Which Skin Cosmetic Procedure Works For Me?

Chemical peel is a doctor performed skin resurfacing technique that uses chemical solution to exfoliate the damaged top layers of the skin. Chemical peel is a more effective skin care treatment for deeper scars, facial blemishes and wrinkles. Chemical peel may also helps in controlling acne or remove pre-cancerous skin growth.

Microdermabrasion, is a mechanical peel that uses a stream of microcrystals to exfoliate the skin top layers so as to reveal the healthier and softer skin below. This skin care treatment is normally used for superficial skin problems such as acne scars, enlarged or clogged pores, wrinkles, fine lines and age spots.

If you are looking for ways on how to rejuvenate your skin and take away its imperfections, consider microdermabrasion or chemical peel. They may not be able to perform a reversal process of your skin aging, but they can provide you with a more youthful appearance.

The Similarities of Microdermabrasion and Chemical Peel

The very first fact that makes microdermabrasion and chemical peel alike is that they both work by getting rid of damaged skin layers in order to reveal younger and more attractive skin. Both chemical peels and microdermabrasion are actually called ‘resurfacing techniques’ which exfoliate the skin top layers that promote skin rejuvenation and collagen production.

Another similarity is that they are both non-surgical skin procedures. This means that patients will not need to undergo surgery nor need to be injected with anesthesia (for light and medium chemical peel). When it comes to cosmetic skin care treatment, microdermabrasion and chemical peel are also alike since they both work effectively only on the following areas aside from the face, the chest, hands, neck, and back.

Both techniques are also similar in terms of the time frame it takes for a single session to be completed. For treatment done on facial areas, both processes will last for 30min. If the treatment is performed on the chest, neck, and other body parts, the session usually takes 60min.

Both microdermabrasion and chemical peel can be performed by professionals or dermatologists at clinics, skin spas or beauty salons. Alternatively, you can perform light chemical peel or microdermabrasion treatment by yourself with an at-home kit. In both cases, home kits are less effective than professional treatment.

The Differences between Chemical Peels and Microdermabrasion

A chemical peel has different strengths that can be utilized according to the patient’s needs or skin conditions. Basically, there are light, medium, and deep peels to select from for chemical peel. The selection of the different degree of peels are usually decided or advice by a professional or dermatologist. Microdermabrasion procedure, on the other hand, only has a single level for the crystal technique. However, diamond microdermabrasion has ‘levels’ in the sense that you can choose the size of the wand tip to be used.

1. Significant difference in recovery time
   Chemical peels, especially the deep chemical peel, usually have longer recovery time than microdermabrasion. A patient who has undergone chemical peeling may require up to 3 months for side effects like skin redness to completely disappear. A microdermabrasion patient, on the other hand, will only have to wait from several hours up to a couple of days for complete recovery.

2. Big difference in the risk level
   Having a chemical peel, especially if it is a ‘deep’ one, comes with more risks as compared to microdermabrasion treatment. Microdermabrasion will only give you mild skin dryness and redness which will fade after a few hours. On the other hand, chemical peel can result in burns, serious skin flaking, further skin scarring and permanent changes in skin colour.

3. Huge gap in the cost
   

   

   A microdermabrasion is definitely much cheaper than having a chemical peel. You can get a microdermabrasion treatment from the price range of less than $100 to $200. A light chemical peel like glycolic peel however costs more than $100 and can reach up to $300. If you are going for a deep chemical peel, the treatment costs which includes consultation, anesthetic, hospital fees etc can range from $2,000 up to over $5,000.

4. Slight difference in who can perform the procedure and where it can be performed
   Though there are home kits designed for both procedures in the market, those kits only pertain to mild chemical peels and microdermabrasion. In fact, there are no home kits available for more serious peels like medium and deep chemical peels. This two categories of the treatment are more aggressive and dangerous and therefore can only be performed by doctors or dermatologists in office-based surgical facility or hospitals.

For microdermabration to be effective, you need 6 to 12 treatment sessions (scheduled 2-3 weeks apart) and a maintenance session every 2-3 months. A mild chemical peel may require a treatment session every 6 weeks with the whole treatment phase that can takes up to several months. However, a medium chemical peel may only be performed once every 2-3 months time. Deep chemical peeling, or phenol peel, however can only be performed once in a patient's entire lifetime.

Microdermabrasion Chemical Peel: The Truth about the Two-Part Process

Some patients may have very deep scars that cannot be treated effectively by microdermabrasion as the procedure only focuses on the top most layers of the skin. Therefore in such cases, some people may have to undergo chemical peels after completing their microdermabrasion treatments. This is due to the fact that chemical peels are able to perform deep penetration to your skin. Using both microdermabrasion and chemical peel, however, is very risky, as complications and a lot of side effects may arise.

Though both microdermabrasion chemical peel are effective as a combined skin care treatment, they can inflict skin injury because of the double peeling effect. Hence it is advisable to consult your dermatologist before you undergo this two-part treatment. Learning about both methods first is also of great importance before you make up your mind.

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