Dermabrasion in Utah is a skin resurfacing procedure that has been used for many years to improve lines, wrinkles, acne scars, skin pigmentation, and traumatic scars. Through an abrasive technique similar to light sanding, the top layers of skin that have accumulated years of damage from sun exposure and the natural aging process are removed. This allows healthy skin cells to proliferate and lay down new collagen, which results in a thicker, healthier outer skin layer with fewer wrinkles and areas of discoloration.
What Are The Benefits Of Dermabrasion?
Dermabrasion can be performed in the office under local anesthesia or under sedation in the operating room, often in combination with other procedures. A rotating diamond burr sharply and precisely removes layers of damaged skin and allows new collagen production.
- Effective treatment for wrinkles around mouth, eyes, and cheeks
- Can soften the appearance of traumatic scars
- Can improve pigmented spots, acne scarring
- Outpatient or office procedure
- Safe and proven procedure
Who is an ideal candidate for dermabrasion?
At Utah Facial Plastics, we find that this procedure is excellent for patients with deep lines or extensive acne scarring. UFP surgeons primarily do dermabrasion to the perioral area in conjunction with facelift surgery to soften superficial lines. Dermabrasion works to aggressively remove damaged layers of outer skin. As such, these are issues that would make a person a good candidate:
- Acne scarring
- Moderate to deep wrinkles and lines
- Precancerous skin patches
- Redness and thick skin on the nose
- Extensive sun damage
You can’t have dermabrasion if you have inflammatory acne, recurrent herpes flare-ups, radiation burns, or burn scars. Also, if you’re prone to the development of keloid scars, this isn’t a treatment for you. You cannot have dermabrasion if you’ve taken the oral acne medication isotretinoin in the past year.
Dermabrasion is an aggressive resurfacing procedure and works very well, but there is a period of downtime, wound care, and healing that takes longer than most procedures. Dermabrasion is primarily done on isolated areas such as the nose or for lines around the mouth. If this is not the best method of treatment for you or you are looking to do full face, neck, or chest resurfacing we suggest looking into laser resurfacing with a provider of UFP Aesthetics as we have several options.
Dermabrasion FAQ's
There are some steps we’ll have you do before these treatments.
- Stop taking certain medications - You’ll stop taking aspirin, blood thinners, and most supplements as they can lead to potential bleeding and impede healing.
- Stop smoking - If you smoke, you’ll need to stop for one week prior to and after your treatment.
- Take an antiviral medication - We’ll put you on an antiviral medication prior to your session to help prevent viral infection.
- Take an oral antibiotic - We may also prescribe an oral antibiotic to help prevent bacterial infection.
- Use a retinoid cream - We may put you on a retinoid cream for a few weeks before your treatment to help with healing.
- Avoid sun exposure - Too much sun exposure can cause permanent irregular pigmentation in the treated areas.
- Arrange for a ride home - You’ll receive sedation and possibly general anesthesia, so you won’t be able to drive yourself home.
The length of a dermabrasion session depends on how much of your facial skin is being treated. If it’s just to treat thickened skin on your nose, for instance, this may take 15 to 30 minutes. A full face could take up to 90 minutes.
Because of improved technology, dermabrasion is often done in isolated areas such as the nose or for moderate to severe lines around the mouth. If you are considering resurfacing to the entire face, treatments such as Halo, Pro Fractional, or Contour TRL are likely going to deliver a safer treatment and more ideal result.
Initially, patients may feel a stinging sensation in the treated area but abates with the application of an occlusive dressing and ointments. The skin is initially raw and is kept moist and protected while a new layer of skin is formed. By 7–10 days, new skin covers the treated area. The new skin has a pink color that gradually fades over a period of 4–6 weeks. As healing progresses and more collagen is produced, the benefits of dermabrasion become more and more apparent.
The recovery from dermabrasion is longer than most and is usually combined with facelift procedures to make for an overall improvement and quicker recovery. The results from dermabrasion can have an amazing improvement, but it is important to understand the recovery process takes time.
After having dermabrasion, you’ll notice that your skin is much smoother. This is a permanent change. But that doesn’t mean your skin will stop aging. You can develop new lines and wrinkles. It is important to practice good health and skin care plus SPF protection daily to maintain the results of a dermabrasion treatment.
You can combine other procedures with dermabrasion and it is often done in conjunction with facelift surgery so that patients can have one downtime. Facelift surgery is done to address loose skin and sagging tissues, while dermabrasion is done to address the more superficial layers of deeper wrinkles, aging and sun damage. It is important to understand that dermabrasion is aggressive will require recovery time. Your skin will be raw and oozing, and it needs to be kept moist and protected for about 10 days as it forms a new layer of skin. This new skin will be pink and highly susceptible to sun damage for some time. Discuss your options with your surgeon so that you have a clear understanding on what procedures are ok to combine with dermabrasion and what your recovery will look like.
Redness and swelling — Your skin is red and swollen after dermabrasion. This can last for a period of weeks. Blotchiness is standard, and this can take up to three months for normal skin tone to return.
- Redness and swelling - Your skin is red and swollen after dermabrasion. This can last for a period of weeks. Blotchiness is standard, and this can take up to three months for normal skin tone to return.
- Acne - Tiny white bumps, known as milia, can develop on treated skin. They usually resolve on their own.
- Enlarged pores - This treatment can cause your pores to grow larger.
- Changes in pigmentation - Dermabrasion often causes treated areas to become darker than normal (hyperpigmentation), lighter than normal (hypopigmentation), or blotchy. These are temporary but can linger for weeks.
- Infection - If not attentive with your after-care, patients can develop bacterial, fungal, or viral infections.
- Scarring - If done too deeply, dermabrasion can cause scarring.
- Skin reactions - If you are prone to developing allergic skin rashes or other skin reactions, dermabrasion can cause these to flare up.
Contact Us Today!
Interested in getting dermabrasion in Salt Lake City, Draper, Layton, Utah and the surrounding areas? Contact Utah Facial Plastics for more information or to schedule an appointment call 801.776.2220 or fill out our contact form.