This numbs only the area involved. Scraping continues until the level of skin is reached that will make the scar or wrinkle less visible. Treatment time ranges from a few minutes to an hour and a half. The skin is then protected using ointment, a wet or waxy dressing, a dry treatment, or a combination of these. Healing takes up to 10 days and most of the new skin's color will be normal within eight weeks.
Patients usually return to work within two weeks.
Protection from sun exposure is needed for six to twelve months to avoid blotchy pigmentation. Restoring a more youthful appearance to sun damaged skin is a growing interest. Some people want to decrease wrinkling and aging of the skin. A combination of manual scraping of the skin with a low strength acid peeling may be effective in getting these results. It is less invasive than other procedures and is performed in the doctor's office.