Dermabrasion

If You’re considering a skin-refinishing treatment… Dermabrasion and dermaplaning help to "refinish" the skin's top layers through a method of controlled surgical scraping. The treatments soften the sharp edges of surface irregularities, giving the skin a smoother appearance. Dermabrasion is most often used to improve the look of facial skin left scarred by accidents or previous surgery, or to smooth out fine facial wrinkles, such as those around the mouth. It's also sometimes used to remove the pre-cancerous growths called keratoses. Dermaplaning is also commonly used to treat deep acne scars.

Both dermabrasion and dermaplaning can be performed on small areas of skin or on the entire face. They can be used alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a facelift, scar removal or revision, or chemical peel. 

If you're considering surgery to refinish your skin, the information that follows will give you a basic understanding of the procedure – when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. It can't answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances.  Please ask your doctor about anything you don't understand.

CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES

If you're planning "surface repairs" on your face, you may also be considering chemical peel, an alternative method of surgically removing the top layer of skin. However, dermabrasion and dermaplaning use surgical instruments to remove the affected skin layers, while chemical peel uses a caustic solution.

 Many plastic surgeons perform all three procedures, selecting one or a combination of procedures to suit the individual patient and the problem.  Others prefer one technique for all surface repairs. In general, chemical peel is used more often to treat fine wrinkles, and dermabrasion and dermaplaning for deeper imperfections such as acne scars. A non-chemical approach may also be preferred for individuals with slightly darker skin, especially when treating limited areas of the face, since dermabrasion and dermaplaning are less likely to produce extreme changes and contrasts in skin color.

WHAT IS THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND?

MendMeShop Therapeutic Ultrasound Device

Therapeutic ultrasound is a method of stimulating tissue beneath the skin's surface using sound waves. It is a very high frequency massage that can penetrate up to 5" below the surface of your skin.

The sound waves are typically between 800,000Hz and 2,000,000Hz.  The sound cannot be heard by humans or animals. Humans can only hear sounds up to about 20,000Hz. The frequency sound affects very small molecules, and actually causes the cells in your body to move.

FREQUENCY

How ultrasound energy is transferred into the body is a function of many factors. The frequency of the ultrasound waves is actually the opposite of how deep they will penetrate the body. A 1MHz ultrasound will penetrate about 4" below the skin whereas a 2MHz ultrasound unit will only penetrate about 2". While a low frequency means deeper penetration, using too low a frequency will cause that the waves to stimulate an area too wide to properly move the molecules. The frequency also has a significant impact on the phonophoretic properties of the ultrasound. Our MendMeShop Portable Ultrasound Device is specially tuned to a frequency that maximizes nutrient penetration, energy transfer and phonophoresis.

THE SCIENCE OF ULTRASOUND FOR THE SKIN

Ultrasound combines a high-touch treatment with the high-tech methods of the 21st century, offering a number of positive effects that facilitate rejuvenation to improve the appearance of the skin. When a conventional facial massage is administered, the practioner’s hands provide an average of three vibrations per second; ultrasound moves at three million vibrations per second. This high-frequency massage can help soften scars, improve skin tone and increase skin lasticity.

Ultrasound also creates friction and increases local heat, which increases the activity of skin cells. By doing this, production of collagen and elastin increases, toning the skin. Increased temperature also stimulates blood flow to the area, bringing with it more oxygen and nutrients for healing. Another benefit of increased blood flow is an increased lymph flow, removing toxins

and waste products. The combined stimulatory effects of ultrasound firm the skin and help breakup scars, and counteract the factors that underlie the signs of premature aging. Ultrasound is gentle, safe and provides rapid results. Used with an effective home care regimen, it has become a significant advance in skin care. Although ultrasound must be performed under the supervision of a physician, discuss the benefits with your skin care professional.  Want to minimize the look of facial aging? Photo rejuvenation and resurfacing are excellent ways of improving your appearance by softening wrinkles, pigment stains and other signs of aging.

WHAT IS PHOTO REJUVENATION AND RESURFACING?

Photo rejuvenation is a general name for a variety of procedures. The basic definition is a hermal disturbance of the skin's collagen. The result of this process is an activation of the healing process and the release of substances that influence the regeneration of skin cells. The cell activity is stimulated and thus new collagen fibers are created.  Skin strength and elasticity therefore improve. Other skin problems that can be treated using photo rejuvenation include the disappearance of pigment stains and tiny veins, the filling of small wrinkles and scars and a general improvement in skin quality. Photo rejuvenation is a very gentle treatment and therefore can be combined with a chemical peel, other laser treatments, application of botulinum toxin, skin implants. It’s also possible to have photo rejuvenation following surgical treatments.   Resurfacing is a method of skin treatment in which a laser is used to remove the top skin layer. The skin is eliminated using a beam from an Erbium or CO2 laser. The results of resurfacing are a smoothing of wrinkles and small scars, skin lifting and general rejuvenation. Resurfacing, however, is more invasive than photo rejuvenation.

For a free consultation please call:

718-449-5939 or 646-884-1774