The skin is the largest organ of the body. It serves many important functions, including protecting the body from infection, and regulating body temperature and fluids.

Despite its resiliency, skin can be damaged by hormonal changes, exposure to environmental elements, and aging. If the appearance and texture of the skin have been affected by these factors, a procedure called microdermabrasion may be of help.

It may be used in conjunction with a chemical peel or as part of a total plan to rejuvenate your skin.

THE PROCEDURE
Microdermabrasion works by causing a small amount of trauma to the skin, causing the skin to repair itself in a more organized fashion. This creates younger, healthier looking skin. The procedure is performed by a licensed esthetician and requires no anesthesia. Using a precision hand piece, the technician directs a stream of very fine, sharp crystals across the surface of the skin to lift off and exfoliate the outer layers of dead skin cells, removing impurities and imperfections. Light vacuum suction also increases blood flow and circulation, which in turn, speeds up the rate of cell turn over, bring the fresher, plumper, healthier cells up to the surface of the skin at a faster rate. This suction also stimulates collagen and elastin formation, plumping the skin, filling in fine lines and minimizing the appearance of the pores.
The technician can control the power of the spray, from a gentle buffing of the skin to deeper exfoliation where needed. The client typically experiences only some mild abrasion and light suction, but it is not considered painful or uncomfortable for most people.
A full-face and neck treatment generally takes approximately 45 - 50 minutes. The chest area, back of hands, and other areas may be done as well, for an additional fee. Following the treatment, your skin appears lightly pink or flushed, as if you have been exercising, but there is no oozing, peeling, flaking or obvious redness. Clients can go about their day as normal with no extreme signs of irritation from the treatment. Some clients may feel like they have a mild sun or wind burn for a few hours.

HOW SOON WILL I SEE RESULTS?
Improvement in the skin's appearance can be felt and seen immediately. However, several treatments may be needed to achieve the desired results. After just one session your skin will have a healthy-looking glow. It will be softer, smoother, brighter, and makeup application goes on nicer. The skin may be drier than usual at first, but after 7 days, the skin becomes more hydrated. You will continue to see improvement throughout your treatment program. With continued treatments oiliness is decreased, dilated pores are less pronounced, and areas of thick skin are thinner and smoother. Fine wrinkles appear smoother and plumped up or filled in. Typically, we start with 4 – 6 treatments. During the series, treatments are ideally performed every 7-10 days. We encourage you to try not to go longer than two weeks between visits. After the initial series, we recommend scheduling a treatment every 4 – 8 weeks for maintenance.

WHO IS A CANIDATE?
Individuals who don’t want to undergo the time, expense, discomfort, and possible side effects of more aggressive skin resurfacing treatments such as a deep chemical peels, dermabrasion or full face laser skin resurfacing, and have fairly minor skin problems: fine lines, mild acne, blotches, pigmentation such as brown sun and age spots, or small scars. Microdermabrasion will not remove loose or sagging skin or deep scars, and while it will improve the appearance of the pore size, nothing can actually change the size of the pores. It is not recommended for clients with very sensitive skin, rosacea, or areas of the face that contain many ruptured blood vessels. It can not be performed on skin that is sun burned, has open sores or pustules or on individuals with stage III or IV acne. During treatments, you must protect your skin from the sun and artificial tanning rays, using an SPF of 30 or higher, and avoiding intentional tanning outside or in tanning beds. The new, fresh skin we are uncovering with this treatment is more susceptible to burning and extra care must be taken to protect it.