Obi - great news on your success. I'm happy for you and gives me some hope.

For all who have had dermabrasion, I'm interested in your thoughts, especially as to pigment issues, as I'm considering this in the coming winter, even though I'm totally paranoid of hypopigmentation (which I understand is a risk for skin types II through IV). I had a hard time posting pictures so I gave up awhile ago. I have blue eyes and bleach blond (shiny platinum) hair, yet a deep tan from decades doing outdoor sports in CA. Yet, I am pale white on the rear at the swimsuit line. So, I have never been sure if I am Skin II or III. I believe I am II even though I tan very easily. My face is always lighter than my body because I wear sun block for tennis, swimming and golf, but I never apply elsewhere because that skin is so tan it needs no protection. I will sometimes apply a sunless tanner to the face to even it out (it works pretty well).

Anyway, my deepest scars are slightly whiter so they must have lost some pigment, as they don't tan as well. I'm assuming the Dr. will punch elevation these. So, I'm curious what you experts think as to my risk of pigment problems.

Anyway

it works different for everybody, so you should probably do a test spot treatment. if the spot treatment works, it will be much easier for u to go through the post-dermabrasion period knowing that the end result will be fine. 5 months is a loooong time, so consider this carefully. the new skin is very likely to be hypopigmented in the beginning and the recovery period should make all the difference.

Billy Boy - dermabrasion is no different to scarping your knee playing sports. If you have done this how did you heal? Is there any noticeable discoloration? If not it is likely dermabrasion will prove the same.That is what I believe is a good guide. If you are really worried you can have a spot test done behind your ear.

While there is a risk to everything in life you have to outweigh the negative thoughts with the potential benefit. i looked in the mirror this morning 7 months after my second and am really pleased with the great improvement I have received.

Thanks Obi and John Sydney. I don't exactly rush into things as I have been comtemplating this type of invasive procedure for well over a year (my wife and kids think I am nuts because they don't think my scarring is that noticeable). I have a consult appoitment next month with Dr. Y and am guessing that there is 60% chance I will go through with it. Your input is really helpful for those of us on the fence.

My elbow, knee and facial abrasions have tended to heal darker (not lighter), but ultimately blend in pretty well. But, isn't a dermabrasion deeper than a skinned knee? I assume that after the first dermabrasion the skin heals, but the dermis is slightly less thick than before, especially where Dr. Y goes deeper. However, as long as he doesn't go below the dermis, I assume there are still active pigment cells that can regenerate normal coloration. I'm not sure what I am getting at, other than I am intrigued by the need for two vs. one procedure. Given my concern about hypopigment (articles say there is a about a 30% risk, while Dr. Y indicated 10% over the phone, and a plastic surgeon I saw some time back advised me to avoid laser resurfacing and chemical peels because of my desire to keep my tan), should I ask for a shallow dermabrasion or simply leave it to the Dr.'s best discretion?

Thanks so much for you help.

I would leave the decision to the doctor. The fact that your new skin repigmented with darker color in other parts of your body should be very reassuring. The face is actually the Most forgiving part of your body when it comes to scars and it heals faster. Dr Y told me that the chance of permament hypopigmentation is less than 10% and even in these cases its not noticeable. However, i've heard of cases where hypopigmentation has been a big problem even in Dr Y's hands.

The pigment cells will be affected wether he goes below the dermis or not because they are very sensitive. To me its more of a question wether they will return to their normal potential pre-derm. Post dermabrasion i had a few white hairs in my beard here and there for about 4 months. That indicates damaged melanocytes. However, after the exposure of the new skin to sun the color returned which means that the melanocytes got reactivated. You should read this entire forum and follow some links, there is some stuff that will help you to understand how tanning works.

One note: If you develop hyperpigmentation you should not use all these bleaching creams. Hyperpigmentation should eventually resolve itself and if u use bleach creams you might speed up the process but you are risking hypopigmentation marks.

Obi and Jo0hn Sydney

What skin types are you? Did you have a tan pre procedure and I understand that you tan just fine now?

Thanks

obi -

It also helped me to allow a little sun once I healed. When I used a screen all of the time I was noticeably pink but with a little sun (not enough to cause a burn), some of the color came back although my dermabraded area will alwways be a little lighter.

I terms of results, I continued to improve for at least 6 to 8 months after the demrabrasion as the skin collogen continued to rebuild.

Dan T.

i had a tan before derm and i got it back 5-6 months post derm.

i am mediteranean-greek and i can get really dark really fast.

Obi, congrats on your successful result! Very happy for you. It's great to hear back positive results, especially because some of us are in the healing phase that can be so erratic and precarious most of the time. Tough on the psyche...

Now, I'm 5 weeks post derma, and had issues with hyperpigmentation and enlarged pores. However, very quickly, much of the hyperpigmentation dissipated on its own... even the enlarged pores seem to change here and there.

During early weeks post op, I would advise dermabrasion patients to stay AWAY from TriLuma. It's really more aggrevating than anything. (That happened to me, it kept my face from healing, rather causing more irritation) Also, the face is pretty raw and red after a procedure this level and you can barely tell where to apply this cream during this phase.

My local derm was great in combatting my skin's irritation and has me on a successful regimen.

CHRONICLE OF REGIMEN

FOR 2 WEEKS:

Dove Sensitive Soap

Cloderm (corticosteroid to calm inflammation and redness)

SPF 40 during day - Clarins has a great one called UV Plus, Protective Day Screen, Oil Free

FOR NEXT 3 WEEKS:

Dove Sensitive Soap

Cordran tape on portions that are still irritated (high levels of steroid)

Cetaphil Lotion for sensitive skin

TriLuma thinly applied only on obviously DARK, NOT RED areas

To avoid irritation from TriLuma, she has me using Cetaphil under the TriLuma.

