Hey all,

I checked the FAQ page about Dermabrasion before posting here and couldn't find a thread dedicated to it...if there is one, I apologize for "re-posting."

There is one kind soul on the board (Misty) who has shared photos of her progress after Dermabrasion, but other than that...

I'm seeing a plastic surgeon right now for my scars and he's doing "deep microdermabrasion." (He does not do dermabrasion). It's not the kind of treatment that a "salon" will do or an aesthetician. I did bleed from the process and I'm still healing.

I just wanted to know if anyone other than Misty has had dermabrasion, and if so, what were your results?

I have had just about every treatment available for acne scarring, except dermabrasion. I have an appointment for dermabrasion on April 3rd from a very good facial plastic surgeon in St. Louis. His name is Dr. Brock Ridenour and he prefers dermabrasion over CO2. He is fed up with lasers for acne scarring, because they just don't live up to the hype. I have always been told I needed a dermabrasion, but opted for the high-tech treatment instead. Moreover, I know of several doctors here in St. Louis that still perform dermbrasion.

I believe combined treatments will yield the best results. So far, I am most happy with the CROSS treatments. It is so ironic that the least expensive method yielded the highest results. I just hope this dermabrasion does the trick.

By the way, my doctor is charging me $500 for both cheek areas. A full-face I believe is $1000. His phone number is 314-909-1202. He is extremely nice.

I had a dermabrasion over 10 years ago performed by a plastic surgeon. I think my results were good, however, there are the faintest vertical lines left from the machine which are hardly even detectable. I had minimal scarring along with some sun damage. I really just wanted one area done and the Dr. suggested the other cheek as well for some very minimal scarring and sun damage. I think most of the small scars I had were diminished by as much as 90% or better. The one larger scar I had which was also deep, still remains, although it was made possible slightly larger and much more shallow. This was a good trade off IMO, because the deepness of the scar really bothered me. I have recently had 4 smoothbeams which seem to have helped again any smallish scars which may have accumulated since the procedure. Good luck in your search. I must say be careful in choosing your Dr., because I'm sure as you're probably aware, there are risks involved in this procedure and honeslty I wouldn't reccommend it unless your scars are moderate to severe.

Stefany,

Well THAT is good news . I'm excited for you and hope everything goes well for you in April.

TryingToImprove,

I'm also glad to hear you had good results from Dermabrasion . I wonder about the "vertical lines."

Here's Misty's link:
http://journals.aol.com/animeqtee/MeandMySkin#Entry2

Different doctors will tell you different things about Dermabrasion. Some are for and some are against. If you find a doctor who is quite skilled at it, and has the pictures to prove it, allows you to talk to a patients who had it done atleast a year before and is satisfied with the results, I would say Go for it. Just don't get something like that done without having done your homework. Make sure you feel really confident that this is right for you, and the risks are at a minimum.

These vertical lines I noticed after the dermabrasion are almost non detectable but apparantly he must have gone up and down with the tool. I havn't even noticed them lately but they were slightly apparent a few months after the dermabrasion and occasionally I "kind of" see them. It may have been my fault for getting sun exposure a few months after the dermabrasion since my fiance had just gotten a new boat. I wouldn't really even say they were scars but more like differences in the skin color or a slight difference in the texture. The downtime for me was at least a solid week. It took that long for the skin to heal over. BTW, I used Bicinactrin all over for an entire week with a breathable gauze dressing. Funny, I remember a lady asking me what I do to my face afterward since my skin was so smooth. I told her I'd just gotten my face "sanded".
Good luck with your endevor. I wouldn't expect deep ice pick type scars to disappear, but for me, some small shallow ones pretty much disappeared and at least 5 years or so were erased from my face.

