Microdermabrasion for Dull Aging Skin

Microdermabrasion can appear on a treatment menu as a single visit, as a course of visits, or as an add-on to other services. The price attached to each version tells you little until you know what the treatment does and how often it has to be repeated.

The sections below cover what the treatment does to the skin, how many visits professional sources describe, how long a result is expected to last, and which questions separate a fair package from an inflated one.

What the treatment does to the skin

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery explains that in microdermabrasion therapy, a special machine applies tiny rough particles to the face, chest or hands to remove the uppermost layer of dead skin, and describes the procedure as painless and non-invasive. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons describes microdermabrasion treatments as using a minimally abrasive instrument to gently sand your skin, removing the thicker, uneven outer layer. The American Academy of Dermatology says this non-invasive treatment gently exfoliates your skin, and that after a series of treatments your complexion can appear smoother, brighter, and more even in color.

All three describe the same thing, which is the removal of the outer layer. That is a surface change, and it is the right yardstick for what a price should buy. The society's overview of microdermabrasion gives the society's full description.

Why one visit is rarely the whole price

The American Academy of Dermatology says most patients need a series of treatments to see results, that a dermatologist may treat a patient weekly, every two weeks, or monthly to treat signs of aging, and that most patients receive between 5 and 16 treatments.

The span from 5 to 16 matters more than any midpoint. A package priced for the low end can fall short of what a provider later recommends, and one priced for the high end may include visits you do not need. A price per session is only half the figure. The number to compare is the price per session multiplied by the number of visits in a realistic course. Ask for the visit count in writing, and ask what happens to the price if the provider recommends more or fewer visits.

How long the result is expected to last

The American Academy of Dermatology says the results tend to be temporary, and that patients who protect their skin from the sun and follow the recommended skin-care plan will maintain their results for a longer time. The American Academy of Dermatology also notes that no matter what we do, our skin continues to age, and that follow-up treatments are usually necessary to help retain smoother skin and a more radiant complexion.

That turns the benefit window into a recurring cost instead of a one-time purchase. A course price that leaves out follow-up visits understates what it costs to keep the result. The sun protection and skin-care plan is part of the same bargain, and a provider who leaves it out of the quote has left part of the cost out. The dermatologists' microdermabrasion overview carries the same guidance in full.

Skin type, downtime and aftercare

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery lists microdermabrasion as relatively inexpensive yet effective for treating superficial skin issues, safe for all skin types and colors, and as not changing skin color or causing scarring, with minimal recovery time. The American Academy of Dermatology says a dermatologist treatment goes a bit deeper into the skin and that the procedure is still safe for all skin colors.

The word relatively in the first claim is a comparison with other treatments. It is not a price, and it does not say what a given provider will charge. Ask who performs the treatment, because the second source says a dermatologist's treatment goes a bit deeper.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery advises avoiding sun exposure for at least seven days after treatment, and avoiding glycolic, beta hydroxy and retinol products, among similar medications, for one to two days afterward. Seven days of sun avoidance is a scheduling cost. A course booked ahead of a holiday or an outdoor event has to account for it.

The collagen claim

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says microdermabrasion helps to thicken your collagen, which results in a younger looking complexion, and explains that collagen production declines as we age, resulting in looser, uneven skin. The American Academy of Dermatology says microdermabrasion allows skin-care products to penetrate the skin more easily.

Treat the collagen sentence as a publisher's description of a mechanism, not a measured outcome. The sources quoted here give no figure for how much smoother or younger-looking skin becomes, so a package that supplies one is supplying its own number. The penetration point is a reason to ask about product add-ons. If one is included, ask what the product adds beyond the treatment. The plastic surgeons' page on microdermabrasion states the collagen claim in full.

Reading a package line by line

Start with the number of visits and the interval between them. Then ask whether follow-up visits are in the price, what the sun protection and aftercare plan involves, and whether any products in the bundle are required or optional. Finally ask who performs the treatment.

A discount is only informative once the list price and the visit count are known. A saving of any size on 16 visits is a different offer from the same saving on 5, and a saving on a course that omits follow-up visits is a saving on only part of the bill.

A sensible way to decide

The sources quoted above describe a surface treatment with minimal recovery that usually needs a series of visits and a plan to keep the result going. That matches a concern about dull texture and uneven color. It does not address every complaint associated with aging, and the society's reference page on aging skin is a useful map of what else exists before choosing among them.

The practical test is to price the whole course including follow-ups, then divide by the number of months a provider is willing to commit to in writing. If the provider will not name a window, the extras in the bundle have not been shown to pay back.