Julia B. 
Acne scar is the trail of traumatic skin disorder acne which often flares up in our adolescence. In many cases adults too become the victim of this skin disease which often turn into severe acne lesions and eventually leaves us with unsightly blotches. Doctors throughout the world make use of numerous treatment procedures for dealing with different types of acne scars. Microdermabrasion is a simple noninvasive healing process which is mainly applied to aid mild surface acne scar.
What is It
This painless resurfacing process is developed by two Italian scientists in 1985. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this technique for cosmetic treatments in 1994. The armamentarium for this acne scar treatment procedure involves three distinctive parts:
- One vacuum system
- One compressor
- A hand piece including tubing interlink system
All these three units work together to minimize the visibility of acne scar or erase it completely.
How does It Work
Microdermabrasion works by exfoliating the top layer of the damaged scarred skin thereby allowing the fresh skin layer to appear from below. This hand held system sprays a stream of aluminum oxide microcrystals onto the surface of the acne scar. This gently abrades the top layer of the skin leaving a brand new fresh layer underneath. This nonsurgical cosmetic method removes the very surface cells of the skin and therefore never causes any wound to the skin. This treatment process takes about twenty to thirty minutes and the mostly a gap of two weeks is preferred between two treatment sessions.
The entire procedure promotes the biological production of new cells deep beneath the dermal layer of the skin and stimulates the natural production of dermal collagen, improving the natural tone and appearance of the skin. Nevertheless this method does have little or no impact over the structural modification of the deep acne scars.
Benefits of Microdermabrasion
This is a safe and quick treatment process for acne scar removal which is proven to be effective for all colors and types of skin.
With the help of this procedure we can easily assuage or completely mitigate several skin conditions. This could be beneficial for anyone for many reasons. A few of them are as follows:
- This method is extremely advantageous to deal with the delicate skin texture under the eyes.
- By this method fine lines and wrinkles could be easily removed
- The exfoliation method is especially effective in removing uneven pigmentation
- It resolves colored spots left by the healed acne lesions and helps to rejuvenate dull skin textures.
Risk Factors and Specific Precautionary Measures
This unique acne scar removal technique virtually does not impose any risk or side effects. However, a few mild contraindications might be found which could be easily solved with proper care.
Risk of contagion: the microdermabrasion procedure is executed by using a hand piece which has a tip attached with it. If the machine and the tip is not sterile then it might cause some cross-contamination in the patient. As a part of the safety measure for the patient as well as the clinic staff all the parts of the machine should be sterilized, autoclaved, or changed out especially in case it is old and not working properly.
Risk of inhalation of micro-crystals: Although there is no firm evidence in support of any adverse impact caused by long-term aluminum oxide exposure; however, WHO has listed elemental aluminum as hazardous dust. Nevertheless experts believe that due to the hardness and sharp edges of the crystals they might cause corneal abrasion and respiratory problems in the patient as well as in the clinical staff. This could be easily averted if the operator of the machine uses a proper mask and the patients are provided with some protection for their eyes.
Care before and after microdermabrasion: As a precautionary measure most of the doctors suggest their patients to stay away from the usage of retinoid, retinol, or alpha-hydroxy acid at least for three days before and after the treatment process. On recommendation from the clinic providing the microdermabrasion you might use advanced healing products to speed up the improvement of your skin.
As the newly formed skin is extremely photosensitive, it is always preferable to avoid sun exposure for minimum seven days. Apply a hydrating toner, a proper moisturizer, and sunscreen lotion every time you go out under the sun for at least one month after the treatment procedure.
Microdermabrasion needs a series of treatments before you could get the optimum result for your mild acne scars. Depending on the condition of your skin a professional skin specialist could suggest you the required number of treatment sessions and would help you to achieve a glowing healthy skin.
