I have a sister-in-law who is forty and gorgeous. She's constantly being mistaken for everyone's younger sister rather than older sister. Her secret? Part of it's just living well, but she confided to me once that she's had microdermabrasion treatments done and that they've really helped smooth out her skin tone and clear up her skin. Now, she's a pretty financially secure woman, and I just couldn't bring myself to go make an appointment to get something like that done for the many hundreds of dollars it would cost. So she recommended an at-home style treatment for me to try:
Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Microdermabrasion System. So I purchased the kit and gave it a whirl.
About Neutrogena Neutrogena is a leading name in skin care products and dermatologist after dermatologist recommends their lotions and cleansers because they're so gentle and hypoallergenic. I trust the Neutrogena name which is why I was willing to purchase this product at all. I would not have been nearly as likely to buy an "at home" microdermabrasion kit from some other company that I'd never heard of.
What Comes in the Kit This all-in-one kit comes with one system applicator and two AA batteries for operating it. The applicator also comes with a stand and two soft foam sponge heads, which eventually require replacing. The key to this kit is the 2.6 ounce jar of micro-oxide crystallized cream. This is the only formulation in the kit that actually has ingredients and they are listed as:
Micro-Oxide Crystallized Cream Contains: Aluminum Oxide, Water, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Safflower Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Wheat Germ Extract (Triticum Vulgare), Wheat Bran Extract (Triticum Vulgare), Lecithin, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Retinyl Palmitate, Fragrance The information that comes with the kit explains that microdermabrasion is a process that stimulates surface cellular renewal to rejuvenate skin. What it really comes down to, in more frank discussion, is that you're basically sanding off a teeeeeny tiny layer of skin to expose the younger cells beneath. Consider it exfoliation on steroids.
The package claims that the
At Home Microdermabrasion System is designed to give you professional level results at home. But it doesn't. At least, it doesn't deliver those results in the same timeframe as if you had it done by a professional. But that's okay, at a fraction of the price, I don't really expect that I'll get away with paying hundreds of dollars less.
There's a specific regimen that Neutrogena urges you to follow with this system. For the first five days they instruct you to use the product on clean, dry skin each night and follow up with a moisturizer.
After the first five days, you are to discontinue use for one week "to allow skin to adjust to this new routine". That sounds like hogwash to me, but I did it.
After that, start using the system three times per week as a regular part of your skincare regimen.
Using the Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Microdermabrasion System I unpacked the whole system and attached one of the soft foam heads to the applicator after inserting the batteries. With my hair pulled back I dipped the foam head into the micro-oxide crystallized cream and per the instructions, dotted the cream on my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. I then turned on the applicator on low speed and began gently distributing the cream in each area in a soft, circular motion. After several minutes of this I was done.
Getting the cream off is a completely different matter and is actually more painful than putting it on our rubbing it in, though I don't know why. First I rinsed off the sponge head and dried it and then I took a hot washcloth and began gently rubbing the cream off my face. I had spent several minutes rubbing this cream
into my face, so I was surprised that it felt like teeny tiny sharp jabs of glass wiping it off. I mean really, it hurt during removal in a way that it did not while I was massaging it in.
After a great deal of work to remove the cream I rinsed off my face and gave it one final pat down. I did this for the first five nights with no problems.
The Results The first and most obvious result was clear after application #1. My skin was softer and smoother, and had a healthy glow to it. It felt just a tiny bit sensitive, but not disastrously so. I was very cautious after my first application because Neutrogena warns that you should not use this product on very sensitive skin, which I of course have. Leave it to me to be a crazy rule breaker.
Neutrogena claims that after eleven treatments the results you experience should be similar to two professional treatments. Well, after eleven treatments I have to say that the results would not be worth several hundred dollars for he two professional level treatments. My skin is noticeably smoother, but that's about it. Fine lines are still there. My skin tone is still slightly blotchy in some areas. Blackheads are gone, however, and I have not experienced a single breakout of any sort since I started using this product.
Where to Buy I have found this kit at drugstores like CVS and Eckerd. I purchased mine online at
drugstore.com for $37.99. Eventually you will need to buy replacement foam heads for the applicator and more crystallized cream. After several weeks of use I anticipate that both will last me long throughout the summer.
Summary Are these really professional level results? I don't think so. Does this At Home Microdermabrasion kit effectively help my skin? Yes, a little bit. If you're looking for smoother facial skin and a healthier glow, this kit will definitely deliver that. But keep your expectations realistic, because this isn't going to erase wrinkles, blotches or blood vessels. You'll probably still need a trip to an expensive pro for that.
Neutrogena: http://www.neutrogena.com Many thanks to Shantel for adding this product to the Epinions database so I could review it.
