Age, genetics, the sun, and our environment can all play a role in the imperfections we see when we look in the mirror. You should always feel good about yourself and how you look and, sometimes, these two things go hand in hand. If you are dealing with signs of aging or other skin imperfections and concerns, call Refresh Evolution in Pitt Meadows, BC to discuss how microdermabrasion could hold the rejuvenating power you’ve been looking for.

What Is Microdermabrasion?

This treatment is getting a lot of press and has seen a surge in popularity as people are documenting their experience on social media: but it’s not as new a concept as you might think.

A History

People have known for centuries about the beatifying results of removing the top layer of dead skin. They just went about it differently before modern technology. If we go back as far as Egypt around 1500BC, we find that physicians would use a type of sandpaper to remove scars and restore skin back to near perfection.

Those treatments would be used on Egyptian royalty to sand out any imperfections and keep the royals looking perfectly polished.

Dermabrasion

Let’s fast forward to the 1950s, when dermabrasion became widely used. This treatment uses wire brushes to remove the top and deeper layers of skin. There were several problems with this wire brush technique:

  • It was extremely painful and required general anesthesia
  • Exact depths couldn’t be pinpointed, so it required a lot of downtime as multiple layers of skin healed
  • It caused scarring in some cases
  • There was lengthy wound and aftercare involved
  • The risk of infection was high

This process also was without its own contained suction method, so physicians and technicians were exposed to infection from airborne skin particles.

Progress

In 1985, two Italian doctors created a “closed-loop” microdermabrasion tool. The skin that was sanded away was sucked back to a container in the machine instead of becoming airborne. By the late 1990s, these machines exploded onto the American cosmetic scene, and their production and improvements have never stopped since.

Modern Microdermabrasion

It may sound complicated, but the treatment today is straightforward, comfortable, and, most importantly, effective. It involves the use of a wand with a head packed with diamond flakes that exfoliate the top layer of your skin. The wand also uses gentle suction to move the sanded skin cells up and away from the freshly unveiled layer of healthy skin.

When this outer layer, known as the stratum corneum, is sanded away, it triggers a response in your body to up its production of collagen. Collagen helps new cells regenerate in deeper layers of your skin known as the basal layer. The immediate result is an overall brightening as the dead skin cells and debris that created a dull layer covering your complexion are removed.

What Can Microdermabrasion Treat?

It’s not just a dull complexion that can benefit from this in-office, non-invasive treatment. When you think about the outermost layer of your skin and all the concerns you have had, know that removing these cells can help address:

  • Fine lines and wrinkles
  • Age and sunspots
  • Large and clogged pores
  • Uneven tone
  • Uneven texture

 

Lines and Wrinkles

Stress, natural aging and exposure to the sun are the main culprits in the formation of lines and wrinkles. There have been studies that followed women going into their first microdermabrasion treatment through leaving their sixth treatment; and all reported their lines and wrinkles had become less visible.

As the top layer of your skin is sanded away, your body may produce more collagen, which means the new cells that regenerate will be stronger and less damaged than the ones they’re replacing. If you continue through a series of treatments, your visible skin cells will become healthier, and so will the layers of them underneath the surface. This will work to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.

Uneven Pigmentation and Age Spots

The sun may be your friend for the synthesis of vitamin D and the joy a sunny day can bring, but it is your skin’s enemy. A lifetime in the sun can leave you with an uneven tone and dark spots that riddle your skin. People seek this treatment to reduce the visibility of these changes in pigmentation.

While microdermabrasion alone may not completely remove these spots, it can provide a lightening of them. These results can be amplified by a good quality vitamin C serum or other topical treatment recommended by your skincare specialist.

Enlarged Pores and Blackheads

When you think of what it must look like on a microscopic level to have the top layer of debris removed from your skin, you can imagine pore-clogging elements being suctioned away, leaving them clearer and cleaner. A cleaner pore will shrink because there isn’t a lot of “gunk” in there causing it to expand.

This treatment is a great way to clear out clogged pores, which will further add to a smoother and brighter complexion.

Better Topical Product Absorption

Imagine trying to get your expensive skincare creams and treatments through a tough film of dead cells. How much of it will break through, and what percentage of the rewards will you able to enjoy? Not nearly as much as you’d like. Once you’ve had this treatment, you’ll find your skin responds better to your skincare regimen.

If you constantly product shop looking for something that will get you the results you want, it may not be the product that’s the issue: it could be your skin that’s been preventing absorption. Using a quality skincare line will also extend your results because you’ll be cleansing, nourishing and protecting your newly revealed complexion.

What to Expect

As you’re looking for the right place to receive this treatment, we caution you against making a choice based on price alone. We’ve heard too many horror stories from clients who went to discount websites and got treatment from the cheapest option available. Microdermabrasion will not break the bank no matter where you go, so it’s important to choose a reputable clinic or med spa.

Once you and your skincare specialist have decided this is the right treatment for you, there are a few things you should know before you go.

Pre-Treatment

Because this is a non-invasive treatment, you don’t have to do anything difficult to prepare for your appointment. We suggest keeping to your normal skincare routine intact because the healthier your skin is on the day of your appointment, the better your results will be. The only exception to this rule is that you should pause using heavy-hitter topical treatments like:

  • Retin-A
  • Retinol treatments
  • Abrasive exfoliants

You’ll also want to avoid self-tanning products for a week before your treatment, and especially unexposed time in the sun. Before you get any other treatments, like injectable neuro toxins, waxing or any other facial, let them know when your microdermabrasion appointment is just to be sure the timing will be right.

