Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wish that your face had a more even tone? That it was cleaner and more hydrated? If you answered yes, you may want to consider microdermabrasion. This non-invasive treatment gently exfoliates your skin. After a series of treatments, your complexion will appear smoother, brighter and more even in color, which is why microdermabrasion is one the most popular procedures at our Vancouver laser and skin care center.
Facial Resurfacing
Microderm is a process of buffing or removing the uppermost layer of the skin allowing the skin to breathe more easily while also stimulating collagen production and clearing away surface imperfections. Physicians and aestheticians use a variety of facial resurfacing techniques including traditional dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser resurfacing and microdermabrasion, to improve the appearance of the skin by addressing skin quality, age spots, fine lines and scarring. Resurfacing or ablating the skin at various depths promotes skin healing.
Microdermabrasion ablates all of the old and lackluster skin using a gentle grit and suction. The advantages of microdermabrasion are it’s a painless procedure that doesn’t require any downtime. Since microdermabrasion produces a superficial ablation, primarily limited to the epidermis, it’s mainly effective for fine lines and superficial scars.
Microdermabrasion in Depth
Okay, so now we’re going to get technical. The skin is divided into two layers – the epidermis and the dermis. The dermis is the inner layer and the epidermis is the outer shell. When we’re dealing with surface imperfections, we address the epidermis. The epidermis contains no blood vessels. Overall, it replaces itself every 14 to 35 days. The most superficial layer of the epidermis is the stratum corneum, which is composed of multiple layers of keratinocytes that are constantly sloughed and regenerated. This is the layer that provides the major barrier function and is targeted during mechanical exfoliation. Microdermabrasion is a very mild non-aggressive method for removing this surface layer of skin, that is, the dead cells of the stratum corneum. It’s one of the basic procedures to improve skin texture.
There are a multitude of problems that arise from dead skin cells and build up. Dead skin cells can wreak havoc on your complexion. As new skin cells are made, old, dead skin cells rise to the outer layers of your skin. Some of these dead skin cells fall off but others stick to the surface of the skin. The accumulation of dead skin cells causes:
- Exaggerated fine lines
- Discoloration
- Breakouts
- Acne
- Milia
- Acne scars
- Scars
- Clogged pores
- Dehydration
- Flaky skin
- Larger looking pores
- Dull, drab appearance
- Blotchy skin
You can remove these dead skin cells and reveal the fresh skin underneath through exfoliation with microdermabrasion.
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Microdermabrasion Techniques
You can exfoliate that superficial layer of skin we talked about using either crystal microdermabrasion or a wand containing diamond microparticles. NuAGE Laser uses diamond microdermabrasion exclusively as the depth of penetration is well controlled and the complication rate is low to nonexistent. The diamond tone tip gently creates an abrasive action to nix the damaged skin cells and bring forth new, smoother, fresher skin. After the mechanical exfoliation, we use suction, which stimulates circulation and signals the skin to produce new collagen and elastin to improve texture and elasticity. It feels almost like you’re having your face softly vacuumed.
Dermabrasion is another exfoliating technique that uses a rotating instrument to remove the outer layers of skin. Dermabrasion is an ablative treatment with longer downtime, however, it’s more effective on deep-pitted scars such as acne scars.
Microdermabrasion Results
Microdermabrasion can help with a variety of skin conditions including:
- Fine lines – Since the treatment promotes new collagen formation, it reduces the appearance of dehydration lines and fine lines.
- Discoloration – Our skin doesn’t produce oils evenly on the face so some parts of the skin are more prone to an uneven tone. Micro helps to balance the complexion.
- Breakouts – Breakouts are generally caused by a buildup of dead skin cells, which we address when we exfoliate with microdermabrasion.
- Acne – One of the major causes of acne is thickened skin. Regular treatments can help keep flare-ups at bay.
- Acne Scars – Microderm promotes blood flow and speeds up healing.
- Scars – Similar to acne scars, the appearance of other scars can be lessened with the extra blood flow and new cell formation, which hastens skin healing.
- Clogged Pores – Regular microdermabrasion treatments regulate skin oiliness and keep pores unclogged.
- Dehydration and Flaky Skin – A buildup of dead skin cells prevent moisturizers and serums from penetrating. Regular treatments will help promote hydrated, glowing skin.
- Larger Looking Pores – Regular treatments reduce skin greasiness by allowing the skin to breathe better and excrete oils with ease, which in turn makes pores less noticeable.
- Dull, Blotchy Skin, Uneven Skin Tone and Drab Appearance – Microdermabrasion’s suction mechanism gets the flood flowing resulting in glowing skin. Combined with its main function as a deep exfoliator, it cleans the skin for a smoother, more even complexion.
Microdermabrasion can also be beneficial for those whose rosacea has a mild acne component with large pores, blotchy skin, sun damage, milia (non-inflamed whiteheads caused by keratin-clogged pores), sebaceous hyperplasia, light scarring, keratosis or mild wrinkles.
Microdermabrasion should be avoided in those with:
- Regular use of retin-A, retinol and peels (discontinue products at least a week before your treatment)
- Sensitive, reactive skin
- Weeping acne lesions or widespread acne
- Active rosacea flares
- Active keloids
- Warts
- Undiagnosed lesions
- Herpes outbreaks
- Diabetes and diabetes mellitus
- Inflamed skin
- Open sores
- Eczema
- Dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Fragile capillaries or vascular lesions
- Lupus
- Erythematosus
- Anyone who takes anticoagulants
Microdermabrasion Side Effects
Potential side effects of microdermabrasion are minimal and it’s a very safe treatment. Since it only affects the outermost layer of skin, the potential drawbacks are limited. Common minor, temporary side effects include slight skin tightness, flakiness, redness and sensitivity, which resolves in a few hours or days.
Ready for some non-invasive, seriously effective skin rejuvenation? We offer Vancouver microdermabrasion treatments at NuAGE Laser. Contact us today and schedule a free consultation. Our skin experts will go over your concerns and goals and help put you on the path to a healthy, flawless complexion.
