Power Peel or Microdermabrasion?

I'm interested as well! I have a consultation this Wednesday

Danielle - please post your experience here!! I am so interested!

Esthetician here. What are you looking to remedy? Dry skin, fine lines, hyper-pigmentation?

Abegaile - THANK YOU! perfect timing!!

I started noticing pores around my nose that make me pretty miserable it isn't visible (not THAT visible) before applying make up, but once I apply make up, my skin doesn't look that great around my nose and it drives me nuts! of course no one else notices, ( according to my fiancé) but I am super self conscious about it and was wondering if getting a facial would do any justice?

I am not sure if I am in denial (that I am getting old.. haha) since I have always had an amazing skin and never looked my age ( I am 30) PLEASE give me all of your wisdom about this! I am willing to od whatever it takes to have a flawless skin again.

ETA: I also see my skin changing between my forehead - right above my nose

Thanks, again!

Hi! I've been getting regular facials since November. I started with a deep cleansing facial, a microdermabrasion treatment (which I LOVE, my pores are so much smaller now , AND I havent been wearing makeup as often) . After the microdermabrasion I got a pumpkin peel

I leave it up to my esthetician what to do. She knows my trouble spots and customizes each facial to what my skin is doing.

I just got light microdermabrasion around my eyes and mouth and an all over peel on Saturday.

Do you use any skin care products right now? Getting a peel is serious business, and most Estheticians stop doing them this time of year because sun on peeled skin is a recipe for disaster. You usually have to "prep" your skin for a peel with skin care, then baby the heck out of it after,

Microderm is great because there is not a lot of downtime (you might be a little pink for a day or so). And it gives you instantly smoother skin. There are 2 types of microdermabrasion machines: crystal and diamond tip. Crystal is basically sand blasting your face with little crystals, and the machine sucks them right back up. Diamond tip uses abrasive tips like these (https://goo.gl/30l7Iq) that also have a suction hose, so it scrapes up the dead skin, then sucks it all up. Because of the suction factor, I LOVE and recommend diamond tip since it also cleans out blackheads.

Abegaile - thank you so, so much!!

I don't use any skin products, to be honest... just a moisturizer and an eye cream at night, but that's about it. :-/

Tamara- I definitely will report back!

Abegaile- when someone comes for a consult for small bumps on their face, would you normally recommend microneedling? I went to a medspa with my mom and this is what she recommended (sitting across from me at her desk, without ever touching my face) and I was kind of thrown off by it. Maybe I'm naive though.

@Danielle- Hmmm. I would be thrown off too. I would never truly recommend something for a client without cleansing their skin and looking at it with a mag lamp. Micro needling is more for fine lines/wrinkles than texture, but it can help. I'd advise you to get a second, hands on consult with another spa.

@abegaile- that's what I was expecting, I scheduled another consult with a different spa so hopefully they're more hands on.

Im also an esthetician and and Id choose a micro over a perl if it's your first time AND you keep it simple at home.

I'm 49 and I after reading a research study on this very thing, I use 5% salicylic acid a couple times a week. I have rosacea so my skin doesn't react well to microdermabrasion but strangely enough, doesn't flare at all with this acid. Salicylic acid is inflammatory in normal conditions so maybe that is why? I'm not an esthetician so perhaps one can comment? Either way, my own research and experience is that a good vitamin C and niacinamide serum routinely and correctly applied and layered (not together) is fabulous for glowing skin and can help retard aging! Obviously whatever you do, you might want to consider it many months in advance of your wedding because everyone reacts differently and the very last thing you want to have is a red, irritated face on your wedding day!

I do the microdermabrasion by Rodan and Fields it is gentle and effective

I had a microdermabrasion last week and i really liked it. My skin did feel immediately smooth after and for a few days. They do say you need to repeat it a few times before seeing the results so I am getting another one with a facial combo in a week or so. My esthetician is really great and is helping put together a schedule for me leading up to the wedding. I have not been that great about taking care of my skin so I'm leaving plenty of time to get it in tip top shape for the wedding!

Thank you, ladies. I will go for Micro, then!!

Cheers!

I don't have personal experience with those particular services, but my understanding is that physical exfoliation on the face (like grainy scrubs, etc.) is bad for your skins protective barrier, so I just stick with chemical exfoliants (glycolic acid, retinoids). I'm no expert though, just a recreational skincare junkie!