How to treat your skin with microdermabrasion

As a person ages, his skin constantly gets affected by external factors such as sunrays or wind, but also by internal aging factors. Over time, these factors cause the skin to wrinkle as dead skin portions remain stranded in the outer layer of the face skin.

Microdermabrasion is a plastic surgery method that focuses on removing these dead skin layers but it can also be used in treating several other unwanted effects such as heavy pigmentation of the skin, pimples, scars and so forth.

How microdermabrasion works

There are several microdermabrasion systems used all over medical and day spas, but the most common methods are the “abrasive crystals” and the “roughened surface wand” ones.

• Abrasive crystal - The abrasive crystal microdermabrasion procedure has the surgeon spraying small bits of crystals across your face, with the help of a special device. The crystals get caught up in the skin and using an abrasive mix and a suction device, the doctor will start gently pulling the dead skin away from the face.

This microdermabrasion treatment method is not painful at all and requires no anesthetic, however a slight soreness may exist in the area that has been peeled off for a few days.

• Wand - The second popular microdermabrasion procedure involves the use of a wand with a roughened surface at its end. The same principle as with the crystals is used, as small particles are shot through the wand, which is tightly gripped to your face. The particles are vacuumed back into the wand, together with the dead skin.

Although both microdermabrasion procedures are equally effective, the latter one is faster and has started replacing the abrasive crystals method inmodern medical and day spas.

Financial and time cost of a microdermabrasion treatment

Both the financial and time costs involved with a microdermabrasion treatment are highly dependant on several factors. The first choice affecting these variables is whether you choose to treat yourself at home or at a professional spa. Although home microdermabrasion treatment is available through numerous skin care products these days, they are less effective and will require more time to apply.

• Cost of microdermabrasion - If you choose to go to a professionalmicrodermabrasion treatment salon, a treatment session can get you up to $200, a price which involves applying the crystals/wand to give your skin a brand new feel, the actual treatment, post-surgery treatments and several other minor services. Microdermabrasion cost will also be affected by the severity of your scars, acne or wrinkles. Sometimes several treatments are required, which will have you repeatedly paying the procedures.

Microdermabrasion side effects

Most of the microdermabrasion side effects that a patient will be experiencing are temporary, such as swollen, red skin, an increased sensitivity in the area where the skin was removed from, slight burns and so forth. In some cases, a permanent change in the skin color is noticed, especially with treatments that involved more than one session.

If you're planning on using a home-based microdermabrasion treatment cream, make sure you're not allergic to any of the substances it contains, or you might be ending up doing more harm to your skin than good.