Plan on getting microdermabrasion done

[darkangel 0]

my scars are mostly shallow with only a few moderate ones. i also have some redness all over my cheeks along with hyperpigmentation. so i am hoping this will help me out. but it is a bit of money out of my pocket and i would like to know if there is any negative feedback out there from anyone who has tried this procedure. I know i should be saving for college but if this helps, i am willing to pay. also, would you recommend that i get it done at my derm's office or should i go to a cosmetic center? i would also like to know how this is done. what kind of machine is used and if it is painful.

thank you.

DA

[Birdie 0]

I had 10 or 12 treatments (forget which) and saw no improvement. I had it done at a plastic surgeon's office, but a technician did the procedure. She assured me there would be improvement if I kept at it. Then after the last treatment, the doctor stopped in and said, "Oh, you're doing it for scars? It doesn't go deep enough to help with scars." Yet another $1000 gone that I wish I had back... Consider it a facial, not a scar or acne treatment.

[momof2boyz 3]

Save your money for your education. You'd be doing yourself a bigger favor. I had 5 or 6 treatments and saw no improvement for scars or anything else for that matter.

[LoveGreenSmoothies 32]

I saw improvement. It helped my overall texture and tone.

It won't get rid of scars.

[Healtysceptic 3]

Microdermabrasion will absolutely do nothing, nada, zilch, zero for acne scarring of even the most insignificant kind, no matter what any doctor or beauty expert says. It is sometimes fradualently advertised as helping to diminish acne scarring.

Microdermabrasion will temporarily improve the tone and overall texture of your skin. But so will a small bottle of 45% glycolic acid, that costs under $50, and lasts for months.

I had micro done at least a dozen times with no acne scarring improvement of even the most minute nature. Steer clear and tell the doctor to go f*** him or herself.

James

[oldguy 1]

I'm just going to agree with the agree...ers.

Btw there is an Excellent study called: Glycolic Acid Peels Compared to Microdermabrasion A Right-Left Controlled Trial of Efficacy and Patient Satisfaction

The 20% mild glycolic won over a series of microdermabrasions with a mild setting.

Science!

[LoveGreenSmoothies 32]

Did it say how often to use the glycolic? Thanks:)

[oldguy 1]

I wish I could paste the text here - stupid protected pdf.

Actually, I found the abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...t_uids=12081674

They did 6 treatments. I also read another study comparing a series of mild glycolic products to one stronger peel, and the strong one won. Did I just say one won?

[LoveGreenSmoothies 32]

Thanks, Old Guy!

[LoveGreenSmoothies 32]

This is the abstract.

Glycolic acid peels compared to microdermabrasion: a right-left controlled trial of efficacy and patient satisfaction.

Alam M, Omura NE, Dover JS, Arndt KA.

SkinCare Physicians, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. [email protected]

BACKGROUND: Glycolic acid peels and microdermabrasion are widely recommended by dermatologists and others for facial skin rejuvenation, but few studies have assessed their clinical efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative efficacy of glycolic acid peels and microdermabrasion for facial skin rejuvenation. METHODS: An unblinded, randomized controlled trial was used. Each of 10 patients received paired treatments with glycolic acid peels (20%) and microdermabrasion (mild setting) for 6 consecutive weeks. The right and left sides of the face were treated with different modalities. Once a patient was assigned to receive a particular modality to a particular side of the face, all subsequent treatments were delivered in the same manner. Patient ratings, investigator ratings, and photographs were obtained before the first treatment and 1 week after the last treatment. RESULTS: In terms of overall preference for a given type of treatment, seven patients chose glycolic acid peels, one selected microdermabrasion, and two had no favorite treatment. The relative preference for glycolic acid peels approached significance (P =.0578). Investigator ratings and photographic comparisons did not reveal treatment-specific differences or significant improvement from baseline. No serious side effects were seen with either treatment, and even mild effects were seldom reported. CONCLUSION: In this study, patients appeared to prefer low-strength glycolic acid peels to low-intensity microdermabrasion for facial rejuvenation. Differences in patient satisfaction were subtle and may be technique dependent.

Publication Types:

Clinical Trial

Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 12081674 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[mikhael 0]

I really feel for the people who got screwed out of their money without seeing results, but I swear my b/f had incredible results with microdermabrasion on acne scarring. I'm wondering now if there is more than one type of microdermabrasion. After seeing him, I just can't see it doing absolutely nothing for some people.

He does have a line scar from a boating accident, and it did nothing for that. The dermatologist said he would need collagen for that. But the smoothing of his skin was absolutely worth it.

He had glycolic peels and they did almost nothing. It's like, totally reverse results.

I think, in general, if you see absolutely no result from the first one, then it would be reasonable to think about abandoning it. And I also think that these cosmetic clinic individuals are money grubbing skank people. They feed off people's hope and misery. To me they should at least give some percentage of your money back if it doesn't help.

[Guest ObiWontonKenoli]

I did one micro diamondwand dermabrasion with my derm before (the practitioner did it, he's more focused on the more invasive treatments). Microdermabrasion DOES rejuvenate your skin....the thing is, like some people say, the first week your skin looks really great then in the longer term it goes back to the pre-treatment stage, especially if you do it only once. This combined with $150-175/treatment can be quite discouraging.

Looking at "LOVE" gallery, man I'm really convinced my face can be improved significantly, but dermabrasion is too invasive. I wish there are some kind of "Middle dermabrasion" between the micro- and the original dermabrasion. I'm sure that'll work for me

[hulachic6 0]

Microdermabrasion does get rid of dark discolorations left from acne scarring. I have olive to dark skin and whenever I get microderm done, it minimizes the appearance to nothing each time.

I love microdermabrasion. It leaves my skin smooth and with a bright complexion. I don't have any raised or ice pick scars so I don't know if it would work on those, but I do know it works on discolorations of the skin.

[teppo2 0]

Yeah but how often do you have to do that to keep your scars looking faded?