Microdermabrasion vs Chemical Peel

Microdermabrasion and Chemical Peel are the two popular modes of reducing the wrinkles and fine lines on the skin and give a young and vibrant look to the face. Both of these methods don’t involve any cutting or stitching up of skin but do have side effects. These methods have lots in common in them and its hard to choose between the two. This is the reason for many people going in for both treatments.

Microdermabrasion

In Microdermabrasion the skin is blasted with aluminum oxide crystals in order to resurface the skin. These crystals reach the second layer of skin called the dermis and drive away the top layer of the skin. Looking at it from risks point of view, microdermabrasion has less of evils in it. It’s thought of as the safest technique of rejuvenating the skin.

The whole process takes about 30 minutes if done only for the face and may take an hour or more for the other parts of the body to be done.

Side Effects: The normal side effect is redness on the skin and it would subside in 48 hours. This is safe procedure and can be taken up by all except the people suffering from diabetes, auto immune disorder and herpes, undiagnosed lesions, rosacea, dilated capillaries and warts, severe and active acne. People suffering from any of the above must consult the doctor before going in for microdermabrasion.

Chemical Peel

Chemical peels have stronger side effects than microdermabrasion but yield better results. Although it acts deeper in the skin than microdermabrasion, still chemical peel is regarded as safe to use procedure. For a chemical peel, caustic chemicals are applied on the skin to even out the pigmentation, reduce scars and flatten the lines and wrinkles. The chemicals used are Trichloracetic acid, Glycolic acid, Phenol resorcinol, Salicylic acid, Lactic acid, Alpha-keto acid, and Tretinoin Retinoic acid.

People suffering or have a family history of heart disease must consult the doctor before going in for chemical peel. Normally, it takes about 10 minutes to perform a chemical peels but it could take up to an hour depending on the combination of the chemicals used. The combination varies depending on the skin tone and color.

Side Effects: After a chemical peel, it’s very common to have included crusting, redness, infection, irritation, and pigmentation damage. They can last for a day or take a week or two to subside.

Difference

Microdermabrasian can be carried out by a trained esthetician or plastic surgeon, but Chemical Peels should be done only by plastic surgeon. It’s not legally mandatory to get it done through plastic surgeon at some cities but it’s always a safer option.

Chemical peels require surgical hands to carry it out while microdermabrasion is easy to do and technique can be mastered easily. Normally people prefer esthetician for microdermabrasion to doctor to avoid the wait at the doctor’s appointment. Also, it’s helps to relax when it’s done at a spa or some place like that. But ensure to go to only esthetician who has been in business for a long time and has had happy customers.