Minneapolis Dermabrasion doctors
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Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon
4825 Olson Memorial Highway (Hwy 55) Suite 200, Minneapolis |
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2 answers |
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Patrick S. Carney, MD
Minneapolis Dermatologist
625 East Nicollet Blvd Ste 200 & 203, Burnsville |
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Charles Crutchfield, MD
Minneapolis Dermatologic Surgeon
1185 Town Centre Drive Suite 101, Eagan |
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Douglas L. Gervais, MD
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon
4825 Olson Memorial Highway (Hwy 55) Suite 200, Minneapolis |
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Joseph Campanelli, MD
Minneapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon
2080 Woodwinds Drive Suite 220, Woodbury |
Recent Answers
I've been getting dermaroller/dermabrasion procedures done by my dermatologist for acne scar treatments, but I tend to occasionally break out (a few here and there, cystic/nodular acne). My dermat recommended that I be on a low dose Accutane regimen for maintenance since my occasional breakouts are going to end up causing scars again while I still continue w/my dermaroller sessions. He says a very low dose of Accutane for maintenance won't really affect anything, is this true? Is it safe?
Though the risks may be "minimal" if you are having "only" a "mild" dermabrasion or dermaroller session, what if your "low dose" of Accutane ends up giving you hypertrophic or keloidal scarring? If the dose of Accutane is so "very low" that it "won't really affect anything," then why use it? It must be anticipated to have a (beneficial) effect on your acne, so why might it not have a (bad) effect on your healing?
Sorry about all the quotation marks, but say each of those quoted words with a little emphasis as you read my answer, and you may catch what I'm really trying to say.
Just because you "hope" something bad won't happen doesn't mean you can avoid proper precautions with a known complication. I hope you always wear a seat belt when you drive, even though your risk of being in an accident where you might be thrown from your vehicle and have it roll over you is "very low." I think your Dermatologist may be putting his or her procedure income ahead of your best interests--why do anything risky if it is completely avoidable? It is your risk to take or not, but realize that it is your skin that will have permanent and potentially disfiguring scarring if those "low" risks become reality!
The research I did on dermabrasion shows that a metal wheel spins across your skin, peeling away the surface. Kind of like a mini-scalping. I'm guessing on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 = giving birth), dermabrasion is a 7. Is this to pessimistic or optimistic? I've also heard varying advice on recovery time. Some people say you're back to work in 1 week, others argue 3 weeks. That's a big difference for me. Can someone offer guidance here?
Dermabrasion is almost always done under local anesthesia, so the only pain is the tiny needle prick at the beginning of the numbing-up of the dermabrasion site. Of course, if a large area is planned for dermabrasion, such as acne scarring of the face, there will be more injections and more needle sticks. However, a skilled dermabrasion expert can inject local anesthesia so that you only feel the first or several needle pokes, and all others will be done in already-partially numb areas.
The real answer to your question relates to the area of planned dermabrasion: small scar or entire face?
Once the dermabrasion is completed, your doctor will have you apply an occlusive dressing or ointment (I use Bacitracin for small areas, and Vaseline for large areas). If the raw skin is kept moist and occluded, the pain while healing is truly minimal, and only lasts a few days at most. After that, the nerve endings have healed and the skin repairs itself (if kept clean and moist and non-infected) in 5-8 days, just like a blister or mild burn..