What the research shows
Abrading sun-damaged skin into the upper dermis made the skin build more new collagen, and the drop in wrinkles tracked that new collagen (Nelson 1994).
For lines around the mouth, dermabrasion matched CO2 laser in split-face trials, with one side of the lip treated each way. In one trial the dermabraded side crusted less, healed faster, hurt less and stayed red for a shorter time (Holmkvist 2000); another found no difference in lip line scores at six months (Gin 1999).
Surgical scars respond to early sanding. Abrading half of each scar about eight weeks after surgery improved more scars than leaving them alone (Katz 1991). Sanding facial scars 6 to 8 weeks after surgery improved the treated half in about 4 in 5 patients, though in the rest the untreated half looked better (Poulos 2003). Fractional CO2 laser gave the same scar improvement with less bleeding, redness and swelling in the first week (Jared Christophel 2012).
Dermabrasion also protects against precancerous spots from sun damage. Patients stayed free of new spots for about four years on average after treatment, though it did not prevent basal cell cancers beside the nose (Coleman 1996).
Preparation changes recovery. Patients who used tretinoin cream for at least two weeks before dermabrasion for acne scars healed within a week, and none developed white bumps (milia) or dark patches when they restarted it within a week; without it, healing took up to 11 days (Mandy 1986). Dermabrasion around the mouth can trigger cold sores even in people who have never had one, and high-dose acyclovir before treatment stopped the outbreaks, so the authors give it to every patient (Perkins 1996). In an acne scar series, lasting lighter skin, redness and milia were common (Savant 2000). Most lawsuits after dermabrasion and peels cite a poor cosmetic result, which puts weight on a clear consent discussion and realistic expectations (Svider 2014).
Where surgeons disagree
- Dermabrasion or laser for lip lines. Two trials found them equal (Holmkvist 2000, Gin 1999). A third judged the laser side best more often, while patients split evenly on which they would recommend to a friend (Kitzmiller 2000).
- Timing after isotretinoin. The drug's label advises waiting six months before dermabrasion. A dermatologic surgery task force found that superficial and spot dermabrasion may be safe sooner when done by a well-trained clinician (Waldman 2017).
What is new
- Spraying the patient's own skin cells onto the abraded skin cut healing time for acne scars to less than half, with fewer complications (Chen 2020).
- In a 2026 comparison for facial scars, dermabrasion and microneedling both worked; dermabrasion needed fewer sessions and caused more redness, and microneedling was easier to tolerate (Thomas 2026).
What is still unknown
- How dermabrasion compares with newer acne scar treatments. A ten-year review of acne scar treatments found a single dermabrasion study (Kravvas 2017).
- How long scar and wrinkle results last. The trials follow patients for months (Holmkvist 2000, Poulos 2003).
Key papers
- Mandy 1986: tretinoin before dermabrasion sped healing and prevented milia and dark patches.
- Katz 1991: controlled study showing early spot dermabrasion improves surgical scars.
- Nelson 1994: linked wrinkle improvement to new collagen.
- Coleman 1996: dermabrasion kept precancerous spots away for years.
- Perkins 1996: antiviral treatment for every patient before perioral resurfacing.
- Holmkvist 2000: dermabrasion matched CO2 laser on lip lines and healed faster.
- Jared Christophel 2012: fractional laser matched dermabrasion for scars with an easier recovery.
- Waldman 2017: consensus on resurfacing during and after isotretinoin.