5 Reasons Why We Don’t Do Microdermabrasion

Recently we’ve been getting a lot of questions about why we don’t offer microdermabrasion as a skincare treatment at MD Beauty Clinic. We know that there are many reputed clinics that offer this treatment and do it safely and effectively, but we prefer alternative, gentler approaches to microdermabrasion that successfully treat the same skin concerns.

If you’re not familiar with microdermabrasion, it’s a treatment that basically sands the outer layer of your skin, typically with an applicator that has an abrasive tip. The point is to remove the uneven top layer of the skin as well as dirt or other particles in order to address certain skin concerns such as uneven skin texture, scarring, skin discolouration and/or sun damage.

Here are 5 of the main reasons why we choose not to do microdermabrasion.

1. We prefer a progressive approach when it comes to skincare

At MD Beauty Clinic we like to take a progressive—not aggressive—approach when it comes to our skincare treatments, and when we say this, we mean with all of our treatments. Aggressive may sound like a strong word but what we mean is that we like to start gently and then work our way up to the slightly more invasive treatments.

We like to get to know our patients and their skin before we go for the most intense option. We approach everything this way, whether it be the type of acid we start you off with for one of our Miracle 10 facial peel treatments or the amount of Botox we inject for a first time neuromodulator patient.

We find microdermabrasion can be a little too intense on the skin from the get go. You can’t really go from gentle to more intense with this treatment.

2. We deal a lot with delicate skin

Many of our patients have very delicate and sensitive skin. Some of our patients simply have that skin type, but many of our patients have aging skin, which tends to be more delicate and thin overall. The issue we have with microdermabrasion for sensitive or aging skin is that it tends to stretch the skin in a vacuum-like way, which is generally too harsh as an approach for delicate and/or aging skin.

3. We prefer our signature chemical peel treatments

We find that facial peel treatments are a better option over microdermabrasion for many similar skin concerns because we can control the depth of exfoliation. The epidermis is a conductor for deeper skin layers and needs to be approached mindfully.

With our Miracle 10 facial peel treatment we do prepare the skin with dermaplaning, a special technique that removes dead skin cells, bacteria and dirt from the surface layer of the skin, and we find that dermaplaning helps to control the intensity of our peel treatments and allows for an evenly distributed penetration of the customized acids.

4. More intensity of ONE thing can lead to harm

We prefer to combine different treatments with varying levels of intensity. Morpheus8, a deeply penetrating radiofrequency (RF) treatment for instance, can be intense, but Morpheus8 treatments alternated with facial peel treatments can give some great results for the right skin type and skin concerns. It’s all about a good balance.

Overall the way we feel about microdermabrasion is that it’s just way too much exfoliation. We have other modalities that can do better things or that give you a great result and are totally gentle i.e dermaplaning in combination with our facial peel treatments, which are super gentle but can be very powerful at the same time, achieving noticeable results while never leaving your skin red or raw.

If you need to deal with more aggressive textural concerns then we recommend microneedling with hyaluronic acid (HA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), or Morpheus8.

5. We can treat a wider range of patients with other modalities

We have fantastic treatment options for individuals who come to us with skin concerns such as rosacea or acne. You can’t treat rosacea or chronic acne with microdermabrasion as it’s much too harsh as an approach. Skin tightening and resurfacing treatments, facial peel treatments, and Morpheus8 among other treatments are all excellent options for rosacea and acne patients.

Finally, certain microdermabrasion treatments also employ an alternative technique to the abrasive applicator, which involves spraying aluminum oxide or sodium bicarbonate particles onto the skin. The potential negative side effects of this approach are not great and a bit controversial. We prefer to stick with many tried and true methods that are backed by science!