How Painful is Dermabrasion on a Scale of 1 to 10?

Dermabrasion is almost always done under local anesthesia, so the only pain is the tiny needle prick at the beginning of the numbing-up of the dermabrasion site. Of course, if a large area is planned for dermabrasion, such as acne scarring of the face, there will be more injections and more needle sticks. However, a skilled dermabrasion expert can inject local anesthesia so that you only feel the first or several needle pokes, and all others will be done in already-partially numb areas.

The real answer to your question relates to the area of planned dermabrasion: small scar or entire face?

Once the dermabrasion is completed, your doctor will have you apply an occlusive dressing or ointment (I use Bacitracin for small areas, and Vaseline for large areas). If the raw skin is kept moist and occluded, the pain while healing is truly minimal, and only lasts a few days at most. After that, the nerve endings have healed and the skin repairs itself (if kept clean and moist and non-infected) in 5-8 days, just like a blister or mild burn..

After your skin is anesthetized you should not have any discomfort but will feel tactle sensation such as pressure and touch.  After the procedure you will have onlly minimal discomfort as long as you keep it covered with ointment. 

Dermabrasion is very well tolerated under local anesthesia. For small areas (nose, cheek) dermabrasion paper can be used and is just as effective as the rotary dermabrader that you refer to. The wounds are relatively painless after the procedure as long as they are kept clean and moist to prevent scabbing.Stephen Weber MD, FACS