Striving4Zen

A study published in Dermatologic Surgery (March 2006, pages 376–379) found that repeated microdermabrasion treatments may have diminishing or even depreciating results instead of increasing benefits. This study, entitled “Effect of Serial Microdermabrasion on the Ceramide Level in the Stratum Corneum,” noted that high ceramide levels are an indicator of a healthy stratum corneum (the outer layer of skin). Microdermabrasion is a procedure for superficially exfoliating skin using a machine that thrusts aluminum oxide crystals (abrasive, scrublike particles) onto the face while simultaneously vacuuming off the used particles. After the first session, ceramide levels were evaluated to establish a baseline. After the second and third sessions, ceramide levels increased, but after the fourth and fifth sessions ceramide levels decreased. Perhaps most significant is that there was no visible difference in the overall appearance of skin (you can’t see the results of ceramide-level changes in the surface of skin, but they affect the healthy function of skin). This study involved only 11 participants, so it is hardly conclusive, but it makes you wonder about spending your money on this procedure if it ends up providing little to no benefit and possibly not even helping in the long run.
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Labels: microdermabrasion, skincare