I learned of Laser Resurfacing AND Dermabrasion. Which one is best? :o)

Thank you for your question! Laser resurfacing has essentially replaced Dermabrasion for skin peeling. My only current indication for Dermabrasion is "traumatic tattooing" (eg- road rash with asphalt). I hope this helps!

Laser resurfacing and dermabrasion can both be used to treat perioral lines.  Laser resurfacing is a more precise treatment as the depth of injury is controlled by computer as opposed to depending on free hand movement by a surgeon.  However deep perioral lines also have an underlying component of both hard and soft tissue volume changes.Laser resurfacing alone is not likely to produce as much improvement as a combination of laser resurfacing and soft tissue fillers.

There are several treatment options to help improve wrinkles around the mouth.  Most physicians do not use dermabrasion any longer, but CO2 laser resurfacing or chemical peels can usually result in improvement.  You would need to be examined to determine if you might be a good candidate for either treatment.  The depth of treatment, whether with laser resurfacing or a chemical peel, determine the length of recovery.  In general, the deeper the treatment, the longer the recovery, the more dramatic the results.  

When discussing skin resurfacing techniques you need to understand a few things about the treatment options.  Each type of treatment encompasses a fairly broad range of treatment options.  It is important to choose a surgeon or dermatologist who understands how to tailor a treatment for your skin, the results you desire, and the amount of downtime / risk you are willing to tolerate.For laser treatments, CO2 resurfacing is the mainstay of treatment.  The fractionated technology is probably the key difference when comparing laser resurfacing with the other treatments for aging skin.  Dermabrasion and chemical peels effectively treat the top layers of the skin.  Fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing has the advantage of treating with multiple small channels deeper into the skin while leaving untreated skin in between each micro beam which leads to faster recovery while still getting the long term advantage of continued collagen stimulation.Dermabrasion is not necessarily a bad option.  As others will note it is no longer performed very frequently, and there is a lot of finesse required to be great at that technique.Chemical peels are also very good options that can be tailored from light to medium to deep.For the description you provided I would lean toward CO2 laser.  You can consider a single more aggressive treatment or a series of 2 lighter treatments staggered a few months apart for easier and faster recovery with much less risk of the pigmentation problems that you mentioned.

Laser resurfacing (i.e., CO2) and Dermabrasion (not microdermabrasion which is different) are both very effective for treating lines and wrinkles around the mouth, even the very deep ones, and both treatments can be performed very "thoroughly." However, the experience and knowledge of the plastic surgeon using either the CO2 laser or performing the Dermabrasion is the single most important factor in determining the final result. The attached link and website  provides more information.I hope this helps.

Thanks for your question and we always recommend that you consult with a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to learn all of the treatment options available to you. Most physicians today have stopped doing traditional dermabrasion – it can be quite a bloody procedure and the healing time for this is significant. Lasers have replaced this in most offices – and the fractional lasers and the fractional RF devices, including the RF microneedling devices are the most common devices being used in today’s offices.There are several types of fractional devices that can help here – the non-ablative fractional lasers can be useful – they work over time – 4-6 treatments over 4-6 months can improve the skin and the scars here. There is minimal downtime with these procedures. The ablative fractional lasers, like the Lumenis ActiveFX and DeepFX can work here, and usually do the work in 1-2 treatments, but there will be 5-7 days of downtime with these. There are also the sublative radiofrequency (RF) devices including the Syneron eMatrix and the Venus Viva. We tell patients that, on average, 3 treatments are needed and again, downtime is minimal. The RF devices are color blind, so darker skinned individuals can be safely treated here. And now we have RF microneedling devices, such as the EndyMed Intensif, that also work really well on scars – with minimal downtime again.With any of these, a good skin care routine is also needed. Again, consult with the proper physician, learn the treatment options, and chose the one that works best for you and your lifestyle.

Very few physicians even do
dermabrasion anymore as lasers are very precise and also the heat lends itself
to more tissue tightening. In either case, you want a very experienced
physician to do your chosen procedure as both are considered risky in the wrong
hands

Dermabrasion is limited in what it can do safely.  With the right laser, all areas of the face, neck and chest can be treated safely and effectively with much safer and more predictable results. I our practice we have 9 resurfacing lasers, each unique in what it can do so that exactly the right laser and technique can be used to meet the needs of each patient.   The Fraxel Restore Dual Laser can also be used safely to resurface the trunk and extremities. 

Very few people do dermabrasion any longer due to fear of blood spraying into the air.  We stopped doing dermabrasion in 1995 when the CO2 laser was introduced.  Phenol chemical peels are still a very good option and have been around for decades .  In fact at times I prefer these medium depth peels for wrinkles involving the lips over our CO2 laser!     And it is much less expensive.  Social recovery from either should be 10 days or less