Afterwards, many clients' faces are pinkened, Vasilopulos said, but they don't need to take any special precautions, other than using sunscreen. I usually find it relaxing, kind of like having a facial. Microdermabrasion has been offered in Europe for five years or more, but it's only recently become available in the United States. That may be one reason why there are few scientific studies of microdermabrasion's effectiveness and what it does to the skin. That makes some physicians skeptical about the procedure.
Doctors agree that it's still unclear how microdermabrasion works.
But experts who have studied or worked with microdermabrasion say that removing the stratum corneum does several things to improve skin's appearance. It gets rid of old, dry skin on the surface. This stimulates production of new skin, pushing younger cells up to the surface to replace the old ones. Removing older skin allows moisturizers and creams containing skin rejuvenation agents such as alpha-hydroxy acids to penetrate more deeply. Diminished signs of aging and perhaps even a reduction in acne flare-ups, acne scarring, discoloration, excess pigmentation, or even stretch marks, said Dr. David McDaniel, an assistant professor of clinical dermatology and plastic surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, who is one of the top medical researchers on dermabrasion.