by Grace Wilson
If your “crow’s feet” are starting to bother you, think about getting a series of microdermabrasion treatments. While it’s popular in the United States now, Europeans have been indulging in this age-reducing treatment for nearly two decades.

This non-surgical cosmetic procedure is very effective at reducing fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and acne scars by using tiny crystals to polish the skin. A specially trained technician uses a mechanical hand piece, or abrasion tool, and moves it methodically across your skin, usually going over the whole area two or three times for optimum coverage. The abrasion tool simultaneously polishes the skin and vacuums up the dead layer of skin cells at the surface. The abrasion and the suction provided by the hand piece stimulate the deeper layers of the skin to produce new fresh skin cells and to increase production of collagen, which keeps our skin plump and wrinkle-free. Getting rid of the dead, outer layer leaves your face looking fresh and radiant.

This is a safe procedure for all skin colors and requires no down-time, unlike a chemical peel, and is often done on a client’s lunch hour. For people with sensitive skin who aren’t good candidates for a chemical peel, a series of “microderm” treatments could give the same results.

I spoke with Myla Rosebaugh, owner of Amazing Face in Austin, Texas (www.amazingface.com) to get an expert’s advice on how to get the most from microdermabrasion. Myla says most people need ten treatments to see maximum results. Each treatment should be spaced at least a week apart. When I asked her how soon people generally see results she said, “People need to be patient. I have a trained eye and I can see the results deep in the skin from the very first treatment. But for most people, it will take a few treatments before they realize just how much their skin has improved.”

I asked her if receiving a microderm treatment is as relaxing as a regular facial. She said that, in general, no, it’s not a treatment you would seek out if you just wanted to relax because there’s no massage. But it doesn’t hurt, and plenty of her regular clients do fall asleep during their sessions. Myla finishes each session with at least ten minutes of a warm towel face pack to encourage her clients to get some well-needed rest before they head back out into the world. “The worst thing a person could do after a treatment is get a lot of sun,” she says, as the skin is very exposed and unprotected. Myla adds that the perfect time of year for microderm is in the winter, when the sun’s rays are less intense.

You can expect treatments to take between thirty minutes to an hour, and they usually cost between $100 and $200.

So what about those microdermabrasion kits you see advertised for do-it-yourselfers who want to save money and do it at home? “Well, it’s possible you could do a good job,” Myla says, “but those kits aren’t cheap and you may very well end up throwing that money away if you don’t do a good job. Many people will overdo it, damaging their skin, and many won’t go far enough.” Her advice is to take the money you would spend on an at-home kit and put it toward a professional treatment.

Of course results will vary, depending on the condition of your skin. But according to Myla, she has seen some truly astounding transformations.