Micro is a beauty treatment, regular is surgery

There are many forms of microdermabrasion, but all of them are very superficial.  A simple version could be considered "sand blasting" the skin, and cleans out pores.  It is generally performed by aestheticians.  True dermabrasion is when a high speed drill with a diamond bur is used to lower the level of your skin.  It is a surgical procedure only performed by physicians, and does result in bleeding.  It is very useful for deep lines, but it has a significant recovery period (it is very similar to a second-degree burn).  I generally only use this technique around the mouth for very deep set lip-stick lines in patients undergoing full facial rejuvenation.  Nothing else works quite as well in these circumstances.

Regards,

Dr.B