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Review of the SkinBase Microdermabrasion Facial

I like to think that I am pretty okay with the extra grey hairs and fine(ish) lines that seemed to appear overnight once I hit 40. Back to reality, they are often the first thing I see when I look in the mirror and not in a good way.

I swing between trying to keep myself looking as youthful as possible and embracing the ageing process.

Is Microdermabrasion vanity?

Many of you will know that I decided to have my teeth fixed last year (still a work in progress but I’m now only 6 weeks away from the finish line). It is something I deliberated over for years as I am all too aware that although the dentist had recommended it due to physical discomfort, it was probably 70% vanity and 30% necessity.

The question I continue to ask myself is this: where is the line between looking after yourself and falling prey to vanity?

I stand by my pledge to never succumb to botox (although I know more and more people in my peer group who have) and I would not invest any money in plastic surgery. BUT (there’s always a but, right?) I am intrigued by any of the readily-available-to-the-average-woman options, to keep my body, skin and hair in the best condition possible.

When SkinBase offered me the opportunity to try a microdermabrasion facial at a local salon, I was ready to book in at the earliest opportunity.

What is Microdermabrasion?

Microdermabrasion is a chemical-free, non-invasive facial that ‘intensely exfoliates and resurfaces the skin‘.

A small handset is used to direct a fine stream of crystals over the treatment area and mild suction removes the crystal & skin debris to reveal younger, healthier-looking skin. Who doesn’t want some of that?

 

Who is microdermabrasion for?

I was interested to read that when used for anti-ageing purposes, microdermabrasion is most suited to 35-50 year old skin; result! However, my therapist – Charlotte at Pure Bliss in Wokingham – told me that a course of microdermabrasion works brilliantly for acne scarring, black heads and pigmentation in people of any age.

Before Treatment

Wait for it, you’re about to see the face of a 40-something woman in her natural habitat  – make-up free with no trace of an eyebrow pencil. Whilst I felt a tad uncomfortable leaving the house in this state, it was an important part of the process.

Before attending my appointment I would have described my skin as a little dull and lifeless. For the record, I don’t drink nearly enough water, rarely exfoliate (once a decade) and only in the last 3 years have I created a decent skincare regime.

My Microdermabrasion Experience

Pure Bliss Wokingham beauty salon

On arrival at Pure Bliss Wokingham, Charlotte asked me if there were any areas of my skin that I wanted to specifically target. On the whole my skin is quite good but I do have deep lines on my forehead and particularly between my eyebrows (mainly due to frowning at my teenagers!).

I asked Charlotte what kind of impact one treatment might have. She explained that a single SkinBase™ treatment can remove up to three times the number of dead skin cells of other exfoliating treatments and that people do see good results after just one visit.

Before commencing the treatment, she removed any remaining make up and creams, then got to work with the handset. It felt like a mini sanding machine brushing across my face and lasted for about 20 minutes. She spent longer on the areas that I had mentioned and explained that my whole face might look red for an hour or so after the treatment.

After Treatment

If you’d bumped into me on the street after the treatment, yes you might have been a little horrified by my naked face, but it didn’t look unusually red.

According to SkinBase, microdermabrasion ‘stimulates the blood flow, encouraging the skin to rejuvenate itself and produce collagen and elastin‘. After 3 days, my skin would have had the optimum time to complete this process.

The only area that did stay red for a good 24 hours afterwards, was that groove in between my eyebrows. I was keen to see how it would look after the magic 3 days.

I took Charlotte’s advice, ensuring I drank at least 1.5 litres of water per day for the next 3 days and although I’m wearing eye make up here, I don’t have anything on my skin.

My skin felt really smooth and I could see a slight reduction in lines, particularly that one area in between my eyebrows. The biggest difference though, was that my skin felt ‘alive’ with a glow that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Charlotte told me that many of her clients use microdermabrasion for a quick ‘boost’ when they feel that their skin needs it – perhaps 3 days before a wedding, a holiday or another big event. I could definitely see the difference and would use both the treatment and salon again. I was kindly gifted this initial treatment by SkinBase but it would normally cost around £40.00.

