Oh yay, my specialty! I'm an esthetician. I can't do dermabrasion but it will help with scarring a lot! Be prepared for a certain amount of pain and healing time and know your doctor WELL. Dermabrasion can cause hypopigmentation (uncorrectable white spots) if your Dr. doesn't know your skin well. I am a huge fan of peels but they vary like crazy- % of acid (is it lactic, glycolic,etc.) what is the ph? Is it buffered? Some will make a huge difference with little discomfort, some will sting, some do very little. Don't base all peels on one experience.
Obagi is a great but very aggressive line that will provide amazing results with some side effects and discomfort at the beginning.
I tend to ramble but I'd be happy to answer any questions you have if I can.
Oops, had to edit to say- microdermabrasion and dermabrasion are very different. I think in most cases the right peel is superior to microdermabasion but neither compare to dermabrasion.