Microdermabrasion: What It Is and How It Can Benefit Your Skin
Microdermabrasion: What It Is and How It Can Benefit Your Skin
How does your skin feel when you touch it. Does it feel rough and has an uneven texture? Do you notice pigmentation, tan lines, wrinkles and ageing lines when you see the mirror. All these problems occur because of skin fights the environment very hard to keep our insides protected.
The skin carries the brunt of both intrinsic and extrinsic ageing. External things like the dirt, pollution, sun rays, particulate matter often clog the pores of the skin and reduce the cell turnover capacity greatly. As a result, our face looks dull, has pigmentation, and develops early signs of ageing all of which are undesirable.
While home exfoliation scrubs and kids can help reduce the clogging a bit, they do not do the kind of deep cleaning that is needed to give the skin some breathing space. This is where microdermabrasion can help you.
Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic skin treatment that removes that gently scrubs the outermost layer of the skin to clean out the dead skin cells and give a rejuvenation, smoother and years younger looking appearance to the skin. It is a minimally invasive treatment and does not need any stay in the hospital.
History
Microdermabrasion was first bought in the cosmetic market in the year 1985, as an alternative to harsh chemical peels and traditional dermabrasion which were not giving the desired results. Microdermabrasion can be done in a clinic, spa or office by a trained dermatologist, or a registered aesthetician and the procedure does not need anaesthesia.
Microdermabrasion was deemed safe for all skin types and had minimal complications or side effects on the skin. In this procedure tiny abrasive crystals are sprayed on the skin in a controlled manner and a handheld vacuum is used to remove the debris. It removes the top layer of the epidermis and as a heling process new skin layer is formed with improved cosmesis or appearance. Another big advantage of microdermabrasion that came forward was that it greatly improved skin permeability and aids in delivery of transdermal medications in the deep layer of the skin.
What do modern cosmetologists use Microdermabrasion for?
Microdermabrasion has become a very popular cosmetic procedure because one session of treatment can give many benefits to the skin such as
- Treat wrinkles and fine lines
- Reduce pigmentation caused because of sun rays
- Diminishing scarring caused because of acne
- Cleaning up clogged pores
- Reducing enlarged pores
- Getting rid of stretch marks
- It removes blackheads and age spots
- Exfoliating the skin for a fresher and younger appearance
- Treating acne
- Correction of uneven skin tone
- Reduction in Melisma and photo ageing
- Treatment of seborrheic skin
- It increases collagen thickening. Collagen is a naturally produced protein in body essential for skin tightening and make it taut and smooth.
Although microdermabrasion only removes the upper layer of the dermis it does affect the deep layers of epidermis and dermis. It reduces the production of melanin, increase elastin density. A microdermabrasion treatment also helps in improving the rate of wound healing by improving cellular response.
How is the procedure done?
Microdermabrasion is a simple procedure. The steps to the procedure are as follows
- The skin is first cleaned using a gentle cleanser that will remove the dirt, oil, grime and residue of makeup from the face.
- Your eyes will be covered with glasses or gauze to make sure that the abrasive crystal doesn’t go in your eyes
- The technician will then move the microdermabrasion hand piece over the skin.
- Depending on the type of microdermabrasion select the machine will do its work
- The vacuum attached to the tip of the device will suction the debris.
- In a single session the machine is move over the problem areas of the skin for three times.
- Then the practitioner will use a washcloth to remove the residual debris from the skin and apply a moisturizer.
- The entire session is over in just under 30-60 minss.
The degree of the top layer of epidermis removed, will depend on the procedure exposure time and the pressured used the handpiece. Depending on the skin issue and your preference the cosmetologist might use any one of the following microdermabrasion techniques
Diamond tip microdermabrasion
This is also called crystal free stem. This device has diamonds embedded in the hands piece. The tip gently exfoliates the dead skin cells and the handpiece suctions them off immediately. This is generally used for areas around the eyes. This procedure is cleaner than other methods of dermabrasion.
Crystal microdermabrasion
This is kind of like sandblasting the skin with a spray of crystals that remove the dead skin cells form the top layer of the epidermis. These crystals are generally aluminium oxide. Sodium chloride, magnesium oxide, and sodium bicarbonate crystals. The dead skin cells are suctioned off immediately. The technician will make sure that the crystals don’t get in your eyes and nose.
Hydradermabrasion
This is the latest technique in microdermabrasion. It is a two-pronged approach that does crystal free exfoliant and at the same time infuses rejuvenating products in the skin. This procedure improves blood circulation in the skin and stimulates collagen production.
Microdermabrasion is a completely safe procedure and hardly has any side effects. However, if not done by the experts or if the high-pressure settings are used then the skin might bruise or have some pinpoint bleeding. There is rarely any scaring or infection.
Some spas and clinics also combine microdermabrasion as a part of their facial treatments and in such cases the procedure might take a bit long to finish.
Microdermabrasion Results
The most common results of microdermabrasion are immediate improvement in the softness and texture of the skin. The skin gets an immediate glow and the pores are visibly reduced. The skin less stiff and with regular treatment the thickness of skin increases. Patients suffering form melasma notice a reduction in pigmentation and there is even distribution of collagen density.
You will need multiple treatments to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and acne scaring. It does not work on deeper wrinkles and scars. The results of microdermabrasion are cumulative, they are scheduled about 14 days apart. In general, you will need 6-10 treatments to target the skin needs.
Another benefit of microdermabrasion is that since the top layer of epidermis is removed it is easier for the skin treatments to be direct diffused in the system. Microdermabrasion improves transdermal Vitamin C delivery, Lidocaine delivery for better and most effective results.
The temporary side effects include dry and flaky skin, increased sun sensitivity, light bruising on the skin that goes away in few days.
Who cannot have microdermabrasion?
People who are suffering from skin infections or have warts or herpes should let the doctor know before microdermabrasion. Sometime dermabrasion can also cause a rosacea flare up. Also, people suffering from sunburn, bleeding disorders, open wounds, tendency to get keloid scars should avoid microdermabrasion.
What to do after Microdermabrasion ?
Your skin might be a bit sensitive to sun for a few days therefore don’t forget to use sunscreen regularly to protect the skin. You can continue using gentle makeup, moisturizer, cleansers as usual. The skin might look a little pinker but that is just normal and soon new bright looking skin will take its place. Continue taking good care of your skin and eat a good diet to help with quicker and long-lasting results.
Microdermabrasion cost
Microdermabrasion is an outpatient procedure and therefore you don’t have to worry about hospital admission fees when calculating microdermabrasion cost in India. The price of microdermabrasion in India is also influenced by the expertise and qualification of the expert performing the treatment, the type of microdermabrasion used, the number of sessions need and the location of the clinic.
Make sure that you talk to your surgeon about the cost of microdermabrasion in detail. Many clinics offer good financing plans for the patients. Insurance does not cover this procedure usually. When finding about microdermabrasion cost in India keep in mind that the dermatologist’s experience and expertise in your chose procedure is just as important as the final cost of the surgery.
