This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
To the Editor:
Dr. Ervin Epstein's article, "Dermabrasion for Cosmetic Purposes, a Long-Time Evaluation by Patients," (Arch Derm97:335 [March] 1968) implies that dermabrasion is not a useful modality for the treatment of acne scars. He bases his opinion on the fact that but 1 of 50 patients he treated and queried answered his letter and was not satisfied with the results.She admitted that the scarring showed "considerable improvement" but complained of other undesireable complications. He surmises that the rest of his patients also were not satisfied with the procedure from the fact that 38 of 39 patients to whom he sent letters (11 never received the letter) did not reply. No matter where the truth lies, any inference from a patient's unanswered letter must be considered somewhat less than scientifically rigorous.Because of the less than perfect results from dermabrasion, a great deal of the initial enthusiasm