Dermabrasion Procedure for Shallow Acne Scars

Dermabrasion and its effects in acne scarring can be summarized as follows:


Limit in certain skin types- Darker skin types may not be candidates due to risk of permanent pigmentation issues

Shallow scars respond best

Consider therapies which build collagen and utilize dermabrasion as a "finishing" procedure once collagen has been restored.  Dermabrasion is much more effective in this role.

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Pitted scars are deep and rarely respond to dermabrasion. However, shallow acne scars may respond to traditional dermabrasion which may require 2-3 weeks for recovery. In brief, 20 sessions of microdermabrasion will not equal the effects of one dermabrasion procedure. Microdermabrasion, if performed properly as defined, is essentially an agressive expfoliation. (removal of dead cells). You should experience no bleeding. Bleeding indicates that you have passed into the dermis which is not an endpoint of microdermabrasion. Dermabrasion, however, does pass into the dermis and this creates a superficial controlled wound which must heal. microdermabrasion require no healing.

Dermabrasion is a fairly affective treatment for acne scars.  There are a couple of points to consider:


Dermabrasion is much more aggressive than microdermabrasion 

Dermabrasion is more equivalent to CO2 or Erbium laser skin resurfacing (see my other posts)

You will have pinpoint bleeding following the procedure

Recovery takes about 5 days after dermabrasion


Microdermabrasion takes only the most superficial layers of skin off and is by no means equivalent to dermabrasion (not even if you have 20 treatments).  Dermabrasion removes skin in a very controlled manner down to the bottom layer of skin (the dermis).  This allows new collagen to form and fills in the acne scar depression.  As well, new skin cells grow over the area and produce a youthful, more rejuvenated skin.

Dermabrasion is a very effective technique to correct some scars, including acne scars. Dermabrasion works by sending down the area around a scar so that the entire surface is on the same level. After dermabrasion, your skin will appear red and may have a small amount of bleeding. This should be treated by placing Bacitracin onto the raw skin. You should also use a sunblock with at least a 50 SPF at all times as this skin is extremely sensitive to sun burning and permanent hyperpigmentation. In our practice, we also recommend that patients stay out of the sun for several months after the surgery to make sure their skin heals optimally.
 

No one knows how many microdermabrasions are equivalent to one dermabrasion, but if the scars are discolored or shallow, a series is worth a try. At least 6 would be my suggestion.
Fraxel Restore also is an option, and we KNOW how well that works for acne scars with about 3 days of downtime. 3-6 sessions are usually needed for acne scars.
Full dermabrasion has 7 days of downtime, like Actice FX and Fraxel Repair. Redness lasts several weeks after healing with all abaltive treatments.
There is no one right answer to your question, so I'd trust the judgment and experience of a reputable board certified dermatologist who performs all these procedures.