micro-dermabrasion or laser resurfacing?

hi.  in the past, i had an extremely bad case of acne that left me with a face full of scars.  the scars aren't extremely deep but they are very noticable and i'm frustrated each time i look into the mirror.

i would like to get as much information as possible about somehow removing the scars from my skin.  a woman approached me yesterday and gave me some information about micro-dermabrasion and said that after 6 treatments that my skin would be perfectly smooth.  you don't know how excited i was to hear this.  i wanted to be treated right away but instead i chose to do a little research on the topic.

is micro-dermabrasion totally sufficient for removing acne scars?  i read someone's post about it and they said that it's nothing more than an exfoliation.

then there's laser resurfacing that i've heard about from my past dermatologists.  i've heard that you have to walk around for 6 months with a swollen red face and that afterwards, you may end up with discoloration on your skin and you have to stay away from the sun for a very long time.  is all this true?  is laser resurfacing sufficient for ridding skin of acne scars?

please help.  thank you very much in advance for any information.

brian

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Brian:

Microdermabrasion is no more than a superfical exfoliation, not nearly deep enough to deal with acne scars.

Laser resurfacing is more likely to be worth investigation.  Results in good hands are fair, but repeat peels (perhaps at 6 0r 12-month intervals) often produce progressive improvement which may be quite satifactory, if not absolutley perfect.  The CO2 laser is probably a better bet than the erbium:yag laser for acne scars.

Yes, there is redness after this procedure, but not nearly as lengthy and unpleasant as your description.  Given your unhappiness, you ought to look inot it.  Find a dermatologiswt or plastic surgeon who's performed many procedures.  Get a few opinions.  You may or may not proceed, but don't give up in advance.

best.

Dr. R