Dermabrasion | Microdermabrasion

The dermabrasion procedure is a more invasive treatment than microdermabrasion. Dermabrasion involves removing the top layers of the skin promoting the growth of new skin cells and revealing the youthful skin underneath these layers.

Due to the more invasive nature of dermabrasion, you will be under local anaesthetic as it can cause more discomfort than microdermabrasion. The recovery time and healing process for dermabrasion tends to be slightly longer than that of microdermabrasion.

The microdermabrasion procedure is a non-invasive procedure which removes dead skin on the surface of the face. It is a much lighter exfoliation technique than dermabrasion and only removes dead skin cells, preserving others in the area. As a result of this much lighter technique, the recovery time is minimal, and you should not experience much discomfort surrounding the area that was treated post-treatment.

During dermabrasion, an abrasive motorised device is moved across the skin in order to remove the upper layers of the skin. The procedure can take a few minutes to over an hour depending on the size of the area being treated.

During microdermabrasion, the outer layer of the skin is penetrated with fine crystals to remove dead skin cells which are then removed using a vacuum. Microdermabrasion takes around 30 minutes, again depending on the size of the area being treated.  

During dermabrasion you will receive a local anaesthetic and therefore no pain or discomfort should be felt during the procedure. Afterwards, there may be discomfort for a few days. However, this will most likely just be sensitivity and may be similar to the feeling of sunburn. During microdermabrasion, you may feel some very mild discomfort.

It depends entirely on your personal concerns and goals as to which treatment is better. Dermaplaning removes the top layers of the skin and is less invasive than dermabrasion. Dermabrasion may be more effective in treating skin concerns affecting the lower layers of the skin as it works to treat much deeper layers of the skin. However, dermaplaning is only really effective on the upper layers of the skin.