Is Dermabrasion Right For Your Skin?

Dermal abrasion, or surgical planning of the skin, is done in selected
patients with facial disfigurements from scars resulting from acne,
trauma, tattoo, nevi, freckles, and chickenpox or smallpox.



The procedure involves the removal of the epidermis and some
superficial dermis while reserving enough of the dermis to allow re-
epithelialization of the dermabraded areas. Results are best in the
face, because it is rich in intra-dermal epithelial elements.



Surgical planning or dermabrasion is performed either manually with
coarse abrasive paper, or mechanically with an abrader or a rapidly


rotating wire brush.



Patient Instruction and Preparation



The primary reason for undergoing dermabrasion is to improve the
appearance.



Before the process will begin, the surgeon explains to the patient what
he can expect from dermabrasion. The patient should also be informed
about the nature of the postoperative dressing, the discomforts he
may experience, and how long it will take before his tissues will look
normal again.



Normally, the extent of the surface to be planed will determine
whether the procedure takes place in the surgeon’s office, the clinic, or
the hospital. In most cases, a general anesthetic is used and the
patient is hospitalized.



The skin is thoroughly cleansed for several days before the surgery.
Shaving is not necessary in the female, but with the males, it is
important to shave their face on the morning of the surgery.



In addition to general anesthesia, the use of a topical spray anesthetic
for stabilizing and stiffening the skin may be desirable. The depth of
planning can be readily gauged and the anesthetized area is
momentarily bloodless. The superficial layers of skin are removed by
an abrasive machine, usually known as the Dermabrader, or the
sandpapering.




During and after planning, copious saline irrigations remove debris and
allow for inspection.



Is It Right For Everybody’s Skin?



Even if dermabrasion is one of the best surgeries needed to clear the
skin from scars from acne and other skin problems, there are still
some factors that need to be considered before jumping into
conclusions. These factors are very important to take into
considerations because not all skin type is created equal. Hence, the
effects may vary.



Here are some of the factors that need to be considered before
applying dermabrasion.



1. The skin color



People who have dark skins tend to have permanent discoloration or
blotchiness after the surgery. Therefore, it would be better not to opt
of dermabrasion if the skin falls under this category.



2. The skin’s condition



There are people who are born with sensitive skins. This means that
their skins will immediately experience allergic reactions to some
chemicals or treatments that the skin cannot endure.



In this manner, people who have sensitive skins should not resort to
dermabrasions.




3. People who have acne that are on its active stage are not allowed
for dermabrasion.



If the person has acne that is currently on its active stage, it is best
not to try dermabrasion. This is because there is the danger of
infection due to the freshness of the open skin. Ruptured or open skin
will be easily penetrated by bacteria that cause infection.



This is also applicable for people who have burnt skin or those that
have previously undergo chemical peel.



4. Be wary of people who perform dermabrasion.



Dermabrasion is actually a safe surgical treatment. However, it
requires expertise and familiarity on the process in order to perform it
properly.



Hence, dermabrasion should not be executed by people who still lack
some of the required skills in the execution of the process.



5. There are skins that have the tendency to develop keloids or
excessive benign growth of skin tissues.



This simply means that for people who usually develop a scar or keloid
whenever their skin is damaged, chances are, they would develop the
same thing when they undergo dermabrasion.



However, there are some treatments that can remove the scars and


keloids, it would still be better to avoid such trouble of getting into
another medication. Hence, for people who have skins that fall under
this category, it is best not to try dermabrasion.



All of these things are boiled down to the fact that dermabrasion is not
appropriate for everybody. Like the other treatments available in the
medical field, it should also be analyzed with utmost care before
jumping into decisions.



After all, it is the person’s skin that will be put at risk and not just their
money, so, careful considerations is extremely important.