My Experience with Microdermabrasion for Acne Scarring

Microdermabrasion is a popular skin treatment performed in thousands of skin care spas and dermatologist offices worldwide. What can microdermabrasion do for you? Well, I've had three sets of microdermabrasion treatments, and here's my experience with this non-invasive skin care treatment.

Here's what attracted me to microdermabrasion. First, the treatment is just agressive enough on fairly stubborn skin conditions like acne scarring and fine lines, without being an invasive procedure that will actually alter the symmetry of your face in some way.

I really wanted to stay away from any type of "extreme" treatments that could have potentially damaging effects, and microderm, as it is affectionately referred to by it's practitioners and devotees, was just agressive enough for what I wanted to achieve.

I had acne scarring for years that I thought would never go away unless I had laser therapy or some sort of deep, ablative treatment like regular dermabrasion (a deeper form of microdermabrasion which can result in bleeding). Then I started reading about how some people with superficial acne scarring, meaning acne scarring that was not too deep, but just deep enough to be noticeable to the naked eye, had a pretty good improvement in their scars after receiving several microdermabrasion treatments.

So, I decided to make and appointment at a local salon and spa near where I live. I booked an entire six treatment package, for a little under $600. It was a little pricey as far as I was concerned, but if it would produce significant results I was willing to shell out some extra cash for "flawless" skin. My first set of six microdermabrasion appointments actually yielded pretty impressive results.

The roughness that appeared namely on my chin virtually disappeared after six treatments, and also I noticed that the (then) fine lines around my eyes also appeared to be diminished. The lines around my eyes did return though, so I believe their disappearance may have been due to some irritational swelling of the tissue around my eyes.

However, the acne scars were noticeably reduced for about 5-6 months after this initial round of treatments. I did notice they somehow seemed to "reappear" though, and ended up going back for a second and third round of the treatments, with pretty good improvement each time.

Here's what I've found with microdermabrasion though, as a sort of "drawback". The results are fairly signiifcant, but you do have to return after a few months, as the results somehow tend to fade over this time period, and they need a "retouching", so to speak.

It is usually recommended that you get a round of six treatments every year most of the time, but I've found that I have to return for more treatments well before the six months is up, to maintain the results gained.

What should you expect after a microdermabrasion treatment? Well, first of all, the day of your appointment to recieve a microderm treatment, you should probably make sure your social calendar is fairly sparse. The reason for this is that I've found my skin is very red and irritated looking the day of a microderm treatment, and it is not easily covered with makeup.

Also, your skin will flake off and be susceptible to sunlight, so make sure you use a powerful SPF lotion for the days following your treatments, since the UV rays can more easily penetrate the fragile skin and do damage as they're so adept at doing.

You will need to constantly keep your newly abraded skin moisturized, so keep a very emollient cream around, and apply it about three times for the first day or two after your treatment, to help with flakiness and excess dryness. Keep in mind that the first few days after a treatment, or maybe just the first day, depending on your skin, your skin will most likely look worse than it did before.

The abrasion of the machine causes your skin to look extremely iriritated, and actually can make acne scarring look worse, since it is freshly exposed. This will go away, but as a warning so you are not caught totally off guard, expect it to look worse, not better at first.

I would say in general that microdermabrasion is a great treatment for those worried about aging or scarred skin, however it can get very expensive if you choose to continue with treatments. You can schedule a consultation with an esthetician to see what skin treatment is perfect for your specific skin care concerns, but microderm may very well fit into this regimen for you.

If you're looking for a less expensive way to achieve similar results, but with a lot more treatments, there are currently also home microdermabrasion kits that can help diminish scars as well.