About Microdermabrasion

Improve skin quality, reduce age spots, soften fine lines, and diminish acne or other scars - all without downtime, pain, or risk of complications. Medical microdermabrasion is just one of the fabulous skin resurfacing techniques employed at the VanderVeer Center.

All resurfacing techniques involve the disruption and removal of part of the epidermis and/or the dermis - the two top layers of skin. Fifty percent of ultraviolet A radiation penetrates the epidermis and reaches the upper dermis, so most of the immediate and long-term changes of photodamage take place in these two layers. Microdermabrasion is a superficial scraping of the skin with a high-pressure flow of crystals. This resurfacing of the epidermis is perfect for treating the effects of photoaging.

The effects of photoaging - fine lines, pigment changes, pore enlargement - are distinct from the effects of chronological aging. Those changes - loss of elasticity, sagging - are treated by surgical repositioning of facial contours. A surgical facelift does not address the skin quality issues best treated by resurfacing techniques.

Microdermabrasion is most commonly used to treat the face, but can be effective on the neck, hands, and chest as well. The quality and uniformity of the appearance of the skin can be significantly improved in patients with photodamage.