Dermabrasion Vs. Microdermabrasion: What's the Difference?

Dermabrasion does not necessarily give you longer lasting results as they are done for different reasons.Microdermabrasion and silk peels which combine microderm with infusion of products are a light facial peel to clean out the pores, remove dead skin and rejuvenated the skin.  There is no downtime and your skin will look radiant and feel smooth for weeks to months after.Dermabrasion is used to improve scars, especially acne scars, improve lines and even out the skin by removing skin down into the dermis.  It requires local anesthesia and you should plan for 4-5 days of laying low as it is red and oozing.  The results can be dramatic and cheeks and lips are the most common areas treated.

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

Microdermabrasion is a light "peel" that has no downtime.  It gives you a freshened look by removing the very top layer of skin cells.  It may improve very shallow acne scarring, skin tone and lighten superficial wrinkles.  Dermabrasion is much deeper procedure as it removes the skin down to the deeper collagen layer so the skin is fully resurfaced.  Some patients have this done around their mouth to smooth out any fine or deep wrinkles or some choose to have their entire face done because of acne scarring.  The downtime is generally around 10 days, with some prolonged redness possible in some patients.  Once healed (7-10 days) you may cover up any redness with make-up.  I would consult with your plastic surgeon to see which procedure would work best for the results you are trying to achieve.

There is almost no comparison between these two procedures. Microdermabrasion is more of a spa treatment to offer a very mild improvement in skin texture. Dermabrasion generally refers to a surgeon performed procedure that is excellent for acne scars or deep wrinkles. However, the recovery time is obviously greater for dermabrasion.

Microdermabrasion is a procedure most commonly performed by Aestheticians and involves the outermost layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum). Dermabrasion (performed by Physicians) is a much deeper treatment and removes tissue into the outer layer of the dermis (papillary dermis). Dermabrasion allows for regeneration of the epidermis and thicker collagen bundles in the dermis, which helps remove lines and wrinkles on the face.
Dermabrasion is a skin resurfacing procedure and achieves depths similar to medium depth chemical peels (35% TCA). A rotating diamond fraise is used to sand away the layers of skin, making Dermabrasion more technique dependent than lasers or peels. Because Dermabrasion does cause a great deal of collateral thermal damage , patients don't experience prolonged redness typical in CO2 laser cases.