What does dermabrasion mean?
Dermabrasion is a medical and cosmetic procedure in which the outermost layers of skin are mechanically worn away — usually with a rapidly rotating wire brush or diamond-coated instrument — to leave a smoother, regenerated surface. Dermatologists and plastic surgeons use it chiefly to soften acne scars, reduce fine wrinkles, even out sun-damaged skin, or remove certain superficial growths. The term is formal and technical, appearing mainly in clinical settings rather than casual speech, and it is usually treated as uncountable, as in 'the patient underwent dermabrasion'. It should not be confused with microdermabrasion, its much gentler spa-based cousin: true dermabrasion is an invasive procedure performed under local or general anaesthesia, requiring weeks of healing as new skin grows back. For anyone reading about skincare treatments, understanding this distinction is essential, since the two procedures differ enormously in depth, cost, risk, and recovery time.
nounA surgical or cosmetic procedure in which the outer layers of skin are removed by abrasion (typically with a rotating brush or diamond fraise) in order to smooth scarring, sun damage, or other surface irregularities.
- The medical or cosmetic procedure of mechanically abrading the outer layers of skin to improve texture, reduce scarring, or remove lesions.
"After the acne scars faded following her third dermabrasion session, she finally felt comfortable going without makeup."
"Deep acne scarring that resisted topical creams was dramatically reduced after two sessions of dermabrasion."
"The plastic surgeon recommended dermabrasion rather than laser resurfacing to smooth the surgical scar."
Typically used as an uncountable mass noun referring to the procedure generally; the plural appears when counting individual procedures or treatments.
"Patients who undergo multiple dermabrasions often see progressively greater improvement in scar appearance."
Dermabrasion literally means 'scraping off the skin' — and for decades it was one of the only ways surgeons could sand away deep acne scars, long before lasers took over.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dermabrasion
Dermabrasion combines the Greek root 'derma-', meaning 'skin', with 'abrasion', from the Latin verb 'abradere', meaning 'to scrape off' (from 'ab-' 'away' + 'radere' 'to scrape'). The same Latin root gives English words such as abrasive, abrade, erase-related forms like raze, and the legal term abrogate's sibling 'corrode' shares the scraping sense through a related path. The compound entered English in the early twentieth century as surgical techniques for resurfacing damaged skin developed, alongside cognate dermatological terms such as dermatology, epidermis, and hypodermic, all built on the same Greek word for skin.
Related word forms
How dermabrasion is actually used
A formal, technical term used almost exclusively in medical, dermatological, and cosmetic contexts; it would sound out of place in everyday conversation. It is typically uncountable when referring to the procedure generally, but can take the plural 'dermabrasions' when counting individual procedures.
Easily confused with dermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a far gentler, non-surgical exfoliation using fine crystals or a diamond tip, whereas dermabrasion is an invasive procedure that removes deeper layers of skin and requires recovery time.