How Does Microdermabrasion Compare to Chemical Skin Peels?
Curious on what the best approach is for rejuvenating your skin tone, refreshing your complexion, and reducing the visible signs of aging? In this article, we compare two of the most popular methods and reveal which is better, chemical peels or microdermabrasion.
If you’ve started to notice that your complexion isn’t quite as vibrant as it used to be, or that your skin tone is gradually becoming uneven, then you may be curious as to what you can do to reverse these effects. While there are many options available at varying degrees of intensity, from at-home creams to professional clinical procedures, choosing the right method to match the properties of your skin and accomplish your goals can be a challenge.
In that regard, there are two types of skin treatments that are often praised for their ability to produce significant impact to many different aspects of your skin, including a more youthful complexion, even skin tone, and a reduction in the visible signs of aging. These two types of treatments are known as chemical peels and microdermabrasion. While both methods are used to achieve the same goals of improving the look and feel of your skin, they achieve these results in vastly different ways.
In order to determine which approach is best for you, we will need to start by taking a look at each method and review the science behind how each of them works to improve the appearance of the skin, as well as any potential pros and cons of each treatment. In addition, we’ll also highlight our very own world famous at-home microdermabrasion machine, the Silk’n ReVit Prestige, and the advantages it can offer you. But first, let’s begin with a look at chemical peels.
What is a Chemical Peel?
A chemical peel is a fairly straightforward concept. It involves the application of a chemical solution to the skin that reacts with the upper layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, and loosens the chemical bonds between the outermost layer of dead skin and the healthy layer of skin underneath. With these bonds broken down, the outer layer of dead skin is then simply washed or peeled away from the healthy layer, leaving the skin looking more vibrant than before.
Chemical peel solutions use a mixture of different ingredients, however the active components are generally some form of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), such as lactic acid, malic acid, or citric acid. These AHAs are what produce the effect of separating the layer of dead skin from the healthy skin. Other chemical peels use a beta hydroxy acid (BHA), such as salicylic acid, as their main active ingredient. BHAs are most often used to clean the pores and break down clogs that are commonly associated with conditions like acne. Some other types of chemical peel solutions utilize a combination of AHA and BHA ingredients to blend the effects of both types of acids. Depending on the extent of the desired result, different concentrations of the active AHA and BHA ingredients can be used to produce a more powerful effect.
It is important to note that chemical peels do not offer permanent results. Over time, the skin may return to a similar state as it was prior to the peel treatment. If needed, your dermatologist will recommend follow-up peels at safe intervals, or as is needed. For most common aesthetic chemical peels, it takes about a week or two for the skin to recover from the procedure, depending on the type of peel that was performed. This is because some types of chemical peels are stronger and more stressful on the skin than others.
Types of Chemical Peels
Depending on the ingredients in the solution, the concentration of the acids, and the specific objective of the treatment, chemical peels generally fall into one of three categories:
- Superficial
- Medium Depth
- Deep Peels
Superficial peels are the most common type of aesthetic chemical peel and use the lightest concentration of acids in their solutions. Superficial peels are generally performed to improve the overall appearance of the skin by brightening the complexion and smoothing out skin tone.
Medium depth peels are more aggressive and utilize a higher acid concentration in their solutions. These peels are used to more significantly reduce the appearance of age spots, fine lines, acne scarring, sun damage, and other types of common skin imperfections.
Deep peels are the most intensive type of chemical peels and are reserved for very serious skin conditions. As such, deep peels are only performed under strict medical oversight by a physician.
Side Effects of Chemical Peels
Chemical peels, although effective, are not without their side effects and potential complications. Because the process revolves around the application of a chemical solution directly on the skin, it’s not unusual for some people to experience irritation, discomfort, or even burning sensations during the procedure. Sometimes people who have undergone a chemical peel will have lingering redness, swelling, sensitivity, and mild pain afterwards, especially if they have particularly sensitive skin.
Because of these after-effects, it’s critical that anyone who undergoes a chemical peel avoids using any other intensive skin treatments for an extended period of time (including microdermabrasion). Performing more than one of these types of treatments in quick succession can cause damage to the skin, sometimes to a significant degree, which you certainly don’t want.
For people who have had reactions to skin care products in the past, often due to harsh chemicals found in certain types of soaps, facial cleansers, moisturizers or other types of skin creams or lotions, it is recommended that they be extremely cautious about chemical peels. In fact, it’s often best in those cases to avoid chemical peels entirely in favor of a more gentle and non-irritating method of rejuvenating the skin.
