Facial Treatments

[Andrea]

I need advice/experience here...

I have been given a $100 gift certificate to a local day spa. I'm interested in either a microdermabrasion treatment ($150) or a glycolic facial & treatment ($100). They also offer just the glycolic treatment (no facial) for $60.

I've got some sun damage/redness across my nose & cheekbones that I'm wanting to lessen the appearance of. I don't mind spending a little extra (possibly for the microderm. treatment or getting two non-facial glycolic treatments). I know that just a visit or two won't get rid of everything, but I'm really just looking for some improvement. I'd like to see my nose freckles again, but with constant mild skin redness, they don't show up anymore!

Thoughts? Suggestions? Opinions?

[Grog]

I do not know anything about the second treatment you mention, but check references and credentials of the place and practitioners before you get dermabrasion done. It's not a benign procedure and you don't want them to mess it up and worsen the "problem" (which, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...).

Good luck!

[Andrea]

The glycolic thing is where they put an acidic mixture on your face for a few minutes to exfoliate the top layer. It's like a milder version of the "skin peel" treatment that cosmetic surgeons perform.

It seems like both treatments (glycolic treatment and microdermabrasion) do pretty much the same thing with one being a mechanical exfolient and one being a chemical one. I guess what I'm wondering is which one would yield more results in just one or two treatments.

[tulip]

I've never had microdermabrasion, but I have had glycolic treatement and was very pleased. I have oily skin, prone to blemishes, plus some sun damage from my years on the soccer field and on the bike. It turned out very clear and smooth and porcelain-like. Too bad it doesn't last! I would do it again (and will, one of these days)

[three]

Andrea, as a former esthetician I wanted to throw my .02 in here.

A good client for microderm is someone who has mild acne scarring (mild pock marks) or noticeable age spots, etc. It is not the same as a glycolic peel at all. One should not enter lightly into chemical peels or microdermabrasion. Each one can be a wonderful option for specific skin issues, but neither should be treated as casually as a relaxing facial or massage.

If your focus is on trying to diminish the appearance of sun damage, microderm is not at all a procedure I would recommend. It is not a procedure that should be offered at a spa in the first place (unless it's a medical spa). It is something to be done by a licensed esthetician who has gained additional medical certification. Personally, I would only have it done in a medical spa or a cosmetic surgery clinic (where they often have medical estheticians on staff).

To address your concerns about sun damage and redness:

a) Stay out of the sun as much as you can. When you are in the sun...ALWAYS have sun-screen on!!! Put it on every morning and keep a supply in your purse so you can re-apply during the day if you need it. There are some great products out there that have sun protection built into them. For example, foundation with built-in sun protection, or skin toners and moisturizers with sun protection. My personal fave is Dermalogica.

b) A chemical peel might be helpful at diminishing some of the damage. But, if I were still practicing in a salon and you were my client, I would tell you not to go searching for a 'cure'. Redness is usually the sign of an incomplete skin care regimen, possible skin disorder*, or irritation. And, with any of those things, it could easily reappear - which means the healthy approach is on how best to care for it and treat it on an ongoing basis. The 'quick fix' approach isn't going to do you much good if it just keeps coming back. But, I'm more of a holistic health care kinda gal - which is why my focus would be on prevention and healthy treatment/living. If skin analysis showed that you were a good candidate for a glycolic peel, I would make sure that you're getting the right level of a chemical peel (there are varying degrees) and I would emphasize your skin care regimen to make the results of the peel longer-lasting. If your issue is just sun damage and mild irritation, I would imagine you'd see a difference after 1 or 2 treatments. BUT, having not seen your skin personally, take that with a grain of salt.

c) I should state that the areas of redness you're mentioning are the most common flare up spots for adult eczema or rosacea. A dermatologist can diagnosis this and both are very easily treated. Mild rosacea often appears as redness and some mistake it for sun damage, or naturally 'rosy cheeks'. If you happen to have eczema or rosacea, a glycolic peel or microderm treatment could be potentially dangerous. Again, if you were my client, I would ask:
a) how long have you had the redness on your nose and cheeks?
b) is it always there (present for durations of 2 weeks or longer), or does it only pop up like a sun burn after lengthy UV exposure?
c) does the red area ever get bumpy, flaky, or itchy?

If you answered yes to 'c', &/or if you had been experiencing the redness without interruption for 2 weeks or longer, I would not perform any skin care treatments on you until you had been seen (and cleared) by a dermatologist.

The best thing you can do is take excellent care of your skin. Stay out of the sun as much as possible, have a skin routine in the morning and night (it only takes 2 minutes or less to cleanse, tone, and moisturize). And be sure to carry sun-protection with you at all times. If you know you have areas that are particularly sensitive to the sun, make sure you pay attention to those areas for any changes that might indicate skin cancer. The skin is our largest organ. It is also a part of our body where the consequences of our care (or lack thereof) are often not seen for many years, even decades. Lastly, moisturizing and proper hydration of the skin can fix the vast majority of qualms that people have (blemishes, dryness/flaking, dullness, etc). It's never too early, or too late, to be good to your skin.

[Bad JuJu]

It seems to me that you might want to see an independent dermatologist first, and get her opinion of which treatment, if any, would be best for you. Also, you don't mention whether you've tried other things, but a dermatologist can prescribe skin care meds that might solve or lessen your skin issues--and be gentler to your skin than either of the spa treatments.

My dermatologist advised me that my skin might react badly to either dermabrasion or a chemical peel, but the cream he prescribed, Tazorac, is a little miracle-worker at evening out skin tone and color and smoothing out other imperfections.

BTW, I like Neutrogena daily moisturizer for sun protection on my face--it comes in both SPF 30 and 45.