41 replies to this topic

[MaryTheres]

Youknowyou'reright,

You say microdermabrasion helped your shallow scars.... did it make them go away?

I have very very shallow scarring and purple marks (I suppose the purple marks that have no indent to them are simply discolorations, right?). I am hoping microdermabrasion can help...

[hello50]

its a waiste of money

[MaryTheres]

really? it doesn't help anything? My derm characterized my scars as "very superficial" and recommended that as well as peels ....

[L0VE]

Hi,

I have had a very deep microdermabrasion...and my results were "okay" but I will not do it again. I'm opting for dermabrasion.

[candy7]

i had a course of microdermabration treatments and it has a devistating effect on my life. i was left permanently scarred from it and i would not recommend this to anyone. think twice about considering microdermabration!

[cjb]

i had a course of microdermabration treatments and it has a devistating effect on my life. i was left permanently scarred from it and i would not recommend this to anyone. think twice about considering microdermabration!

Wow, I'm so sorry, Candy. I was looking into getting it done just to help overall blotchiness. I don't really have scars. Maybe I will go for peels instead?

[cjb]

Thanks for the info, Candy. Do you mean you've done the serious peels with lots of down time? Those scare the crap out of me. I was hoping a few lighter peels might help. I don't expect perfection, I just want to feel good without makeup, and my skin is just too blotchy.

[curious]

Candy,

I'm wondering what happened when you had your microdermabrasion to scar you even more. Was it a very deep one, as most don't break the skin as I understand it unless there's a lot of active acne?

[cjb]

yes and i think lighter peels would help you. tca peels are good and are very popular. dont be scared, trust me, if you find a good derm or pa, im sure you'll be happy with the results.

thanks, Candy. I go to a medical esthetician that I really trust. I'm going to ask her opinion when I see her in a couple of weeks.

[Nicole1209]

I've done microbrasion 4 times so far, and it has really helped my skin. I actually thought it felt good, (but hey I thought getting a tatoo felt good too!) Afterward my face felt like it had a little windburn, but that subsided after 3-4 hours. It made my face feel so clean that I didn't want to put makeup on. After the 3rd time I could tell that my red spots were fading quite a bit. I have pretty mild acne so it worked well for me, it just cost a lot to do as often as I would like to ($80 each time). Good luck.

Do you know exactly what type of microdermabrasion you had done? From looking at different doctor's websites it seems there are different particles that are used. Thanks

[Snowman]

i personally think microd is a waste of time, i have had course of 6 done but what i will say is if u go for it make sure u r having a MEDICAL MICROD done!! Think maybe mine wasnt but still wouldnt take another shot at it

[cautiouslyoptimistic]

I had five microdermabrasion treatments last year. It did absolutely nothing for me. My PS has a name for it,
micro-do-nothing, now I know why.

[QuitPicking]

I think when most people say they had 'no results' or 'it did nothing' they were overpromised on what microdermabrasion can actually do.
Which is better? At home or professional? 'Medical' or 'non-medical'? What's the difference? 'At home' treatments usually consist of either a gritty cream, a brush, a cloth, or any combination of these.
Sometimes in a professional setting, some therapists use systems similar to these at home versions with the cream and the brush...sometimes they also add a higher percentage chemical peel to enhance results. They may instead use a machine which uses a wand like device that either sprays crstals across the face at a high speed to exfoliate or does it with roughened metal tips. Both work and both also incorporate suction at the same time they exfoliate. 'Medical' machines also use either the crystal spray or the metal tips with the suction. They also have the addition of a few higher settings. The higher settings draw blood to the surface a lot easier and faster. You can do that with anything if you scrub hard enough.
While I don't think a specifically 'medical' machine is much different or necessary for good results over an esthetic model, I do think both of these machines give better results than any system (whether at-home or in salon setting) that does not incorporate the suction. The suction, or vacuum, stimulates the circulation and speeds healing. Any of these, including peels, can speed the healing of red marks. The machines can do it faster. It can also soften shallow scars and fine lines. To get improvement on these areas they must be paid special attention to. It will give you a softer, smoother, more even complexion. I would suggest someone with deeply pitted scars looking for improvement spend their money on more aggressive treatments.

[whitecranberries]

I just finished my last microdermabrasion treatment yesterday. I had a series of 6 and it cost me about $470. Overall, not worth the money. Each session lasted 45 min to an hour and included a face steaming, the microderm (using the DiamondTome), a sulphur mask, and all sorts of lotions and eye creams. oh, and they even massaged my hands while the mask set! While I always felt really nice after my treatments, the soft glowy appearance goes away after 4-6 days....