SPF 40 during day

I can honestly say that my skin has seen a tremendous improvement since the Cloderm. I only just began the TriLuma 2 days ago, so I'm hoping that it won't cause more irritation!

Best wishes to everyone's recovery,

Hi everybody.

I wanted to come back and share my experience with dermabrasion, 6 months post. Things are looking great. My face has healed completely and pigmentation has also returned. I always thought i would need a second dermabrasion but with the dramatic improvement i've had (i am not gonna talk about %s) i've changed my mind. I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life that i don't have to worry about my scars. However, i would like to note a couple things i've learned form my experience:

 

First and MOST important!

Wait at least six months before judging the final result.

In the first month my face was red with no scars due to swelling.

On the second month my face was pink with scars reappearing every day.

On the third month (worst month) my face was white/pink with the same texture as before.

During the 4th and half of the fifth month, my face looked very hypopigmented but the scars were filling in.

On the sixth month, after i stopped using sunscreen (at 4.5 months) my face slowly regained all pigmentation (mediteranean tan skin type) and the texture improved DRAMATICALLY.

 

 

Having said that, i probably regretted having dermabrasion more than 50 times during the first 4 months port-operation. However, at six months, my final evaluation is that this operation was one of my best decission i've ever made. Would i go through it again if i still had acne scars? With all my heart, Yes i would.

 

 

Based on my personal experience i would suggest that people with a tan should stop using sunscreen after their skin has completely healed, to allow for the melanocytes to be reactivated and the pigmentation to return. I am not a doctor (only a BS in biochem) but i know that the more the new skin is deprived of sun, the higher the chances of the melanocytes to become permamently deactivated. On the same note, if the skin is exposed too soon, the melanocytes and other cells can be destroyed. My doctor did advise me to stop the sunscreen at 4.5 months after he saw me at 3.5 months post.

 

 

 

Finally happy

 

 

†

 

 

Hey there John Sydney,

I was wondering whether or not you had any perminant discoloration after Dermabrasion. Just enquiring what type of acne did you have (Mild, medium, or bad) etc.. I had my Dermabrasion approximately 4 months ago, Ladies at work say that my skin looks a little bit better and that my color is slowly coming back. I am thinking of doing a second one next year. I guess you had good results, After your first what % would you say your improvements were. Before I let you go what type of tone of skin are you (Light, to tan Type IV or V) etc. Thanks best of luck on your improvements.

Billy Boy - dermabrasion is no different to scarping your knee playing sports. If you have done this how did you heal? Is there any noticeable discoloration? If not it is likely dermabrasion will prove the same.That is what I believe is a good guide. If you are really worried you can have a spot test done behind your ear.

 

While there is a risk to everything in life you have to outweigh the negative thoughts with the potential benefit. i looked in the mirror this morning 7 months after my second and am really pleased with the great improvement I have received.

 

 

 

 

Hi Kipster,

I have had no complications at all. My skin color is the same as it was before dermabrasion - just like I scrapped my knee and then it healed. The next two months for you are the best months to see improvements especially around the six - seven month mark. Trust me there will be a big difference for you from now to then.

I don't like to use %'s but it is definately a lot better - much much better. I would not hesitate to have Doctor Y do dermarasion on me again and again. I do not agree with some of the posters who say the downtime is long or difficult (other than the first 4-5 weeks), but each to their own, everyone is effected differently by things - this is for the rest of your life.

I am Middle type skin color - Meditteranean, I can tan very well in the Australian summer. And I had awful acne, BAD some cysts like marbles and when on Roaccutaine I had to take a steriod for 5 weeks (50mgs a day) to bring it under control. My acne was extremely bad by for some reason I never got any on my cheeks of forehead.

PS If you have a second one you heal so much better by the way! Aside from the make-up my life was no different.

Hi John,

Thanks for checking my pics and assuring me a few months ago. I just have a few things to point out.

Everyone heals differently, some heal very well, some end up with totally different looking skin. I believe you healed and look 100% yourself both times, but I hope you can believe I am far from my original color after 6 months, too.

- My normal yellow pigment is nowhere to be seen, the new skin is much lighter than the skin on my chest, which hasn't been exposed to the sun for years.

- There is still a very visible level of redness. The enduring redness was also reported by shade and dolmal 7 months after their dermabrasion. A new asian member desperate_gy also reported that the redness is still present 1 year post op, and is looking for ways to get rid of it.

- My new skin has a shiny texture I did not have before. It looks shiny even right after I wash my face, so it has nothing to do with oil. Some others have reported the same.

I understand what you mean by enduring 6 months of redness for a life time of improvement. Knock on wood, if my hypopigmentation and redness (and hence demarcation lines) persist, the suffering will be for the rest of my life too. People considering dermabrasion or similar invasive procedures must understand the gain can be huge but so can be the loss. It is basically a gamble, only with a skilled doctor like Dr. Y your odds are a little better (of course it depends on your healing ability too), but invasive procedure is still invasive.

Your analogy of scrapping your knees reminds me that I scrapped mine too by seashells at the beach when I was a boy. The scrapped skin healed, but look drastically different (lighter, shinnier) than surround skin. That means you have good healing ability and I don't!!

BTW, I have resumed all activities and regained my confidence in the public and at work, not as a normal looking person, but as someone who survived a major mishap and can still kick ass.

Thanks and take care,

Sword

Hi

I am three weeks post my dermbrasion treatment for my acne scars. At the moment to be honest there is no difference in my acne scars also, my skin has got a shniey waxy texture has anybody else experienced this??? and does anybody know if this will resolve on its own???