DermabrasionThis treatment will give you a smoother skin, often with few or no telltale signs to show where the treatment was done. Dermabrasion is most often used to treat extensive acne scars. Besides treating scars, dermabrasion is used to smooth wrinkles on the face and around the mouth. Dermabrasion is done in an outpatient surgery center or a hospital operating room. For dermabrasion, skin is numbed with local anesthetic via needle injections, combined with sedation. Extensive dermaplaning requires general anesthesia. It takes about one hour or less, for dermabrasion of part or all of the face. Once your skin is numbed, the dermabrader is turned on. The dermabrasion instrument is a small, round metal brush or file. It is attached to a metal handle that is attached to an electrical cord or to a tube of compressed air. You will feel pulling, stretching, and vibration. Your head will be turned from side to side, as different areas are dermabraded. Once the anesthetic wears off, you skin will have a burned feeling, like a raw sunburn. Pain medication is usually needed. This may be acetaminophen, a mild pain reliever available over the counter, or a narcotic prescription such as Demerol. Your face will be swollen, and eating and talking will be difficult. If you try to force your mouth open, it will hurt. It will be a least five to ten days before you can go out in public, and even then your skin will be pink. The deeper the dermabrasion, the longer the healing time. A wet bandage is put on after surgery and then we remove all the layers of gauze the next day. We instruct our patients to wash the raw area with a face cloth and soap and water three times a day, Immediate applications of Vaseline keep the area more free of pain than leaving the area open to dry. To obtain instant short-term pain relief, aqueous lidocaine can be dabbed on (we provide two bottles of plain 1% lidocaine). The soft crust from the light dermabrasion usually washes off on the fifth day, and from the deeper dermabrasion on the seventh day. Occasionally, the postoperative course is troubled by the development of painful spots of purulence caused by bacterial or viral infection. The treatment is to switch to bacitracin ointment or, if there is a past history of cold sores, to acyclovir ointment (Zovirax) or oral tablets. Needless to say, you will look unsightly until you are healed, seven to fourteen days later. For six weeks your skin will be thin and pink and may blister or crack easily. Sun, wind, heat, and cold are to be avoided as much as possible. Makeup is possible in two to three weeks. A non-allergenic brand is preferable, because your healing skin may hurt or develop a rash from your usual cosmetic brand. There should be no scars. The risk is higher if your skin has been previously treated with a chemical peel, radiation, or dermabrasion. A sunscreen or sunblock to protect your skin from the sun is mandatory. Use a # 15 or higher for six months. Skin will be noticeably pink for two to six weeks. Most people need two weeks before going back to work since your skin will still be pink, and the color may be quite blotchy. You can plan on a party in four weeks, with makeup. You can walk, jog, and do exercises at two weeks. If you are a pale to medium-skinned Caucasian, your skin will be pink and blotchy, with some brown and some light areas, for six weeks. If you are black, you will find your skin startlingly light. However, discoloration will usually fade in six weeks, and your black skin color returns. If you are Oriental, your blotchy skin discoloration may last a year or longer, and for this reason dermabrasion is usually not advised for you or for Caucasians with dark "Mediterranean" skin, the kind that tends to blotchy skin color. Redness persists for an unpredictable length of time, varying from three weeks to four months.
Cima San Jose Hospital Tower # 2, Floor # 2, office # 211 Escazú, San José, Costa Rica Tel: (506) 208-8211 Fax: (506) 208-8261 Web Site: http://www.a-plastic-surgeon.com E-mail: arayamd@a-plastic-surgeon.com This web site designed & maintained by The Dogwood Mall  |