Hi. If you really are willing to go anywhere in the US and you are willing to spend some money, I have heard from many reliable sources that Dr. John Yarborough in New Orleans is the one to see. Consensus maintains that he is the best in the country. I am doing research on this right now, have heard from a few who have been treated by him and are thrilled, and am starting to plan a trip to see him this summer. Anna, i think, posted his contact info at some point so if you do a search for his name, it'll turn up. I wrote him a letter and he called me. We spoke for about 1/2 hour. I was immensely impressed with him as a person--very sincere and down to earth. He puts you at ease immediately. It is expensive though $4500 for a full face. I'm going to try to convince him to do only my forehead, but we'll see. 2 things that make him unique, in addition to his experience, are 1) his use of the wire brush as opposed to the diamond fraise abrader (supposed to be more difficult to use, higher risk, but superior results), and 2) his belief in treating newer scars--intervening in the healing process (though he doesn't limit himself to new scars) Good luck in your search and keep us all posted.

--leo

Hi,

I am also looking for a dermabrasion specialist. I was going to post about Dr. Yarbourough, but Leo got that covered Many say he's the best, and the consensus is you must find someone very experienced in dermabrasion. Everything the others said in the posts before me are true, and they have even helped me with advice in the past(thanks guys).

Here is a link to an informative article on dermabrasion. They mention Dr. Yarbourogh a few times in it.

http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic744.htm

Good luck,

Emma

LOVE

Yes, I also had CO2 just on my cheeks a few years ago. Fortunately, I am extremely fair-skinned and it didn't alter my pigmentation. The laser didn't do much of anything though for my scarring.

Let me know how your consult goes with Dr. Ridenour!

is it effective for redness from acne scarring. My derm said it will help. They will put on a mask and use some sort of clay???

WIll go for a proper consulation next month, but can u guys that have had it done advise me a bit. I am using it for acne scars on the cheeks. The scars are red, and some are very mildly indented, others are flat.


cheers

Are you talking about microdermabrasion? Dermabrasion is highly invasive and shouldn't be entered into lightly, but I think you're talking about a different procedure.

Thanks.

I contacted Misty's current doctor in Birmingham, Alabama (Misty is the girl from the board I mentioned who had 5 dermabrasions).

The doc she recommended was Dr. Monheit and he does Dermabrasion, but did not do hers - the doctor who did hers is now retired. In my research, I've seen the names Monheit and Harmon mentioned so often.

Kiki,

Your microdermabrasion was really abrasive! I had it done, and looked nothing like that. I guess they weren't as aggressive.

Please keep us posted on your consultation with Misty's Dr. I'm especially interested since i'm also looking for a good dermabrader.

Good Luck!

~Emma

P.S.- I love emedicine too.

Hi,

I came across an article that mentions Misty's Dr.

http://www.daklex.com/aboutdrdhir.htm

I'm very interested in Misty's Doc if people have trained under him he must be pretty good.

They all are so far away from me, so I'd have to stay in a hotel. I can imagine how people will look at me 8-[ I guess I don't really care though if it will help my scars / Dr. yarborough's hospital has a hotel connected to it where patients can stay for $40 a night. He's is very expensive compared to the others though. I've heard you shouldn't make a decision based on price though.

Kiki, are you scared?

~Emma

This is Dr. Monheit's website.

http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/dermassociat...ates/index.html

Emmanuel,

Yes sweetie, I am scared

Are you all aware that it is Gary Monheit who wrote the TCA CRoss document? Thought that might interest you.

Not to refute you, Maya;), but Dr. Monheit just wrote brief commentary on the article. It is originally Korean. Just wanted to give credit to where credit was due:)

Minnie

Really? Thanks Maya. This guy is looking better and better.

Maybe I should move to Alabama =P~

~Emma

Hi Kiki

I like your "have scars will travel" motto! I feel like that too. It seems I have no choice anyway. There's no one I know of in Philadelphia that's an expert in this. I don't mind travelling, but the consultations alone are going to cost me a fortune since I have to fly everywhere!

Dr. Monheit seems really qualified from what I read, and if people have vouched for him I'm sure he's capable.

The reason I asked you if you were scared is because I am. I understand how you feel though, because I feel the same way... I've completely put my life on hold it seems. I know I can't live like this either. I never even want to leave the house, so I kind of feel like I have to do this.

I really hope this works out for you, and I think it will. The scars you say you have sound exactly like the ones that dermabrasion is supposed to help.

Do you know when you're having it done?

~Emma