You’ve heard the saying, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” And while that saying may be true for many things, it’s not always true for cosmetic procedures.
It’s better to work with experts rather than try to do things yourself when it comes to health and wellness. Our licensed, dedicated professionals at Spa Black in San Antonio, TX, specialize in microdermabrasion and other skin-rejuvenating techniques to help you look and feel amazing.
Here’s why microdermabrasion by a skincare professional is superior to DIY at-home exfoliation.
Let’s Start with Exfoliation
Exfoliation is a treatment you can do at home or at a spa. It’s essentially the process of getting rid of dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. Exfoliation is typically done with either a chemical or natural granular material or an exfoliation tool.
Do You Need to Exfoliate?
Technically you don’t need to exfoliate. But you should.
Your skin regularly sheds dead skin cells every month or so in order to make room for fresh new cells.
While most of your skin sheds on its own, sometimes the dead cells don’t shed off completely. When this happens, you may notice flaky patches, dry skin, clogged pores, and blemish flare-ups. Exfoliating can help prevent this.
How to Exfoliate at Home
There are a ton of ways you can exfoliate at home by using cleansing scrubs, washcloths, body brushes, loofahs, or DIY facial scrubs.
It’s generally recommended to limit exfoliation to one to two times per week to avoid overdoing it. Over-exfoliating can irritate your skin and reduce its moisture and hydration.
Benefits of Exfoliation
In addition to keeping your skin clean and bright, exfoliation can help improve the potency of your skincare products by enhancing absorption.
Because exfoliation helps prevent your pores from clogging, it can help you reduce breakouts.
Finally, long-term, regular exfoliation can help stimulate your skin’s overall collagen production, which will keep your skin glowing and youthful.
Is Microdermabrasion Different from Exfoliation?
Microdermabrasion is a type of exfoliation. It is a medical-grade physical exfoliation process that is able to go deeper than regular exfoliation.
Microdermabrasion works by using a special applicator to scour away the outer layer of your skin. The applicator has an abrasive surface that is designed to be gentle yet effective.
Microdermabrasion is different from exfoliation because it is more powerful, and it can address more skin issues than regular, at-home exfoliation.
Benefits of Microdermabrasion
Patients seeking skin rejuvenation see many benefits to microdermabrasion treatments. Microdermabrasion can address the following common issues:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Age spots
- Brown spots
- Hyperpigmentation
- Enlarged pores
- Blackheads
- Acne
- Acne scars
- Stretch marks
- Dull-looking skin
- Uneven skin tone
- Uneven skin texture
- Melasma
- Sun damage
Microdermabrasion is a safe procedure for nearly every skin type and color, and it can be repeated every week.
Microdermabrasion as a Wrinkle Treatment
As a wrinkle treatment, microdermabrasion works by stimulating your skin’s collagen production. While regular exfoliation can also accomplish this to some extent, microdermabrasion is more effective and ultimately superior in the long term.
Collagen is a protein in your body that exists densely in your skin to help protect the integrity of your skin’s overall structure. It is a key player in keeping your skin not only looking youthful, plump, and luminous, but it also helps your skin retain flexibility, elasticity, and overall strength.
Your body does naturally produce collagen on its own, but unfortunately, its production starts to decline after about age 30. As your collagen production declines, wrinkles start setting in because your skin loses its volume and elasticity.
Non-invasive procedures like microdermabrasion are excellent for wrinkle treatment because they gently stimulate your skin to produce new collagen.
Microdermabrasion as an Acne Treatment
The ability of microdermabrasion to keep the skin fresh and clean while stimulating collagen is how it is effective as an acne treatment for both blemishes and scarring.
Acne occurs in your skin when the openings of your hair follicles become clogged or blocked by oils and dead skin cells. When a clogged pore becomes infected with bacteria, a pimple develops.
Some people are lucky enough to have genes that allow them to avoid acne just by showering regularly and washing their faces. Others aren’t so lucky and are subject to overactive oil glands or abnormal shedding of dead skin.
If you’re someone with ill-fated acne-prone genetics, regular microdermabrasion acne treatments can help reduce and minimize the amount and severity of your breakouts.
Microdermabrasion for Acne Scars
Another way microdermabrasion works as an acne treatment is to treat acne scars.
Some acne scars develop when the acne blemishes are so severe that they damage your surrounding tissue. This damage can result in an overall loss of tissue, creating scarring and uneven skin texture.
This is where collagen comes back into the picture. New collagen production can help replenish lost tissues to even out your skin’s texture and accelerate the healing of scars.
What to Expect at a Microdermabrasion Appointment
At your microdermabrasion appointment, expect to relax and be pampered!
The appointment will start off with our team cleansing your face to prepare your skin. Then, we’ll perform the microdermabrasion facial, which is painless, non-invasive, and lasts around 30 minutes.
Finally, we’ll cleanse your face post-procedure to wash away any of the stray crystals used to scour your skin. After a follow-up with a hydrating moisturizer, you can immediately resume your day! We will also provide you with some microdermabrasion after care that we strongly suggestion you follow for best results and to limit any complications.
Microdermabrasion in San Antonio TX
For more information about microdermabrasion skin treatments or to schedule a consultation, contact the skin experts at Spa Black in San Antonio, TX!