Lunchtime solution to skin resurfacing
Some call it a power peel. Others know it as a crystal peel, dermapeeling, or, in Hollywood where it’s joined liposuction as a vanity “must do,” as the California peel or lunchtime facelift. No passing fad, dermatologists and skin clinicians agree that, based on client feedback and healthy invoicing, this relatively new procedure is here to stay. Available for almost two years in the US, seven years in Europe, skin doctors and therapists are selling this as a safe, effective, and affordable skin smoothing treatment worthy of the new millennium.
Microdermabrasion is used to treat common skin conditions such as rough skin texture, uneven pigmentation, acne, sun damage, fine wrinkles, acne scars, and tattoos. The technique involves sandblasting the skin with aluminum oxide microcrystals, a sterile fine sand. A handheld wand with adjustable air and vacuum control is passed over the treatment area creating superficial wounds or peels from ten microns to 100 microns (one-tenth a millimeter) in depth. A sheet of paper is 80 microns thick.
Dermatologist Dr. Steven Kern, MD, says microdermabrasion is a hit because it’s relatively easy on the face, the clock, and the pocketbook: “It is quick, safe, and there is no recovery time. They can get in, they can get out, and basically face very fewer risks than the more extensive cosmetic procedures. In the medical literature I have not seen yet any reports of complications other than very mild irritation, some sensitivity, and things of that nature. It is a very mild treatment.”
The treatment has been popular for treating the effects of aging, from brown spots to fine lines on the cheeks, forehead or around the mouth. Patricia Geller, who has had seven peel appointments, says she chose the procedure because it is expeditious: “I was just starting to have fine tiny lines as people get when they are older, and this procedure has halted them. There is a visible difference. I’m an advocate of things that are low risk but that enhance, that actually do make a difference. It’s not the cheapest procedure but it is not the most expensive. It feels good, you look good, and very little time involved. Go out that night.”
Microdermabrasion can play an important part in reconstruction and renewal therapy after major skin trauma like burns. Shelli Dempster has spent years recovering from a highway collision in Mexico in which she suffered near-fatal burns over ninety percent of her body. A former model, she feels it was a miracle she survived. Twenty-nine surgeries, including skin grafts, have helped restore her beauty. Says Dempster, “There are a couple of big scars that stand up, it’s a lot less--a ridge they call it--under my jaw line, that has almost gone down to almost nothing. It’s really almost flat.” She says the procedure hurts in areas that are sensitive like around her eyes: “It’s a little uncomfortable, I won’t lie to you. It feels kind of like sand paper.”
Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kim Cook, MD, says the skin renewal treatment is also used on the chest, neck, arms, legs, and hands and is especially effective for those with dark or discolored skin. “The microdermabrasion has done wonders for stretch marks also.”
Doctors say in most cases a minimum of five initial treatments, spaced one to three weeks apart, is required for optimal results. Treatment of acute acne and burn scars will usually require ten initial treatments. The treatment can be used in conjunction with other skin renewal regimens like laser therapy or Retin-A therapy.
Cost is around $150 per visit. With minimal preparation time, no anesthesia, and a fifteen to twenty minute treatment time, microdermabrasion can be done during a lunch break. Makeup can be applied immediately following the treatment which results in a light redness or flushness akin to a mild sunburn. Special skin creams are to help speed cell renewal and some offices use oxygen to make it heal faster.
Since only two days of training are required for licensing to use the equipment, Dr. Kern urges finding experienced clinicians or physicians: “I would look for myself for an individual that has a lot of experience and performs this on a regular basis. Not someone in a salon that does this once or twice a week. Somebody that does this twelve to fifteen times a week. And then I would also look for an individual that has a conservative approach and gives me realistic expectations of what I can expect.”
Shelli Dempster is feeling better about herself with every treatment: “I leave there just feeling like a million bucks, like I can go out and face the world again. It just makes me feel wonderful. My whole face was smoother. Makeup was easier to put on.”
Experts are quick to add that microdermabrasion benefits are not permanent for all effects. Ongoing maintenance is usually needed once every month or two.
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