# How is cosmetic skin resurfacing different to sunburn? (Medical.)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cosmetic-skin-resurfacing-different-to-sunburn-medical/74843>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 3, 2001, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cosmetic-skin-resurfacing-different-to-sunburn-medical/74843 "2001-08-03T22:23:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cosmetic-skin-resurfacing-different-to-sunburn-medical/74843/1 "2001-08-03T22:23:22Z")

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I am talking about the myriad of cosmetic methods: Laser, chemical peels, acid peels, microdermabrasion (like sandblasting)…that “remove old layers of skin and let youthful skin regrow.” How is this different from a bad sunburn?

I have two friends of a certain age who have had these sort of treatments with great success, after a fairly gruesome healing process.

[sub]I just had a serious peel done. I feel like an idiot, look like a burn victim, and have hidden in my house for three days. I had better look freaking 21 after this.[/sub]

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**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cosmetic-skin-resurfacing-different-to-sunburn-medical/74843/2 "2001-08-03T22:37:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Carina42 \*  
> \*\*  
> I had better look freaking 21 after this.[/sub] \*\*

Sweetie, hy would you want to look 21 when you already look 18 :D, you know I am more than happy to buy beer for you. 😉

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**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cosmetic-skin-resurfacing-different-to-sunburn-medical/74843/3 "2001-08-03T23:54:00Z")

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Well, I’m not a dermatologist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…

A sunburn damages the lower layers of the skin (the dermis). This is the very region that you are trying to expose through cosmetic skin treatments. So a sunburn would seem to be the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

I think.