Speaking of a gentler alternative to enhancing the appearance of the skin, let’s now take a look at microdermabrasion and the benefits this innovative procedure offers.
What is Microdermabrasion?
Microdermabrasion is a unique type of skin rejuvenation treatment that utilizes a very fine abrasive-tipped device to gently but thoroughly lift off dead and damaged cells from the surface of the skin, revealing the healthy, youthful skin underneath. As the microdermabrasion device is passed over the treatment area, the fine diamond-embedded abrasive tip physically separates the dead cells from the healthy cells, at which time the dead skin cells are vacuumed away and contained within the device to be easily disposed of afterwards with no mess.
Microdermabrasion is amazingly effective at correcting dull complexions, uneven skin tone, and other visible signs of aging such as fine lines, age spots, and sun damage. Microdermabrasion can be performed in an aesthetic salon or clinic by a professional technician, or with an at-home microdermabrasion device that offers greater comfort and convenience.
Benefits of Microdermabrasion vs. Chemical Peels
Microdermabrasion offers many substantial advantages over chemical peels. For starters, because microdermabrasion is a physical treatment and not a chemical treatment, it is far safer for individuals with sensitive skin or who have experienced discomfort with aggressive skin treatments in the past. In fact, many advocates of microdermabrasion describe the gentle massaging action of the process to be quite soothing and relaxing.
In addition, with no harsh chemicals to irritate the skin, microdermabrasion is far less likely to produce periods of soreness, swelling or redness, unlike chemical peels which can have lingering effects that are quite unpleasant. Furthermore, there is little, or no recovery time needed after a microdermabrasion treatment, whereas it can take up to two weeks for your skin to fully recover from a chemical peel.
Microdermabrasion also has the added benefit of being able to be performed in the comfort of your own home. Although there are many types of at-home chemical peel kits, the effects of these are nowhere near as noticeable or long-lasting as the types of peels performed at aesthetic salons or dermatology clinics. In this regard, microdermabrasion is a much more convenient and cost-effective skin rejuvenation treatment.
Overall, microdermabrasion offers a simple, convenient, affordable, and highly effective way to enhance the look of your skin, fight back against the visible signs of aging, and obtain a youthful, glowing complexion, without the use of any harsh chemicals. It’s easy to see why devices such as the Silk’n ReVit Prestige microdermabrasion device are so popular around the world. On that note, we’re now going to introduce you to this revolutionary at-home microdermabrasion device and talk about the amazing results you can expect!
At-Home Microdermabrasion with the Silk’n ReVit Prestige
Forget about spending hundreds of dollars on microderm treatments at a clinic or salon and skip the hassle of coordinating appointments into your busy schedule. With the Silk’n ReVit Prestige microdermabrasion device, you can get premium, salon-quality microdermabrasion treatments right in the comfort of your own home in just minutes! It’s extremely easy-to-use and features an automatic guide mode that prompts you the optimum treatment cycle for the best possible results in the least amount of time.
The ReVit Prestige comes with four different microdermabrasion tips to further customize your treatments. You can select from Fine, Regular, Body, or Massage tips for a wide range of treatment styles to suit your needs and preferences. Its gentle suction action helps stimulate the skin with each use, boosting circulation and further enhancing the effects of your microderm treatments.
With each treatment, your skin will be left feeling soft and smooth, with a vibrant and healthy glow. You’ll notice a reduction in the visible signs of aging such as age spots and fine lines, an improvement in the evenness of your skin tone, and a more radiant complexion. Elasticity and resilience is also improved, with the skin feeling firmer and tighter. With each successive treatment, these effects become more and more noticeable, and you’ll feel like someone has turned back the clock every time you see your face in the mirror. It’s really quite amazing to see how easy it is to achieve such great results right at home with ease and convenience.
Choose the Skin Treatments that are Best for You
Microdermabrasion is a simple and powerful way to enhance the look of your skin, and with the Silk’neVit Prestige you’ll notice that all the other elements of your skin care routine will become more effective as well. You may discover that your moisturizers, skin serums, facial creams, and cleansers work better thanks to the regenerative effects of the microdermabrasion process. For many people, this is an unexpected and very nice bonus!
If you’re ready to start taking advantage of the benefits of advanced skin treatments like microdermabrasion, give the Silk’n ReVit Prestige microderm machine a try today and experience the wonderful effects that it can provide. We’re confident you’ll love how it makes your skin feel and look!