Inside, Outside & Beyond

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14 COMMENTS

  • Wow, it does make a difference and the price is affordable. How long do the effects last?

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      Honest answer? Probably only a week or so but I’m continuing to drink the water and it’s made me think about doing this more often. I think I would definitely like to have one done a few times a year, particularly before a big event where I want to look my best.

  • Jess Soothill

    Sounds great and really interesting. I have really been considering botox lately, and yet am too scared to make the appointment! Anything that means no needles or invasion is good news 🙂 You look fab xx

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      Yes I’m too scared as well! I am sure it will become commonplace one day but at the moment I do feel that botox flips into the ‘vanity’ realm (for me anyway). This was great and I’d definitely do it again. Our faces need to be looked after, I think I have a lot of sun damage on mine. x

      • Tricia Coopet

        Looks good Suzanne, my skin is not good now. Lots of skin damage. Being honest I have always been lazy and normally fall into bed without even washing my face. Just this past week have started cleaning my face before bed. Nearly always wear a hat for protection from the sun. Always fancied a face lift when I moved out here but a bit late now. Would love my eyebrows to be tattooed as encourages me to wear a little eye make up. The Cypriot girls have beautiful eyebrows but dark hair to go with it!!

  • Jenny

    I have always wanted to try one of these but too scare my skin would flare up or react badly. I have never taken good care of my own skin I know I best start doing it now before it’s too late. I need to start wearing more hats I think come summer time. #wrc

  • Skincare is becoming more important to me as the months (and years) go by. I wear sun protection on my face every day and very little makeup (just concealer on my skin, no foundation) but I do have acne scars and plenty of frown and laughter lines. I think like you the main thing I’ve noticed past thirty is that my skin looks dull rather than bright and whilst drinking more water definitely helps I do sometimes wonder about facials like this. One to keep on the back burner for the future for me I think.

  • Ooooh yes!! Your skin definitely looks plumper and more healthy in that last picture. I’m sold! Need to give this a shot. Also, I need to drink more water, thanks for the reminder.

  • Kerri-Ann

    Oh wow your skin looks beautiful and you can definitely see how rejuvenated it looks. I’m approaching 40 and really feel that my skin needs a little something extra x

  • Lorraine

    I’ve had microdermabrasion and it definitely gives your skin a glow, you can see that with your last photo. I very recently tried Dermaplaning and liked that much more. It was painless and very relaxing and I felt my skin had the same results as the previous treatment. I’m definitely having Dermalpaning again.

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      I definitely want to try this at some point! I’ve heard good and bad reviews but want to give it a go. Will keep you posted!

  • Jim Yates

    Thanks for sharing such a wonderful blog. I have always been dedicated to skincare and have received regular facials. Recently I felt the need to kick it up a notch and tried the microdermabrasion facial. I saw the tremendous improvement in brightness to the complexion. There is no downtime or discomfort, it helped to prevent my dullness in the complexion, uneven skin tone, dark spots, scars. I must say it’s quite beneficial but just make sure to be extra vigilant with the sunscreen afterward.

  • Jammy

    Hey, thanks for this wonderful blog. I also want to share my views on this. As I am taking the microdermabrasion facial service from the past approx 1.5 years and I never feel unsatisfied. What I observed is that this facial is somewhat different from the other facials as it gave me tremendous improvement and bright complexion to the face in a very quick time. Also, it helps to prevent the uneven skin tone, dark spots, scars from the face. I must say that it is a quite beneficial service and everyone must try this service at least once.

  • Tina

    I need to do that also. Now Im sure that its the right time for it.
    thank you for sharing 🙂
    xoxo
    tina from wimpernverlängerung salzburg

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