Dermabrasion and dermaplaning help to "refinish" the skin's top layers through a method of controlled surgical scraping. The treatments soften the sharp edges of surface irregularities, giving the skin a smoother appearance.

Dermabrasion is most often used to improve the look of facial skin left scarred by accidents or previous surgery, or to smooth out fine facial wrinkles, such as those around the mouth. It's also sometimes used to remove the pre-cancerous growths called keratoses. Dermaplaning is commonly used to treat deep acne scars.

Both dermabrasion and dermaplaning can be performed on small areas of skin or on the entire face. They can be used alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as facelift, scar removal or revision, or chemical peel.

If you're considering surgery to refinish the skin, this information will give you a basic understanding of the procedure-when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. It can't answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances. Please ask your doctor about anything you don't understand.

Anesthesia: General or sedation.
Location of operation: Hospital
Length of surgery: 15-60 minutes.
Length of stay: Outpatient (home same day).
Discomfort: Moderate. Anticipate 3-7 days of prescription pain medication.
Swelling: Will last for 7-14 days.
Dressings: You will be instructed to wash your face daily and reapply ointment until your skin has healed. Expect 7-10 days. After your skin heals, it will appear sunburned. It will return to its natural color in 4-6 weeks.
Presentable in public: You will be presentable with makeup in 7-10 days.
Work: You may feel capable of returning within 3 days, but your appearance will be the limiting factor.
Exercise: May be resumed within a week.
Sun protection: SPF 15 or higher for 3-6 months.
Final result: Will be seen in 4-6 weeks.

Dermabrasion can have a lasting effect on acne scars. Dynamic wrinkles, because they are caused by ongoing muscle activity, will redevelop within one to five years.

Satisfaction following dermabrasion is variable depending on the severity of the problem. The deeper the wrinkles and acne scars, the less likely dermabrasion will yield a satisfactory result, and the more likely that multiple treatments will be required. Those who expect more from dermabrasion than it can deliver and those who expect that deep wrinkles or acne scars will be removed following a few treatments will be disappointed.Concluding thoughts on Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion has been used for decades to smooth skin and reduce wrinkles and acne scars. Like most treatments for skin problems, multiple sessions of dermabrasion may be necessary to achieve your desired results. Since the advent of laser technology, many plastic surgeons have turned to lasers to achieve the same goals they once attained through dermabrasion.

Chemical peels of the face are a great way to achieve rejuvenation. Depending upon your concern, you might benefit from a variety of different facial peels.

Deep chemical facial peels typically employ the chemical phenol to achieve a very deep peel. The recovery is longer, but the effects on wrinkles are dramatic. The downside is that it can affect face pigment permanently.

Medium chemical peels are unlikely to discolor facial skin and do provide some inprovement in wrinkles, but do not influence deep wrinkles.

Blue Peels use TCA and are a type of medium chemical peel, but have built-in safety features which enable nurses to perform them.

Micro peels are the lightest peels and can be performed using a variety of different substances, depending on your skin type. They have a more gradual effect on superficial wrinkles, and do little or nothing for medium and deep wrinkles. Their advantage is that they impose no recovery.

Phenol Peels
Deep Chemical PeelsWhen people speak of deep chemical peels, they are usually referring to phenol peels. Phenol peels offer some striking advantages, but also impose some striking disadvantages.

Advantages
A phenol chemical peel provides an overwhelming improvement in wrinkles. Results are unquestionably superior to those following other peels, laser, or dermabrasion. Just one treatment is required and results last decades. No special preparation is necessary prior to a deep chemical peel, and no special care is required to maintain your results afterward. Phenol peels may improve superficial acne scars and nearly all dark discoloration.

Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of phenol is permanent skin pallor. After your redness has faded, your face will gradually turn ghostly white, which is irreversible, unnatural, and serves as a telltale sign that you have had this procedure performed. There is no way to smoothly transition from peeled to non-peeled skin, so a clear line of demarcation will exist. You may attempt to camouflage your appearance with make-up, but even heavy foundation may be inadequate. Because of the significant alteration in skin color, deep phenol peels are suited best to those with fair skin. They are not appropriate for women with olive, brown, or black skin, as they will cause permanent disfigurement. Other disadvantages include that your skin will never tan after a deep chemical peel. If you choose to tan the remainder of your body, an even greater discrepancy will exist between your previously peeled and non-peeled skin. Also, if you are heavily freckled and have a full-face deep peel all facial freckles will be removed, creating unnatural disharmony with your freckled neck and chest. Deep peels are therefore not recommended for those who are heavily freckled

Anesthesia: General or heavy sedation.
Location of operation: Hospital
Length of procedure: 15-60 minutes.
Length of stay: Outpatient (home same day).
Discomfort: Mild to severe. Anticipate 0-5 days of prescription pain medication.
Swelling: Moderate to severe and may temporarily interfere with eye opening. It will improve over 7-10 days.
The peeling process: Your face will be swollen, red, oozing, and crusted. Over several days, your face will become stiff, dark, and begin to flake. Within seven to ten days peeling and flaking will be complete, and you will be left with healthy, smooth, bright red skin. This sunburned appearance will take two to three months to improve. Thereafter, your skin will appear extremely pale.
Presentable in public: You will be presentable in 2 weeks with makeup.
Sun protection: SPF 15 or higher should be worn indefinitely.
Final result: Will be seen after your redness fades. Expect 2-3 months.

Peels have the most profound effect on wrinkles and are used successfully in properly chosen patients. Women with pale skin who have profound sun damage gain dramatic improvement with peels and are commonly pleased with their results. Because their change in appearance is overwhelming and because bleaching of their skin is not obvious against their pale complexion, these women are satisfied.

Women with less sun damage and those with medium or dark complexions are likely to be highly dissatisfied with the results of a phenol peel due to permanent pallor. Because of lengthy recovery and permanent pallor, phenol chemical peels are one of the least commonly employed treatments for wrinkled and sun damaged skin.