Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion

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 from 4 to 8 treatments 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.

After The Treatment

  • A rehydrating toner, moisturizer and sunscreen are applied to your skin prior to leaving the office.
  • Some redness is expected after a treatment; however this is not likely to persist more than a few hours. The sensation of having a mild windburn or sunburn will also pass after a few hours. Applying a high quality moisturizer to re-hydrate the skin at this point will help.
  • Avoid direct sun exposure for 7 days after a treatment. We do stress the importance of using a high quality sun protectant product as well as minimizing sun exposure. Exposure to UV radiation is one of the key factors in speeding the skin aging process.
  • Avoid Alpha-Hydroxy Acid, Glycolic Acid products and skin exfoliation scrubs for 72 hours both before and after a treatment.
  • Avoid full face make-up, i.e. liquid foundations or pressed powder foundations for 24 hours after a treatment. Eye make-up, lipstick etc. may be applied immediately after a treatment.

What Results Are Gained From Microdermabrasion?

Your skin will feel vibrant and healthy and you will notice an immediate difference in your softer, smoother skin. There is virtually no recovery time, no discomfort and you can return to work immediately.
A series of microdermabrasion treatments can help reduce the look of fine lines and superficial wrinkles remove thickened skin areas due to the impact of environmental factors and reduce the appearance of blemishes caused by sun damage. Additionally, microdermabrasion can reduce the appearance of open pores by unclogging sebum (oil) build-up and eliminate white and black heads.

What Can’t Microdermabrasion Do?

Raised or deeply pitted skin areas (possibly from old severe acne scars) and darker pigmented areas will require multiple treatments. I must advise that while Microdermabrasion does is not the cure all for heavily damaged skin, it is a non invasive technique for those of you who do not need a serious laser or chemical peel treatment.
Your skin is made up of two main layers, the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the layer closest to the outside world. It’s a set of dead skin cells on top of another layer of cells that are in the process of maturing. The topmost layer is called the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum mostly acts as a barrier between the outside world and the lower skin layers. It keeps all but the smallest molecules from getting through.

When you put lotions or creams on your skin, some of the moisture passes through the stratum corneum, but not all of it. This layer is home to many minor skin imperfections like fine wrinkle lines and blemishes. All of the action in microdermabrasion takes place at the level of the stratum corneum. Since it only really targets the epidermis (and not the dermis), it is more accurate to call it micro-epi-dermabrasion. Affecting deeper layers of skin would be painful and harmful, and it would risk permanently embedding the tiny grains into the skin.

This process has a few beneficial effects. With the stratum corneum gone, the skin’s surface is improved. The healing process brings with it newer skin cells that look and feel smoother. Some of the skin’s visible imperfections, like sun damage, blemishes and fine lines, are removed. Also, without the stratum corneum acting as a barrier, medicinal creams and lotions are more effective because more of their active ingredients and moisture can find their way down to the lower layers of skin. As microdermabrasion temporarily removes some moisture from the skin, it is always followed by the application of moisturizing creams.

Early studies suggest that repeated microdermabrasion treatment at regular intervals may influence the way the lower layers of skin grow, as well, removing deeper blemishes over time. Some evidence seems to indicate that the rapid loss of skin moisture may be what triggers the lower skin layers to work overtime in speeding healthy cells up to the surface.

Microdermabrasion Candidates

Microdermabrasion works especially well as a way to clean out clogged pores. It’s a useful alternative for patients whose skin is too sensitive to use anti-acne drugs like Retin-A. It’s not recommended for those who have active oral herpes. Here’s a list of the conditions that make someone unsuited for microdermabrasion:

  • Active rosacea
  • Fragile capillaries
  • Vascular lesions
  • Widespread acne
  • Herpetic lesions (herpes)
  • Warts
  • Open sores
  • Skin lesions
  • Anyone who takes anti-coagulants
  • Eczema
  • Dermatitis
  • Psoriasis
  • Lupus Erythematosus
  • Diabetes mellitus