Raving about makeup, skincare, hair and other little obsessions... A Beauty Blog

Saturday, June 15, 2013

My Microdermabrasion + Facial Experience

I've never had a facial before prior to this experience that I'm about to divulge. I spotted a special deal on microdermabrasion and facial by a salon, not far from where I live, on one of those "deals websites". I couldn't resist. I bought a voucher. I was keen to try out microdermabrasion, especially since Zoe Foster swears by it. I've been wanting my skin to glow and my acne scars to fade. It's still something I desire and haven't achieved.

Before
I took a "before" photo prior to the session. I was excited and slightly anxious at the same time. What if something goes wrong or my skin has a horrible reaction to the treatment? Will I be going to uni afterwards with a red and puffy face? Sharon, the beauty therapist, reassured me that salon-type microdermabrasion only remove the dead skin cells; because there won't be any tissue injury, inflammation won't ensue.

For the most part, the facial was very relaxing. It involved slathering on product, massaging it into my skin and then removing it with a wet cloth; and hot steamy towels in between certain products. Then comes the microdermabrasion. The device itself looked like a metal pen attached to a machine by a wire. It basically involved scratching the skin with many small diamond tips and suctioning away the dead skin cells at the same time (that's what the machine was for, to create a vacuum). The treatment wasn't uncomfortable however I would not describe it as pleasant.

If I thought microdermabrasion was bad, the worst was yet to come! Sharon decided that she wanted to throw in a free extraction upon seeing the number of milia I had on my face. It was a horrifically excruciating experience! I literally thought I was going to die. Tears were streaming down my face and I did my best to be brave. Time passed really slowly as Sharon pierced and pressed out each one of my milia. I kept apologising for the pain she was inflicting on me and reassured me that it was going to be worth it. Relief washed over when she was (FINALLY!) done. A couple more facial product application and a hand massage followed before the session ended.

The first thing I saw when I looked in the mirror were these horrible little red spots on my face. They were wounds and when I touched them, blood smeared. As much a torture the extraction was, I wished Sharon had kept going for a bit longer because I noticed she missed a couple of milia. By the end of the day, the bleeding stopped but the wounds were very red and obvious. And it remained so for a week.

After
 So overall, was it worth it? My housemate said that my skintone appeared slightly more even. My boyfriend said that I looked a bit more "glowy and shiny". I think he doesn't know that "shiny skin" is bad in the beauty dictionary. But I understood what he meant. I was hoping my acne scars would lighten significantly but I think it only did so marginally. The only huge difference I felt was in my neck and chest area. The skin there was much softer and smoother.

The verdict? I don't think I'm willing to spend money and time on facials anytime soon. I'll look into more when I hit 30. Sharon kept commenting how "young" and "gorgeous" my skin is and she also mentioned that I may not see as a big a difference post-treatment as compared to an older lady. I guess she's right. I'll stick with at-home masks and treatments for now.

Have you had microdermabrasion or extractions before? What was your experience?

14 comments:

  1. Ouchhh extracting milia sounds painful! :(
    My dream is to get rid of my acne scars and I've seen people who do microdermabrasion get such good results but I don't really want to go through it ><

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    1. Hey Sheri, yes the extraction was very painful. Mircodermabrasion is not painful it just costs a fair bit of money. I recommend buying a Vitamin E oil or serum and spot treatment your acne scars every night. Really work the product into your skin with a finger. It takes a while but they will fade! :)

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  2. Absolutely fun to read. The topic are really interesting, that's why I loved to read this over and over again.

    microdermabrasion

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  3. It answers all the questions, this is absolutely great post. Reading this, doesn't make me bore which is a big thing for me. Great

    Indian Hair

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  4. This seems to be a fairly good alternative for a microdermabrasion treatment. Thanks for posting this!

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  5. Microdermabrasion is a painless, noninvasive, skin-rejuvenation procedure using a combination of a fine abrasive tip or crystals and vacuum suction applied to the skin.

    http://www.lasereast.net/microdermabrasion-treatment/

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  7. microdermabrasion is amazing, so your other facial care better.Once dead skin is gone, your cleanser, toner and cream into the deeper layers of skin and penetrate deep into the pores to produce the best results. microdermabrasion

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  8. I cant believe you had such a bad experience.. I had heard so much great stuff about microdermabrasion but I didn't want to pay all that money to get it done in a clinic so my friend used her own machine she had in her house on me and it was amazing! She's really into beauty and this is the 2nd machine she's bought and she way prefers the one she has now! Its called skin vac and I think you can only buy it on amazon. It's not that well known but she said it's way better than her old one, particularly because you don't have replace the tips. When she did the treatment on me it didn't hurt at all, it left my skin really soft and yes a kind of glowing. hope my experience helps and encourages you to try it again!

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  9. Oh, being and staying beautiful could be painful sometimes! Not to mention expensive. But the result is worth it, if your have the patience and perseverance to go through all of it. But of course, you can’t expect a positive result overnight, sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better. But hopefully not by much. Have a good day!

    Byron Brewer @ Knight and Sanders - Knight

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  10. Hi, Ty! You have a very lovely face! The before and after photo speaks of your experience with microdermabrasion. Your skin is glowing! It may be painful, but as they say – no pain, no gain! I hope you will share your other beauty experiences with us. Cheers!

    Victor Peterson @ DrFarole.com

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  11. Microdermabrasion is the process in which outermost damaged layer of skin is removed and new healthier and smooth layer of skin appears. Further detail Microdermabrasion in Dubai

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