No, even if the microdermabrasion is done very deeply, deep acne scars are better treated by regular dermabrasion or carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing. Both of these treatments require about a week and a half of recovery time. It is a wound that requires diligent care by you and there is a risk of scarring from the procedure.
Some deep scars are able to be treated by alternative methods if the scar is able to be raised up. Injecting a filler below the scar can lift it close to the level of the surrounding skin. Sometimes a process called subcision is done to break up the attachment of the scar to the underlying tissue which holds it down and then the filler is injected.
If the deep scars are very narrow, they are called ice pick scars and can first be treated by punch grafts. In this procedure, the small scar is surgically removed and replaced with a plug of skin taken from behind the ear so its donor scar is not seen. This “punch graft” is taken and placed into the new hole created by the removal of the ice pick scar. After the graft heals, resurfacing is usually done about two months later to even out the texture.
Newer lasers and plasma energy devices, such as Fraxel Restore, Fraxel Repair and Portrait Plasma, can achieve some improvement with deep scars. The wound healing with Fraxel Restore is very quick, but it requires a series of many treatments to elevate and smoothen the scars. The improvement seen with Fraxel Repair and Plasma Portrait is better than one treatment of Fraxel Restore but usually there is only one treatment given with Fraxel Repair and Plasma Portrait PSR II or III.
The improvement might be better with the older dermabrasion and CO2 laser resurfacing, but there is a chance of developing permanent skin lightening with these procedures and there is a greater chance of scarring. So, there are a multitude of possibilities available and the physician should sort out your skin type, level of scarring, type of scarring and your timetable for convalescence during the consultation and then offer the best treatment plan for you.
It is important to choose a physician who treats all levels of scarring and has had experience in performing the different types of scar treatments rather than seeing a physician who has purchased one laser and uses that for everything after they have had a training session from the laser company.
Although being a member of laser and dermsurgery societies does not mean the physician has such experience, it at least indicates the physician tends to perform more of these procedures than the average dermatologist. Two such societies are: The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. Both societies can be found on the web.
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