Types of Facials: HydraFacial vs. Microdermabrasion Facial

Medically reviewed by: Shawna Sopher, Certified Health-related Aesthetician

Tired of working with rough-textured skin that makes you appear more mature? Numerous kinds of facials can aid skin seem smoother, but if you are on the lookout for a far more impressive, medical grade cosmetic procedure, a microdermabrasion facial or HydraFacial MD is the way to go. Dermatologists more and more advocate a HydraFacial vs. microdermabrasion because it’s a gentler and a lot more customizable system of pores and skin resurfacing.

“Both remedies make your facial area appear smoother by exfoliating the best layer of pores and skin,” stated Shawna Sopher, a licensed medical aesthetician at Water’s Edge Dermatology. “But HydraFacials are usually desired mainly because they are more helpful at managing specified pores and skin difficulties, this kind of as hyperpigmentation. And not like a microdermabrasion facial, HydraFacial MD is protected for virtually all pores and skin styles.” 

Here are the particulars on equally kinds of facial. 

What is microdermabrasion?

A microdermabrasion facial exfoliates the pores and skin in a way that Sopher likens to sandblasting. During a therapy session, the company removes the major layer pores and skin with a pen-like device that has both a diamond idea that “sands” the pores and skin or a suggestion that sprays fantastic crystals on the pores and skin to dislodge lifeless cells. These equipment also suction away the loosened cells as well as other particles that may possibly be clogging your pores, these types of as dust and makeup.

A microdermabrasion facial is a gentler edition of dermabrasion, a additional invasive exfoliation technique performed using a motorized wire brush or an instrument that has a diamond wheel with tough edges at the suggestion, termed a burr. While microdermabrasion is gentler than dermabrasion, it is still way too abrasive for some people.

“Microdermabrasion isn’t advised for anybody who has an acne breakout, rosacea, or slender, getting old pores and skin,” Sopher explained. “Another draw back is that the volume of suction can be way too severe and may perhaps induce broken blood vessels.”

Microdermabrasion gains

The gains of microdermabrasion contain smoothing the skin, lowering fantastic strains, wrinkles, and enlarged pores, and enhancing the physical appearance of age spots, hyperpigmentation, and zits scars. Nevertheless, in accordance to Sopher, microdermabrasion is fewer effective from some of these difficulties, which includes hyperpigmentation, than HydraFacial MD.

What is a HydraFacial?

HydraFacial MD is a multi-phase method that presents the benefits of microdermabrasion but relies extra on chemical exfoliation than actual physical exfoliation. “It’s type of a blend of microdermabrasion and a chemical peel,” said Sopher.

One of the pros of a HydraFacial is that it does extra than just exfoliate. All through the very first move, the service provider utilizes a wand-like instrument to cleanse your pores and skin and use a peel that contains substances that exfoliate and hydrates, these as lactic acid and glucosamine. For the duration of step two, the wand delivers a mixture of glycolic acid and salicylic acid to loosen dust and particles that may be clogging your pores, which is taken out working with vacuum suction in stage 3. Previous, the wand infuses your pores and skin with peptides and hyaluronic acid so it seems plump and youthful. 

HyraFacial benefits 

As with microdermabrasion, the benefits of HydraFacial MD contain smoothing the skin, lowering great lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores, and enhancing the look of age places, hyperpigmentation, and zits scars. The mix of physical exfoliation and pores and skin-brightening acids makes HydraFacial MD much more successful at addressing difficulties these as dark places, stated Sopher. 

A HydraFacial is also gentler on the pores and skin than a microdermabrasion facial for the reason that the amount of suction can be altered. Furthermore, the concentration of the acids can be personalized. As a outcome, HydraFacials are safe and sound for nearly every skin form. The lone exception is if you have an acne breakouts breakout that’s infected, but you can get a HydraFacial when your pores and skin has healed.

“With a HydraFacial, you can also ask for add-on ‘booster’ solutions that are tailored to your pores and skin considerations to boost the results,” reported Sopher. Examples contain a retinol booster serum to limit wrinkles and a vitamin C serum to make dim places considerably less obvious.

Hydrafacial vs. microdermabrasion: Downtime, observe-up classes, and much more

HydraFacials give fast gratification. “Your skin seems to be dewy and quite suitable absent, whilst it may well be little red and swollen subsequent microdermabrasion,” mentioned Sopher. Those people microdermabrasion facet results ordinarily solve inside of a make a difference of hrs, however.

For greatest final results, each microdermabrasion facials and HydraFacials have to have to be recurring. Most persons should really get a HydraFacial each 3 to 4 months, but you can get them extra usually if you have oily skin. If you opt for microdermabrasion, you can opt for to get just a person therapy right before a exclusive occasion to brighten and soften your skin, but if you want to deal with certain pores and skin problems, a sequence of five to 16 periods is advised. The periods may be carried out weekly, each other week, or after a month relying on how considerably time your skin requires to get well.

Both equally treatments acquire about an hour. The cost of microdermabrasion and HydraFacial MD is very similar, though the rate varies relying on where by you live. Hold in brain that you may possibly have a more durable time discovering a dermatology practice that features microdermabrasion due to the fact quite a few practitioners take into consideration HydraFacial MD to be the excellent remedy. Sopher, for illustration, no longer performs microdermabrasion. 

Article Prepared By: Jessica Brown, a overall health and science writer/editor primarily based in Nanuet, New York. She has prepared for Avoidance magazine, jnj.com, BCRF.org, and lots of other retailers.