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Another popular non cosmetic procedure whose purpose is to resurface the skin and make it smoother is known as the dermabrasion. In this procedure the stratum corneum or the outer layer of the epidermis is removed showing a smoother more vibrant skin. It is on this layer that many of the aberrations of the skin occur such as pitting from a teenage life filled with pimples and blackheads. In the dermabrasion procedure this layer of the epidermis is quite literally sanded away leaving the smooth layer below it. Much like sanding down an old piece of furniture which then exposes the beautiful timber, the dermabrasion technique does the same thing with the skin.
The dermabrasion procedure is in no way pain free, one has to think of the procedure as using sandpaper on their skin, this gives a better picture of the procedure but in fact during the dermabrasion the “sand” is either crystals or diamond and the sanding is more of a sand blasting. Patients will have to undergo general anesthesia during the procedure due to the high pain level associated with undergoing a dermabrasion technique.
In this procedure, with the removal of the outer layer of skin, so too is the removal of skin that has been damaged by the skin as well as dark spots on the patient’s epidermis as well as potentially scars from the past. After having undergone this painful procedure the skin is red and raw and is very similar to having a brush burn as a child who has just fallen of his or her bicycle. It will take several months for this outer layer of skin to grow back but when it does it will look smoother and more even. The nits, scaring and even inconsistencies of the skin’s pigment will be fixed.
When the dermabrasion technique first was developed they actually utilized an electric sander. This sander of course was not just an off the shelf Black and Decker sander but it was a specialized sterile electric sander. Later the technique grew to include the use of a CO2 laser as the laser form of dermabrasion was easier for the surgeon to control the outcome of the procedure. As compared to the older technique that used and electric sander, the CO2 laser dermabrasion was practically bloodless. |