I got the microderm for my scars, since mine are pretty shallow and mostly just some hyperpigmentation.... I wanted something a bit more effective, but the dermatologist said it was absolutely the best option formy skin. Unfortunately, I see basically no results. It helped with one or two scars on my cheeks, but did not help with the scars on my forehead or chin. in fact, it seems like it has perhaps caused more breakouts on my forehead, ug.

anyway, i've had some compliments-- people saying "wow,you're skin looks really pretty today" a day or two after a session, but it goes back to normal soon enough.

oh also, every time I went back, the machine went one level higher than the previous time. so, i suppose it was a deeper microderm every time I went. I think they could have started me out a level higher than they did.

Anyway, i would try a glycolic peel next time, not a microdermabrasion. it just wasnt worth the money. although, it was kind of a fun and pampering experience... !

[Kimi]

I am a bit surprised that Microdermabrasion has lots of negative reviews

I had my first try last week (I only tried, so the procedure was not in "full power" I will have my real first session next week) but even if it was just a try, my redmarks decreased by probably 30% already... By the way, almost all of my redmarks are just 3 months old (just result of the worst breakout I ever experienced, but I am clear now )

Maybe this procedure is only effective for redmarks that are not old? Or maybe it's very effective for someone who used Accutane? Any idea?

[lilylane]

I'm considering the same solution to my scars and clogged pores; however, I'm still not clear of acne yet (and probably never will be completely) and I'm wondering if using microdermabrasion at this time would only agitate my skin by tearing off the skin on top of my zits-- creating a bloody mess. It's happened when I use other exfoliating types of products. I'm also aware that harsh exfoliating causes oil slicks-- since oil is a natural defense against agitation, traumatizing my skin may help my pores temporarily, only to provide the means of clogging again.

Should I wait to be more clear before using microdermabrasion?

[littlebit]

I had it done to one icepick scar on my cheek about an 1/2 inch from my nose. This was about 10 years ago and it did not take it away completely but took it from a deep ice pick to more of a shallow scarred pore type of thing.

I would do it again and plan on doing this or a chemical peel on some of the remaining icepick and boxcar scars that I have.

[ginoo14]

I made an appointment to get dermabrasion done by a dermatologist my doctor recommended but I am cancelling it because I'm frightened of making my skin worse (my doctor said theres a ten percent chance of that happening and it is painful and both the derm and my doctor insisted my skin is still healing and I should be patient EASY FOR THEM TO SAY it's been nine months and i have a history of slow healing) because in all honesty its way more even and the scars are getting very much so lighter and in a couple of months it should be fairly clear. I'm just not sure about dermabrasion maybe if say in six months theres still some damage left I'll consider it but thanks for your reply. Oh yeah can I get this philosophy stuff in Canada? I havent heard of it. It might be at some of the big department stores though so I could check it out. I just got Neutrogena's moisturizer with retinol and pure vitamin c claims it can even out your skin tone and make it firmer. I just started using it today so I'll see how it works I normally like neutrogena products. Anyways thanks! Oh and I know what you mean by the dead dry crap I HATE THAT so much because I wear makeup and my makeup looks all caked on the hydroquinone stuff is too damn harsh so I stopped using it and I'm sticking to moisturizer.

You can get the philosophy set at sephora

[s500]

Microdermabrasion will not do anything to your scars, theres a high chance you can make your scars worse, since you will dig into old scars and it will suck out any progress you had over the life of the scar. So basicaly you can set yourself back a year or more depending on the age of your scar. Washing with the crystals alone is a safer approach since you wont have the vacuuming scrapping action. Yet still will do nothing to your scars, maybe some slight improvement after a year or so with continuous use. Collagen that filled into scars over time seems to be the first to get wiped out with the wrong procedure. I seen it over and over on the forum, a recent member called it unearthing the scar and I knew exactly what he was talking about. Many on here had this same experience over the past 4 years.

If you still want a powerful microdermabrasion then look into the powerpeel. Although I dont recommend it for scars.

[pchic]

Hi guys, I'm surprised that microdermabration isn't popular here. I thought it is non-invasive and is more of an exfoliating device, but nothing too heavy.

I have pretty superficial scars...most of my scars are like enlarged pores. I am considering doing this treatment.

I have also read about the microdermabration cloth..they are like dish cloths. Are they really that good? it would save me lots of money if I just buy the cloth..