Dermaspacing Reviews by Dermatologists

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Dermaspacing

An All Natural Way for Eliminating Scars & Wrinkles

Until very recently, traditional treatments for wrinkles and depressed scars involved the use of soft tissue filler substances, such as injectable collagen replacement therapy or hyaluronic acid, also referred to as soft tissue augmentation. These treatments require the injection of purified materials directly under the wrinkles or depressions to elevate them to the surface. The materials are made in the laboratory, and in some cases skin tests must be performed before treatment in order to minimize the chance of allergic reactions. Moreover, repeat touch up injections are typically required every several months in order to maintain optimum correction.

Dermaspacing, also known as subcision, by contrast, is a simple, safe and rapid office procedure designed to stimulate the skin to produce its own collagen. No foreign or processed material is implanted. While it is uncertain how long the correction may be maintained in any individual, because the skin has been encouraged to produce its own collagen, it is reasonable to anticipate that the correction may persist for an extended period.

How Dermaspacing Works

Immediately prior to starting, the cosmetic surgeon generally numbs the region surrounding the wrinkle or scar with a small amount of local anesthetic, making the procedure entirely painless. Then, using a fine needle inserted into the skin, the tissue in the dermis is separated directly under the length of the wrinkle or scar to create a small, narrow pocket or space. During the next several weeks, the skin responds by producing new collagen to fill in the space created, thereby plumping the skin and correcting the wrinkle or scar directly above.

Doctors use the term excision to refer to a surgical procedure in which a deep cut is made through the surface of the skin, usually by some cutting instrument, such as a scalpel. For this reason, excisional procedures generally leave a small skin scar. The term dermaspacing is used because, except for the initial needle prick, no cuts are made along the surface of the skin. All work is done below the skin, virtually eliminating the possibility of surface scarring. And the needle prick site generally heals imperceptibly, as well.

Indications For Dermaspacing

"Worry" lines along the forehead, "scowl" lines between the eyes, and "laugh" lines, "marionette" lines and "smoker's" lines around the mouth are particularly well suited to this technique, which usually only requires a few minutes to perform during an office visit. Depressed acne scars, chicken pocks scars, and certain linear, depressed traumatic scars are also amenable to this approach.

Learn more about Dermaspacing from Nelson Novick, M.D. of New York City.

Dermaspacing Procedure

In my experience, deep dermaspacing, a minimally-invasive office procedure, followed by the injection of a volumizing agent, such as Radiesse, have proven quite helpful for individuals who have multiple, discrete areas of pronounced puckering. Since it stimulates natural collagen production, dermaspacing alone may be helpful for raising up a site the way it does when treating depressed chicken pox or acne scars. I have found, however, that the supplemental use of a volumizing agent, such as Radiesse, is essential for achieving optimal results.

The procedure is simple. First, approximately ten of the most prominent or deepest dimples and craters are outlined with a surgical marker on each side of the thighs and buttocks.. Next, a small amount of local anesthetic containing epinephrine (for constricting blood vessels and diminishing bruising) is instilled directly underneath each of the spots. A needle-like cutting instrument, or trochar, is then inserted immediately below the dimple and fanned about in all directions to break up the tight fibrous connections encircling the fat bundles and to create a small pocket into which newly synthesized collagen will be deposited.

Finally, the volumizer is injected directly into the newly created pocket. This serves to directly plump up the overlying skin. It also enhances native collagen synthesis. And lastly, it acts a spacer material to prevent the pocket from closing before there is sufficient natural collagen produced to fill it up and raise the pucker above.

Each site requires just a couple a minutes to treat, and the entire procedure may take only twenty to thirty minutes.

Bruising, slight swelling, and discomfort are common and may last for several days. Since the resulting wounds all lie entirely below the skin surface, they are allowed to heal by themselves and require no special wound care. Cosmetic improvement is usually seen in about two to four weeks, the time it takes for new collagen to be laid down. The procedure may need to be repeated one or more times to achieve maximal correction. Fees typically range from $1500-$3000.

Learn more about Dermaspacing for stretch marks and cellulite from Nelson Novick, M.D. of New York City.

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