“Learning my Lesson with Dermabrasion”

I had dermabrasion in 2000 for the fine lines around my mouth and nose. I was very dense about the treatment at the time and am ashamed to admit I rushed into it. Now I feel much more lucid and – having done my research – would actually do it again (but I would be prepared). I was a candidate for dermabrasion because I had fine lines but they weren’t too embedded at that point, i.e. I didn’t need surgery. I went to a dermatologist who told me about the treatment, which removes layers of your skin. What develops is “new skin” that is supposed to be wrinkle-free. I found that it did in fact rid me of the wrinkles but not permanently. I still had some deeper lines under my nose and the lines around my mouth reappeared within 2-3 years time. In retrospect this is the new skin developing into the old, wrinkly skin you used to have – proof positive that you can’t reverse aging... you can only put off the inevitable! My doc numbed my face beforehand but it was still a painful experience. The pain got worse once I got home and the numbing agent he used was wearing off. I had some creams given to me by my doc but these were not as strong as what he used in his office so they were not as effective. I had to basically stay away from the world for two weeks while my new skin came in. Going out in public was excruciating not just for the funny looks but my skin was also extremely sensitive to the sunlight. I actually began going to a 24-hour grocery store to compensate! My advice: sunblock is your friend. In retrospect I would do this again. However, at the time I was very disappointed when my fine lines came back relatively quickly. I know now that this isn’t permanent or even semi-permanent so I would go in with those expectations and little else.