Microdermabrasion is a mini procedure that involves the skin being "sandblasted" by aluminum oxide crystals, baking soda, salt or corn cob granules to remove the stratum corneum (top) layer of the skin; dead skin cells. Microdermabrasion also promotes the production of new cells in the basal (deepest) layer of the dermis. This procedure may not give everyone the same results but if you have the money it is a nice treat and requires no down time. It can clean your pores incredibly and hinder any future breaks outs if used on a regular basis. Microdermabrasion also stimulates collagen net working to further even out skin texture and appearance.
Microdermabrasion exfoliates your skin to stimulate cell turnover, improve skin tone, and to soften and polish away mild sun damage, scars, and facial wrinkles.
Benefits of Microdermabrasion
The effects of microdermabrasion are directly influenced by the skill of the practitioner. Microdermabrasion is an important method of reducing skin impurities, clogged pores, oily skin, and resurfacing superficial skin irregularities.
Are You a Candidate For Microdermabrasion?
The best candidates for microdermabrasion are individuals with acne prone and blotchy skin, small scars, rhytides, keratoses, large pores, milia, or sebaceous hyperplasia. If you have sun damage or uneven texture and would like to improve the condition of your skin, you may be a good candidate for Microdermabrasion.
Microdermabrasion is not recommended for those who have active keloids, undiagnosed lesions, recent herpes outbreaks, warts, active, weeping acne (stages 3 to 4), active rosacea, unstable diabetes or auto-immune system disorders.
Does Microdermabrasion Hurt?
Microdermabrasion does not hurt although it may sting a little around the eye area. The patient normally works up to a level as they go to increase the penetration to the skin. Your skin may feel a little hot and appear a little pink for the first day.
You should be perfectly fine that night. Although really intense micro- dermabrasion treatments may leave you pink for several days. The technician can turn down the controls if the suction or level of the blast is too strong for you.
What to Expect During a Treatment?
Patients have attributed the sensation of a microdermabrasion treatment to a slight windburn. Although depending upon the level that you wish to reach the discomfort is usually quite minimal, if at all. The treatments typically last 20 to 30 minutes for the face, if your treatment includes the neck and upper chest area, it may last up to an hour.
A normal course of microdermabrasion treatments varies between 4 to 8 at approximately 2 week intervals. It is recommended that you schedule an additional treatment every 1 to 3 months to maintain your skin in excellent condition. Most patients actually feel and see a difference just after one or two treatments but schedule additional treatments to increase this improvement.
Disadvantages of Microdermabrasion
The disadvantage of microdermabrasion is that there is limited control in the depth of penetration. It is possible to get broken capillaries and pitting of the skin with microdermabrasion, and microdermabrasion is not appropriate for patients with pigmented skin. The crystals used in microdermabrasion can interfere with good visualization of the appropriate target areas in the skin.
Microdermabrasion Methods:
There are several methods of microdermabrasion available on the market. These include:
Crystal-based
Crystal-free
Vibrating paddle systems
Each method has its pros and cons, but all of them help to exfoliate or remove the top layer of the epidermis by a physical method.
Microdermabrasion is a great, affordable way to reduce the appearance of fine lines, superficial brown spots, acne, and minimize pore size with little down time. I like to follow my treatments with a facial, as it helps the cosmeceuticals penetrate deeper. You should select the method based on your provider's expertise and results they achieve (check out their before and after photos).
Crystal-based systems are the ones we are most familiar with, as they have been around the longest. These machines use a vacuum to move the crystals from the machine to the handpiece to make contact with your skin. The crystals hit the skin, removing the top layer, and are removed quickly by the vacuum in the machine, along with this dead skin layer. This is like water in a steam cleaner that shoots down to the carpet and gets sucked up by the machine along with the dirt. The faster the pass over the skin, the more superficial the abrasion.
The crystals used in these machines include corundum, which is aluminum oxide, a colorless saffire. This is inert, and since the crystals do not penetrate deeply, they do not really have a danger of becoming embedded in the skin. Other crystals, such as sodium bicarbonate, must be specially formed to have the angles to abrade the skin. Sometimes the sodium bicarbonate is helpful in changing the pH or acidity of the skin for acne treatments. If your physician has a good machine, there should be an aspiration mode that helps to remove any residual crystals, so you don't feel grainy after the treatment. These machines, if made correctly, do all of the work, and do not rely as much on the skill of the operator. So, someone with a "heavy hand" would not necessarily give a deeper treatment unless they set the machine at a higher setting.
Crystal-free handsets operate similarly to the crystal-based machines, except the skin is pulled up into the handset where there is a small plate covered with abrasive material that removes the top layer of skin. This is a bit like using sandpaper to abrade the skin. Some machines have this plate closer to the surface, so that someone with a heavier hand could do a deeper abrasion than someone else. Sometimes even the same person is inconsistent with her/his pressure. Many people prefer this method because they don't want the grainy feeling after treatment, but it is more operator-dependent.
The crystal-based and crystal-free handsets that are powered by a vacuum pressure are also beneficial in bringing fibroblasts (cells that create collagen) to the surface to help fill in the wrinkles from underneath. This effect is evident 2 weeks after the treatment, so you walk out with glowing skin and still look good afterwards.
The vibrating paddle machines (Vibraderm, Multiderm) use a similar surface, but in a larger paddle that vibrates and removes the skin cells that way. This does leave dead skin particles (and viral particles) around to possibly be inhaled. The advantage of this system is that large areas (calluses, arms) can be treated in less. The paddles are not disposable and are usually reused after being sterilized.
There is also a system that utilizes the crystal-free handset but also "infuses" the skin with vitamins, antioxidants, and other "therapeutic ingredients." Keep in mind that the skin functions as a barrier, and treating the skin with a microdermabrasion does not necessarily make it more porous. I have not seen many studies that prove that these ingredients actually penetrate to do much good after the treatment is complete.
I prefer the crystal-based system because it does great exfoliation, creates collagen under the wrinkles, and is an affordable way with little down-time to get glowing skin. The results are best with multiple treatments done in a row before a big event. Then, maintenance treatments afterwards help the skin to turnover faster and lets those baby cells come to the surface faster.
There is a mild redness that lasts a couple of hours after the procedure. Because of the vacuum pressure, it is not recommended for people with rosacea. These treatments can be done as often as every 10 days. It's a great way to get a feel for aesthetic treatments.
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