During Treatment

The best advice for your appointment we can give you is to relax. Patients describe this treatment as relaxing because of the repetitive sensation on their face. Once treatment is over, talk to your skincare specialist about any special topical products they think would help you maintain your results. If you have deeper aesthetic and anti-again concerns, this is a good time to discuss complementary treatments to achieve the full results you want.

Aftercare

The biggest aftercare favor you can do yourself is to stay out of the sun and protect your skin when you’re in it. Your skin will have no dull layer protecting it from those harmful rays. If the sun gets to your skin because you’re not wearing sunscreen, you’re more likely to burn, which means even deeper levels of your skin are exposed to sun damage. Your mom was right when she yelled at you to wear sunscreen every day!

Results

Clients see an immediate brightening because they are seeing themselves without a dull layer of dead skin cells and debris. Often, they describe their skin as “glowing”. If you’re looking for a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, you may need to opt for more sessions. Many clients are happy with the results after just one session, while others may schedule a series of sessions to achieve optimal results.

Complementary Treatments

If you have other issues you’d like addressed, talk to your skincare specialist about matching the right treatment with your area of concern. There are very few skin imperfections that can’t be addressed in a medspa setting.

Chemical Peels

If you’re looking for a perfect treatment to do after microdermabrasion, look no further than a chemical peel. You’ll be starting with a surface that will already absorb more of what any treatment has to offer, so if you pick a versatile treatment like chemical peels, you’ll only enhance your results. Chemical peels can address a laundry list of concerns like:

  • Fine lines and wrinkles
  • Uneven skin tone
  • Uneven skin texture
  • Acne breakouts
  • Dark spots
  • Sun damage
  • Rosacea
  • Melasma
  • Large pores and blackheads

Chemical peels can be customized to meet each client’s needs ranging from very superficial imperfections to deeper lines and wrinkles. Talk to your skincare provider about which peel will be right for you. Depending on the ingredients used, you can get a light, medium or deep peel to address different levels of concerns.

Injectables

Injectables have quickly become the most popular requested cosmetic treatment in the world. There’s a reason for their popularity: they’re able to address a variety of concerns and get amazing and often immediate results.

Neuro Toxins

This tops the list as the most commonly performed cosmetic treatment in the world. Neuro toxins are a purified form of the botulinum toxin and is considered a neuromodulator, meaning it can temporarily block a nerve’s signal from reaching a specific muscle and altering how that muscle moves.

Neuro toxins are best known for their ability to reduce or eliminate the appearance of dynamic wrinkles—the wrinkles that are caused by movement. Some wrinkles are caused by a loss of volume, but when you think about your frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles, these are strictly a result of the expressions you’ve repeatedly made over your lifetime.

Talk to your skincare specialist about which lines wrinkles are your biggest areas of concern. When strategically injected into specific muscles, neuro toxins can effectively treat:

  • Frown lines between the eyebrows
  • Forehead wrinkles
  • Crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes
  • Bunny lines on the side of the nose

 

Reducing a Gummy Smile

If you feel you show too much of your gums when you smile or that your top lip disappears when you say “cheese”, neuro toxins can help. Because it works to relax muscles, it can relax the muscles that pull your lip up when you smile just enough to minimize your gums’ exposure.

Neuro toxins can also help with a crooked smile. This is a common asymmetry where one side of a person’s mouth goes up higher than another when they smile. Using neuro toxins can relax the side that ventures farther up, creating an even and symmetrical smile.

Dermal Fillers

If you’re struggling with moderate to severe lines, folds and wrinkles, ask your specialist about the use of dermal fillers to get immediate results. There are a variety of fillers on the market, and only your specialist can determine which would be right to address your specific area of concern.

Deep Lines and Folds

It seems nothing can give away our age quicker than the deep folds around our mouth and wrinkles around our lips and chin. Luckily, fillers can give you immediate and natural results while filling in these troubling areas. This treatment can immediately address:

  • Nasolabial folds from your nose to your mouth
  • Marionette lines from your mouth down your chin
  • Chin wrinkles
  • Vertical lines surrounding your lips that cause lipstick to “bleed”

 

Lip Enhancement

We’ll let you in on a little secret: those celebrities and models with the perfect lips you envy? Most of them weren’t born that way. They have had a little help filling out their natural shape with dermal fillers. Our lips thin as we age, and this can cause them to appear as two horizontal lines instead of shapely and voluminous. Certain dermal fillers are designed to provide instant and natural plumping when injected into the lips.

You don’t have to worry about looking “over-plumped”, either. These fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, a sugar your body naturally produces to attract moisture. The results are soft and pliable while looking full and young. Lipstick and gloss will apply and wear more evenly and smoothly because all those vertical lines will be diminished giving your lips well-defined edges.

Call for a Consultation

It can be overwhelming trying to understand which treatment will be right for you and the areas of concern you have. It’s important to pick a skincare specialist or team of specialists that will walk you through the process and help you choose the perfect options for you. Call Refresh Evolution in Pitt Meadows, BC to schedule a consultation. We’re committed to helping each of our clients achieve their ultimate aesthetic goals. We look forward to helping you look and feel your best!