Manual Dermabrasion and Electrobrasion
Manual Dermabrasion and Electrobrasion
In 1947, Iverson reported on his use of carpenter’s sandpaper, wrapped around a roll of gauze, to remove traumatic tattoos from the faces of patients.19 Now known as manual dermabrasion, this technique was adapted by McEvitt in 1948 to treat acne scarring.20 However, this method of dermabrasion was complicated by the need for general anesthesia and the development of foreign-body silica granulomas. Later, full-face dermabrasion with rotary devices gained traction in the 1950s with Kurtin’s influence, and with the development of ablative and nonablative lasers for resurfacing in the 1980s and 1990s, dermabrasion became less popular for skin rejuvenation. In this setting, manual dermabrasion found renewed interest as spot treatment for postoperative scarring. Zisser et al. found manual dermabrasion to be superior to traditional dermabrasion, as it obviated the need for a motor-driven device and use of skin refrigerants.5
Electrobrasion, or electrosurgical resurfacing, was described in 1999 by Burns et al., who used the technique to resurface scars resulting from Mohs surgery.7 Similar to manual dermabrasion, this technique was best suited for resurfacing of a smaller, focused treatment area. Campbell et al. further popularized the technique of electrobrasion by utilizing a hyfrecator, a device already present in most dermatology practices.8