Schedule an appointment for microdermabrasion or a chemical peel at the Oregon office of Dr. Peter Goodkin.
Peter Goodkin M.D.
9775 SE Sunnyside Road #500
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
P / 503-654-7546
F / 503-786-3542
The surface of the skin is what we present to the outside world. Youthful skin is blemish-free and uniform in texture and color. The texture becomes less uniform when we develop:
Among these imperfections, those that are flat look the same in any light, whereas those that are raised or depressed appear more pronounced with side lighting, casting shadows on the adjacent skin.
Resurfacing procedures don’t do much for the red areas or moles but can address many of these textural issues. The skin can be resurfaced with mechanical, chemical peel, or laser/light techniques. The amount of improvement depends on the problem being treated and the depth of the resurfacing. If you have a skin imperfection that you think might be appropriately treated with microdermabrasion or a chemical peel at our northwest Oregon office, please feel free to contact us today for a consultation.
There are several types of chemical peels that have varying degrees of effectiveness and safety; all of them improve the skin's texture and tone by causing older, rough, or pigmented skin to peel away. The deeper the peel, the higher the risk and the better the result. Dr. Goodkin restricts his peels to superficial, light TCA and medium TCA peels. Microdermabrasion and non-ablative laser surfacing are minimal-downtime procedures that we also perform.
Simple irregular brown pigmentation that is situated strictly in the epidermis can often be improved with chemical peel methods that only remove and resurface the outer part of the skin. This can be done with superficial peels (usually glycolic "fruit" acids applied to the skin for two to five minutes). Superficial peels are no-downtime procedures, but usually require a series of five treatments at weekly intervals to see and feel results.
When the cause for texture irregularity is deeper or thicker, improvement might require a light chemical peel. Light trichloracetic acid (TCA) peels penetrate more deeply than glycolic acid but do cause some redness and visible peeling for three to five days. A single chemical peel may be enough. Light TCA often improves very fine wrinkles, lentigines, epidermal melasma, and thin keratoses.
If the problem is deeper, a medium-depth TCA combination chemical peel may be what is required. This penetrates into the superficial dermis, and there is a definite wound that takes seven to nine days to heal. It is not a "lunchtime" procedure.
Deep chemical peels are rarely necessary but can produce dramatic reductions in wrinkles. A significant wound takes about two weeks to heal, with redness persisting sometimes for months and a resulting skin tone several shades lighter than the tone you started with.
If you think that the best option for you might be a chemical peel, contact our Oregon dermatology office to schedule a consultation. You can only benefit from learning more.
Microdermabrasion is mechanical removal of epidermis using vibrating paddles, rotating abrasive wheels, or fine grit with vacuuming of the tiny particles. Microdermabrasion is another method that removes and resurfaces only the outer part of the skin.
Dermabrasion (not performed at Dr. Goodkin's) is mechanical sanding of the skin, often with motorized equipment. A spinning abrasive wheel or wire brush strips away the outer skin layers, into superficial or mid-dermis (going deeper can result in scarring). This creates a deeper wound, but this deep wounding is a boon to people with deep acne scars and moderate wrinkles. Initial healing usually takes about two weeks. Redness can persist for months.
Carbon dioxide or Erbium lasers can strip off (vaporize) the outer layer of skin, creating a wound depth dependent upon the power of the laser and the technique with which it is applied. Initial healing is about 10–14 days. Redness can persist for months, and some people develop a delayed decrease in pigmentation.
These deeper resurfacing techniques also have a risk of scarring in addition to the potential pigment changes already described.
Many people don’t want the risk or downtime associated with peels, dermabrasion, or ablative laser resurfacing. That’s where the non-ablative devices come into play. Any laser or IPL device that causes heating to about 60 degrees Celsius can stimulate collagen production in the skin, usually confined to the top millimeter. Most of the non-ablative lasers, including our Vbeam® Perfecta, require a series of treatments at four- to six-week intervals. The Vbeam® Laser causes mild tightening or "toning" but also can greatly reduce redness and even lighten or remove brown spots.
To get further tightening and contouring, we add Thermage®, a radiofrequency procedure, to stimulate new collagen at a deeper level than can be reached with the Vbeam® Laser.
To learn more about microdermabrasion and chemical peels, contact our Oregon dermatology office in Clackamas today. We'll be happy to discuss your unique needs and desires.