Microdermabrasion for Rosacea

Microdermabrasion is not a standard type of rosacea treatment. Microdermabrasion or "microderm" can be beneficial for those whose rosacea has a mild acne component with large pores, blotchy skin, sun-damaged skin, milia (non-inflamed whiteheads caused by keratin-clogged pores), sebaceous hyperplasia, light scarring, keratosis or mild wrinkles.

Microdermabrasion should be avoided in those with sensitive reactive skin, weeping acne lesions, active rosacea flares, active keloids, warts, undiagnosed lesions, or recent herpes outbreaks.

Microderm is a process of buffing or removing the upper most epidermal layer of the skin. The skin being pummeled or "sandblasted" with a combination of mild abrasives, vitamin C crystals and/or aluminum oxide crystals to remove dead skin cells, to stimulate collagen production and surface imperfections in the top layer of the skin. Microderm usually consists of a series of six to eight treatments on a weekly basis to achieve optimum results.

Microdermabrasion is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to exfoliate or remove only the external layer of skin and, therefore, rarely results in serious complications. The main risks occur if the sand particles get into the eyes, resulting in scratching, abrasion or irritation of the eye. If the machine is set at too high a power the potential for side effects include skin perforation, hypo or hyper pigmentations, bleeding, and infection. Be alert to the fact that there have been reported incidents in which recycled crystals have been used from previous patients and this increases the risk of spreading diseases or infections. There is also a risk of the machine or its parts not being properly sterilized and this can also increase the spread of skin infections. There is also a possibility of potential harm from the inadvertent inhalation of the aluminum crystals used during the microderm procedure.

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