It would be very hard to find someone that does not have at least one scar. A scar is the result of a traumatic experience that produced inflammation and cell damage. The severity and extent of the scar is a direct result of the amount of trauma a person has experienced.

Some people have no problems accepting these marks as part of life, but other won't stop until they find a way of getting rid of them for good. Fortunately, for them there are several treatment options available.

Skin creams are popular ways of dealing with scars especially acne scars. Laser therapy and other resurfacing techniques are also fairly widespread, however, for now we'll only focus on one common treatment for scar removal - skin microdermabrasion.

Microdermabrasion: The Mid-day Scar Treatment

Microdermabrasion came into existence in 1985 when Italian doctors created the first microdermabrasion machine in response to the risks of dermabrasion. Its popularity grew immensely in the late 1990s with the invention of more sophisticated machines. Here are some of the benefits to having microdermabrasion over dermabrasion or chemical peels.

*Less Downtime

Since this type of treatment deals with the epidermis, the healing process is very quick. In fact, treatment is so gentle that most people go immediately back to work after having undergone treatment. This is also why some people have dubbed this treatmen as a "lunchtime" treatment.

*Less Pain

Dermabrasion and chemical peels require anesthesia, however, microdermabrasion does not. People with that have sensitive skin can use gentler crystals so that they don't damage their skin, just another benefit of undergoing this type of treatment.

*No Scarring Problems

Other resurfacing techniques can actually cause more scars instead of eliminating them. However, microdermabrasion is so gentle that it will only work at removing scar tissue. You won't have to worry about wound care either.

Microdermabrasion & the Materials Used

Aluminum oxide and sodium bicarbonate are the most common materials used in traditional microdermabrasion. Aluminum oxide crystals, for example, are great for scar treatments while sodium bicarbonate crystals are softer and are most often used to treat hyperpigmentation and milder skin problems.

Both ingredients are antiseptic and non-toxic. Aluminum oxide is inexpensive while sodium bicarbonate is quickly becoming more popular due to its neutral pH and gentle nature.

Crystal versus Diamond Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion can either be done using loose, abrading micro-crystals or a diamond tipped wand that has various degree of coarseness. Both forms of abrasion work in much the same way and offer similar results with similar prices. Many people have stated that the only reason to pick one over the other is to avoid ingesting or inhaling loose crystals.