Dermabrasion    
 

The fight against irregular skin surface and skin scars is every man and woman's nightmare. There is nothing more appealing than clear smooth facial skin surface with no imperfections. We spend a fortune every year on make-up, creams and treatments that attempt to improve or hide those imperfections. Women - and even men - with such facial problems are now seeking atreatment that treats rather than hides skin surface imperfections.A good dermabrasion procedure can remove scars resulting from acne, smooth out irregular skin surface and remove freckles. If your skin is regular and you only have some superficial acne traces or de-pigmentation you may be advised to have another non-surgical skin refinishing procedure like a chemical peel.
 

What is Dermabrasion?

Dermabrasion is a surgical procedure that scrapes the facial skin's top layers to remove any deep imperfections. Skin surface irregularities caused by certain types of scars caused by accidents, deep acne scars and freckles are all removed by dermabrasion. The procedure also removes some of the face's fine wrinkles like those around the mouth. Dermabrasion can be performed on small areas of the face or the entire face.
 



Are You a Good Candidate for Dermabrasion?

You would be a good candidate for dermabrasion if you have deep imperfections in your facial skin. You may have deep acne traces that cause the surface of your facial skin to be irregular. You may have a scar caused by an accident that may benefit from resurfacing by dermabrasion. You could also have freckles on your face that you seek to remove. You may have some fine wrinkles around your mouth that you seek to eliminate through a skin refinishing procedure. In general, older people heal slower than younger ones. Black skin, Asian  skin, and certain dark complexions may become permanently discolored or blotchy after dermabrasion. You may not be a good candidate for dermabrasion if you've recently had radiation treatment, a skin burn or a chemical peel. In some of the cases if the imperfections are very deep, you may need another dermabrasion procedure usually performed 6 months after the first one. Dermabrasion can be performed at any age.
 

Preparing for Your Surgery

Before your surgery, Dr. Metwally will perform a complete evaluation with you. He will examine your facial imperfections to see how deep they are. He will tell you if you are a good candidate for dermabrasion or not. Then if you are, he will discuss with you your goals and expectations to fill you in on how you could meet those expectations. If dermabrasion is not the appropriate procedure for your case, Dr. Metwally will recommend to you another skin refinishing procedure like a chemical peel. You should wear loose fitting clothes and bear in mind that your outfit may get soiled.  Do not wear anything metal, contact lenses, or bring valuables to the operating room.

Duration of the Surgery

It takes Dr. Metwally around 20 minutes to perform a dermabrasion procedure for the entire face.

Anesthesia Used

The surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia with sedation (you won’t be totally asleep but you will be relaxed and drowsy and won’t feel anything during the procedure). 
 

During Your Surgery

If you are performing the procedure for selected areas of your face, Dr. Metwally starts by marking those areas; if the entire facial skin will be resurfaced there will be no marking. A rough scraping tool is then used to scrape the external layers of your facial skin that have the imperfections. During the scraping a nurse splashes a generous amount of saline solution on your face to ensure that the scraping doesn't heat up your face to decrease any discomfort post surgically. After your facial skin has all been smoothed out, antibiotic cream and sterile dressing is applied to all the treated areas.

 


After Your Surgery

After your procedure, you will not feel any discomfort for the first few hours, since the local anesthetic will still be in effect. Pain killer and antibiotic will be prescribed to you. You will be given a pain killer immediately after your surgery to minimize any discomfort once the local anesthetic effect is gone. In general, you may feel a slight burning sensation in your face and eating and talking on the first day may be a bit difficult because of the swelling. You may resume your normal activities at home but you may not feel comfortable going out with the dressing on your face. You will be asked to come in every other day to have antibiotic cream applied to your face and have the dressing changed. Your face will be itchy a little as healing takes place. The dressing will be removed after 10 to 14 days depending on the level of treatment and your skin color and sensitivity. You can't wet your face or expose it to heat or light all through the time when the dressing is on. Once the dressing is removed, your new skin will be a bit swollen, sensitive, and a bit pink for several weeks. You can expect to be back at work in about 2 weeks after your procedure. Strenuous activities, sports and alcohol consumption should be avoided for 4 to 6 weeks. Most importantly, do wear sun block whenever exposed to sun until the pigment has completely returned to your skin. That may take up to 6 to 12 months. 
 

Seeing Your Result

After the dressing is removed you will find that your face is pink in color, quite similar to the look you have if you've just spent the day on the beach. Your skin will be silky and soft like that of a baby since the external layers that have been exposed to sun, whether conditions and age have been removed. Dr. Metwally will prescribe to you a cream to make the pink color fade faster. The pink color of your skin will gradually fade returning to your normal skin color but a bit lighter and healthier since the damaged layers were removed. With the exception of some pink color, your final result will be achieved almost 2 months from your procedure day.