you would feel about that.
After care is time consuming. You need to continuously wash and apply polysporin (or something similar) for atleast 10 days I was told. You really need to do this longer though.
Where are your scars? Do you have alot of them? Have you looked into excisions/subscision? Maybe dermarolling would be an option for you. |
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Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:31 am |
GirlieGirl- The only other options I have looked at are chemcial peels and I have had many and not seen any improvement. I also had about 10 microdermabrasion treatments. Laser treatments were not an option because my skin is dark. I am asian and my skin is not dark or fair so I think the hypo-pigmentation will look really bad. I had it from a TCA peel I had and it was really bad until my skin peeled but I think I remember the plastic surgeon saying it's not reversible with dermabrasion. I have not looked at excisions, have you had any? I would have to look at it.
I have a lot of acne scars. I am 23 now and I have developed them in about 11 years.
Also, the cost of the dermabrasion my plastic surgeon gave me is $5,500 including anesthesia which I think is alot for less than 50% improvement. More than anything else I am concerned about the results. I definitely don't want to go through the pain and the downtime but I have kind of prepared myself for that. My scars are really bad. You didn't mention anything about the cost...
May I ask how much it cost you to have it? Even though it was 5 years ago it would help to know.
Thank you so much for your response. Your reply was very helpful. I have trouble finding someone who has had the procedure.
| GirlieGirl wrote: |
I had this done 5 yrs ago and regret it.
First it was a longer recovery then I was told it would be. I was told about 2 weeks till I could go out in public. No way, my skin was sunburn red for for over a month. It wasn't easy to cover because the skin takes on a different texture while it heals and makeup doesn't adhere well at all.
Second the improvement to the acne scars was minimal. I was told I should get a 50% improvement but it was much less. It was definitely not worth the discomfort and down time involved.
I developed a raised scar from the procedure. I am not prone to them and have not had one before. I did get some steroid injections which did help soften it but I still have a large scar. I also developed some hypo-pigmentation. There is no treatment for it. I'm very fair so its not super noticeable but if you have dark skin really think about how you would feel about that.
After care is time consuming. You need to continuously wash and apply polysporin (or something similar) for atleast 10 days I was told. You really need to do this longer though.
Where are your scars? Do you have alot of them? Have you looked into excisions/subscision? Maybe dermarolling would be an option for you. |
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Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:48 am |
Your price sounds reasonable if its for full face. I think I paid around $2500 for forehead and chin area's only.
Microdermabrasion is useless for scars IMO. I also tried peels but did not really see improvement from them.
I did have some excisions, 4 or 5, on my worst scars. That turned out fine.
If you can find a PS that does dermarolling I think it would be a good option to check out also. I know its not popular among PS's though, but there are some that do it. I don't know why not more, probably because it doesn't cost alot of money.
Take a look at this link about lasers for Asian skin, maybe helpful for you.
http://www.realself.com/question/what-best-laser-resurfacing-method-for-asian-skin |
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Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:14 am |
I had an appointment to see my plastic surgeon yesterday to see how the test spot she did in May turned out and she said it has hyper pigmentation and she can't do the dermbrasion so she cancelled my surgery scheduled for August. I contacted another plastic surgeon and saw his assistant yesterday and she said Plasma Resurfacing would be an option for me.
[quote="GirlieGirl"]Your price sounds reasonable if its for full face. I think I paid around $2500 for forehead and chin area's only.
Microdermabrasion is useless for scars IMO. I also tried peels but did not really see improvement from them.
I did have some excisions, 4 or 5, on my worst scars. That turned out fine.
If you can find a PS that does dermarolling I think it would be a good option to check out also. I know its not popular among PS's though, but there are some that do it. I don't know why not more, probably because it doesn't cost alot of money. |
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Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:24 am |
| My experience was similiar to GirlieGirls. Long recovery, hypopigmentation, one raised scar the size of a quarter which resulted from an infection, and now the skin on my cheeks looks stretched. At the time I chalked it up to the inexperienced doctor... |
_________________
born in 1957, fair complexion |
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Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:27 am |
| mogulicious wrote: |
| My experience was similiar to GirlieGirls. Long recovery, hypopigmentation, one raised scar the size of a quarter which resulted from an infection, and now the skin on my cheeks looks stretched. At the time I chalked it up to the inexperienced doctor... |
Did you find something else that did work? |
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Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:03 am |
Hi Sono,
What is plasma resurfacing? Also, did your new plastic surgeon concur that lasers would not be an option for you? |
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50 Is definitely NOT nifty!! |
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Wed Jul 13, 2011 11:21 am |
| Sono wrote: |
| mogulicious wrote: |
| My experience was similiar to GirlieGirls. Long recovery, hypopigmentation, one raised scar the size of a quarter which resulted from an infection, and now the skin on my cheeks looks stretched. At the time I chalked it up to the inexperienced doctor... |
Did you find something else that did work? |
That was 20 years ago & I haven't had other procedures as invasive but have had a series of laser treatments, & for several years did monthly microdermabrasions and light treatments. My skin looks good but nothing has corrected the damage caused by the dermabrasion. |
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born in 1957, fair complexion |
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Thu Jul 14, 2011 12:46 pm |
| kims wrote: |
Hi Sono,
What is plasma resurfacing? Also, did your new plastic surgeon concur that lasers would not be an option for you? |
It transfers nitrogen plasma energy to the architecture of the skin using a non-contact technique which produces controlled, uniform regenration of the skin. Some of the things I was concerned about are the brochure my plastic surgeon gave me concentrated on wrinkles but the assistant said wrinkles and scars are related and therefore the same treatment would work. |
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Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:05 pm |
Intersting! I've never heard of this treatment before.
I guess you have a few options to weigh in on! |
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50 Is definitely NOT nifty!! |
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Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:58 pm |
| Sono wrote: |
| but the assistant said wrinkles and scars are related and therefore the same treatment would work. |
That statement makes me question their abilities. Do they have previous cases treating acne scars with plasma resurfacing? Do they have any photo's they can show you of this procedure used on acne scars? It may very well give you some improvement but I just don't want to see you waste your money. |
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