Microdermabrasion - How Often should You Have A Treatment?

Last year (2006) the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. reported that microdermabrasion was the fourth most popular (minimally) invasive cosmetic procedure. Many report this year that there has been a marked decline in the number of treatments carried out in spa's, salons & clinics. It is suspected that this is due, in part, to the massive increase in the number of "at home microdermabrasion kits" now available at very reasonable costs.

Microdermabrasion Safety

It should be common knowledge that you should not have treatments too often but it isn't. Furthermore how often is too often? There is no simple answer here as the frequency of treatments that is considered safe depends, very much, on the individual.

Firstly you should ask yourself what you wish to achieve by using the treatment. Microdermabrasion is highly suited to a number of skin complaints/conditions and has vary degrees of success (depending on initial severity).

Microdermabrasion is an excellent treatment for the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, reduction in the appearance of acne scars and in some cases complete acne scar removal. It can also improve the texture of the skin, especially improving sun damaged skin, it is also reasonably successful in reducing the appearance of age spots, freckles and generally lightens the skin.

Home Microdermabrasion Kits & Skin Type

Many of the kits available have been designed for specific skin types so it is highly advisable to determine, exactly, what skin type you have. Once you have decided on your skin type it is important to follow a few simple instructions to avoid irritation.

If you have sensitive skin you should be very careful. Microdermabrasion can be rather aggressive so you should use kits that are clearly labeled "for sensitive skin types". These generally include creams containing smoother crystals and no fragrances.

If you have dry skin you should ensure that any creams are oil based and that you moisturize sufficiently. For those with oily skin the choice in usually wider. Home kits for oily skin use creams with much larger crystals which exfoliate more aggressively.

So How Often???

Now that you have assessed you expectations and discovered which skin type you have you can proceed with your microdermabrasion treatment. Following your first treatment it is common to experience some sensitivity and your skin will appear flushed. It could take a couple of days for this to clear completely but it usually passes within a few hours. When you have professional microdermabrasion treatments you are advised to leave it a week or two between sessions with many advising a month. This is because pro treatments are more effective and remove much more skin than the home kits and professionals like to ensure their advice covers all situations. Home microdermabrasion kits are often very similar to other exfoliating kits and certainly less aggressive than pro treatments. Therefore your skin will recover much faster and will be ready for a further treatment far sooner.

This is really the key to how often you should treat your skin. You should NEVER repeat a treatment while your skin is sensitive! Every person's skin has a differing recovery speed and some find that they need to leave it a week or more while others find they can use their kits daily. Great care should be taken as overuse can seriously damage your skin.

< Back to Microdermabrasion News

< Back to Microdermabrasion News

NOTE: You should also take far greater care if you own one of the newer kits which contain a "true" microdermabrasion machine. There are now several kits on the market which include a microdermabrasion machine similar to those used in salons. These machines blast crystals (rather than using creams) onto the skin in the same way in which the pro treatment machines work. Though not as powerful as pro machines they are for more effective than the cheaper home kits and you should therefore reduce the frequency of treatments accordingly.

If you ensure that you only use microdermabrasion when the skin has fully recovered from the previous treatment it is safe to use it as often as you like without side-effects. However you should always remember the goal set when you started. When you have attained this goal you should change to a maintenance treatment - that is that you should only need a treatment every month or so.

< Back to Microdermabrasion News