What's the difference between these top 4 facial treatments?

I’ve had about 14 years experience with facials and skin treatments so I wanted to share with you my take on most types of treatments as I know there are so many options to choose from.  

So, in light of this, I wanted to break down a few treatments that have become popular in recent times and explain to you their different functions and benefits and if I’ve experienced them, share with you my thoughts.

Microdermabrasion

• Known informally as micro’s or micro-derm it is a minimally invasive procedure where by a suction treatment with an abrasive surface gently sands away the outer layer of the skin
• It's not painful, it just feels like a bit of skin pulling and slight rough on your skin but it is great at removing clogged pores and removing dead skin cells
• Microderms also improves the appearance of sun damage, wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, scarring, acne spots and melasma

 I’d recommend this treatment as it makes you skin look refreshed and gives it a deep cleanse.

Take a look at this youtube link to see what it’s like to receive this treatment in a clinic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRkKquQg5yU

Microneedling

• Microneedling or skin needling is fantastic for helping reduce the appearance of deep or old acne- scarring, fine lines, wrinkles, reducing pore-sizes, pigmentation and stretch marks
• The downside about this procedure is it requires numbing cream to be applied 45mins before the treatment time, which makes it a long treatment time. Once the numbing cream has worked it’s magic, the needling is not as scary and doesn't feel too bad
• It can be a bit painful in areas that don’t have a lot of fat (like the forehead and chin), but the cheeks are fine
• Microneedling is also different to a derma roller. Typically, you can use the derma roller at home without the use of numbing cream. Some salons use derma rollers but they’re needles aren’t as deep and therefore your results aren’t as effective.

IPL

• IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light treatment and no, it is not the same as LED
• This can only be performed in a clinic and is very intense. I took this next segment from Healthline, which describes the actual process.

“IPL penetrates down to the second layer of your skin (dermis) without harming the top layer (epidermis), so it causes less damage to your skin. Pigment cells in your skin absorb the light energy, which is converted into heat. The heat destroys the unwanted pigment to clear up freckles and other spots.” 

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Lastly we’ve come to my holy grail. My absolute favourite treatment of all… LED Light Therapy.

I know I am slightly biased about this treatment, but I have seen so much improvement in my skin from regular LED use.

• It's non-invasive and works to treat acne, scarring, pigmentation, healing, inflammation, circulation ... the list goes on!
• It can be performed in a salon or at home
• It has a variety of lights to choose from (red, blue, yellow or infrared) and each has their own benefits

In my experience, LED really calmed down the redness and inflammation in my skin.

I first started with the red light and then eventually alternated between both red and blue. I also liked the fact I could relax during the treatment. The lights are really warm and I enjoyed being able to have a quick snooze while the LEDs worked their magic.

I wish I could share with you some before and after pictures of when I was suffering from severe acne. I have them stashed on an old laptop somewhere, but there’s not too many as I didn’t want to take photos of my face as I was ashamed of my skin.

In terms of pricing, it is also a cheaper option compared to the other treatments. Although, like the others, you will need to go for regular treatments to notice a difference in your skin.

Click the following link to watch Dr. David Lim (Dermatologist) explain the function of LED light therapy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6g565sE1A4

In the end...

If you’re thinking about going to a facialist to see what they can do for your skin, whether it’s acne concerns, ageing, pigmentation or any other skin issue I would advise you to run through a plan of attack on how you can achieve your goal. Make sure you’re comfortable with the facialist and they thoroughly understand what outcome you desire. 

If you have any questions, please reach out as we’d love to hear from you!