Microdermabrasion

A common facial rejuvenation treatment, microdermabrasion has become quite popular in recent years as the preferred alternative to more invasive procedures like chemical peels and plastic surgery.

Microdermabrasion is often used in conjunction with different laser treatments to improve the look and feel of your skin. For example, after a laser resurfacing procedure stimulates collagen growth in your skin, microdermabrasion can help bring new, healthy skin cells to the surface. In addition, microdermabrasion is one of the few facial rejuvenation procedures that is gentle enough to be used on the the neck as it can be very sensitive and prone to scarring.

Effects of Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion works very well for:

• reducing fine lines, blemishes, acne scars and sun damage
• making skin look and feel smoother and fresher
• increasing the effectiveness of topical lotions and creams
• cleaning out clogged pores
• removing stretch marks
• reducing the size of enlarged or noticeable pores
• evening out pigmentation and sun and age spots on the skin
• making surface scars less noticeable or removing them altogether
• thinning thick patches of skin

How Microdermabrasion Works

Microdermabrasion is an exfoliation treatment that works by spraying tiny particles across the face that buff away the very top layer of skin. A suction device then removes the particles and the top layer of skin, which is called the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is comprised of dead skin cells that act as a protective barrier for the deeper layers of the skin.

When microdermabrasion removes the stratum corneum, your body sees this as a mild injury of sorts and quickly replaces it with new skin cells, making the skin look younger and glowing. Some research suggests that consecutive microdermabrasion treatments can also affect how the inner layers of skin grow.

There are two main types of microdermabrasion:

• Crystal microdermabrasion
• Diamond microdermabrasion

Crystal microdermabrasion, the more popular of the two methods, uses tiny crystals when exfoliating the stratum corneum. Diamond microdermabrasion uses a machine with a diamond-tipped head that rubs against the skin and performs the exfoliation. Patients report seeing more beneficial effects from crystal microdermabrasion.

Microdermabrasion vs. Dermabrasion

Microdermabrasion differs from traditional dermabrasion, which is much more invasive. Whereas microdermabrasion only removes a very fine layer of skin, dermabrasion exfoliates the skin much more deeply and removes various layers. Dermabrasion is more effective at treating more pronounced wrinkles and scars, but comes with a longer recovery time and higher price. Dermabrasion is also performed under a light anesthesia.

Treatments

Microdermabrasion treatments generally come in a series of six that happen every 7-10 days. Immediately following your first treatment, you will see improvements right away and your skin will feel very soft and smooth.

Each microdermabrasion procedure lasts for about 20-30 minutes. While most patients experience no downtime, some do report slight redness for a day or so. You should stay out of the sun and use a strong sunscreen after each treatment, since your skin in more susceptible to the harmful rays of the sun afterward.

Microdermabrasion isn’t right for some patients, such as those who take Retin-A, have serious acne or open lesions, or have used Acutane in the last twelve months. Dr. Leslie Smith can help determine the best facial rejuvenation treatment plan for you and whether you could benefit from the many positive effects of microdermabrasion.