Studies Show Microdermabrasion Thickens Skin imprvs collagen
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Tue Oct 05, 2004 11:08 am Quote

It seems that there have been independent studies that have proved microdermabrasion actually THICKENS the skin and improves collagen integrity...I didn't come across any studies that suggested microdermabrasion thins the skin. I cannot say the same for AHA's or chemical peels of any sort, but the following studies suggest Microdermabrasion actually THICKENS not thins the skin...

Of course, moderation in microdermabrasion (or in ANYTHING) is certainly advisable...and every skin type is different and probably requires different frequencies of treatment...I just wanted to pass this on because, it seems there were some of you who were looking to pass on a treatment (Epidermx) that you say you LOVED and I just wanted to let you know, there was a reason you loved it afterall...

Danielle...

p.s. my before and after pictures should be up soon on www.GetSkinAppeal.com Peace to all!

1: Dermatol Surg. 2001 Dec;27(12):1031-3; discussion 1033-4. Related Articles, Links

Name of Study:
The epidermal and dermal changes associated with microdermabrasion.

Freedman BM, Rueda-Pedraza E, Waddell SP.
Plastic Surgery Associates of Northern Virginia, McLean, Virginia 22102, USA.

BACKGROUND: Microdermabrasion has become a popular method of skin rejuvenation for treating dyschromia, fine wrinkles, and mild scarring. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the onset and extent of the dermatologic changes associated with microdermabrasion. METHODS: Ten volunteers, ages 31-62 years, underwent a series of six aluminum oxide microdermabrasion facial treatments 7-10 days apart. Skin biopsy specimens were obtained prior to the study, after three treatments, and after six treatments. RESULTS: Compared to the controls, the treated areas demonstrated the following histologic changes: thickening of the epidermis and dermis, flattening of the rete pegs, vascular ectasia and perivascular inflammation, and hyalinization of the papillary dermis with newly deposited collagen and elastic fibers. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that microdermabrasion produces significant clinical improvement by a mechanism resembling a reparative process at the dermal and epidermal levels.

Found on Pub Med
Published in Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004 Apr Edition

Study:
A prospective controlled assessment of microdermabrasion for damaged skin and fine rhytides.

Coimbra M, Rohrich RJ, Chao J, Brown SA.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, 75390, USA.

Aged skin is characterized by rhytides but also by epidermal and dermal atrophy, rough skin texture, irregular pigmentation, telangiectasias, and laxity. Microdermabrasion is an office-based mechanical resurfacing technique alternative to traditional dermabrasion. It has been used in Europe since 1992 with great acceptance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and quantify the degree of visible improvement in photodamaged skin and fine rhytides following a series of microdermabrasion treatments. A single operator treated 20 patients with varying degrees of photodamage and rhytides with a series of eight microdermabrasion treatments at 1-week intervals; 17 subjects completed the entire study protocol. Standardized photographic documentation was performed before and after each treatment, and a survey questionnaire was completed by each subject. Punch biopsy specimens (3 mm) were collected on treated and matched nontreated control sites and evaluated for histological characteristics. Preprocedure and postprocedure photographs were rated on a 5-point scale by independent blinded observers. A total of 30 blinded observers (16 plastic surgeons and 14 laypersons) rated all photographs. The results showed that all observers rated a significant improvement of hyperchromic discoloration (p = 0.004), while only nonmedical observers observed improvement in fine rhytides.

All patients were very satisfied with the results.

Common side effects were mild to moderate discomfort occurring on bony areas during the treatment and an itching and tingling sensation for 2 days after treatment. No infections or scars were observed postoperatively. The average epidermal thickness in the untreated samples was 103 +/- 23 microM (mean +/- SD) before treatment compared with 148 +/- 41 microM after treatment (p < 0.001). Histologic analysis of the matched punch biopsy specimens showed an increase in organized collagen in treated versus nontreated sites. Treatment of aged skin using a series of microdermabrasion treatments is an effective, noninvasive method of skin rejuvenation with minimal risk and patient downtime. It is safe and improves skin quality by minimizing certain hyperchromic pigmentations.
PMID: 15060359 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Another study generally advocating Microdermabrasion...

Following taken from PubMed National Library of Medicine

Study:
Aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion. A new technique for treating facial scarring.
Tsai RY, Wang CN, Chan HL.
Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
BACKGROUND. Aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion, a newly developed technique, has the advantages of less bleeding, fewer complications, better compliance, and no need for local anesthesia or high surgical skill in comparison with traditional dermabrasion. OBJECTIVE. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this new technique in the treatment of facial scarring. METHODS. A total of 41 patients were treated by this technique during the past 2 years. RESULTS. All patients treated had good to excellent clinical improvement with 9.10 mean treatment sessions

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 05, 2004 4:56 pm Quote

thanks for the info..

did they show that micro was better than glycolics or ahas and bhas?

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 05, 2004 5:38 pm Quote

I, like Danielle, am a distributor for Epidermx and my findings are like hers, that is thickens the skin.

Retinoid products definitely thin the skin, but they have their place, just make sure you always wear spf when outdoors when using any!

Tue Oct 05, 2004 9:48 pm Quote

Actually, Sassyred I am not a distributor. I am just ALL ABOUT Epidermx. It has changed my life...sounds kind of strange but when you feel good about yourself, it can dramatically change the way others treat you, this has happened to me and made my life completely different. (I'm sure there were other factors, too) But finally feeling good about myself when I look in the mirror and I hardly see any acne scars any more certainly doesn't hurt!!!

So, due to my enthusiasm, and taking time to research, I can understand why you may have thought I was a distributor but I actually got mine from Dana

She was very kind to me, answered tons of my questions, gave me a free sample of the camellia oil and so I told her I'd return the favor by spreading the word about what these products have done for me...

OH, you may have thought I was her because I said my before and after pics should be up shortly.

Anyway...nope! wrong girl...but perhaps I should talk to Dana about putting me on the payroll!!!

Laughing

No, seriously though, if anyone out there happened to see my story...and got to benefit from this stuff like I have, I would consider it an honor to have had a part in it...

Danielle...

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:59 am Quote

Is this the new Epidermx website?

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:07 am Quote

I am so confused!!! Epidermx was going to be my next purchase but some say good for "mature" already thinning skin and some say not. Do you think once a month is o.k., or just be safe with a more gentle exfoliant? This forum is so wonderful, but SO confusing. Rolling Eyes

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:22 am Quote

Danielle, I realized after I posted I meant Dana. I got you confused since you always post her website. Those pics are of someone else I know, yours aren't up, right?

There is not one website for Epidermx, there are quite a few of us distributors.

I think you can use it more than once a month and be perfectly fine! Very Happy

Also I agree with you about sooo much info it is confusing/overwhelming. What works for most may not work for another and vice versa. Sometimes you really need to see how your skin reacts to products.

If you want to try a sample first please email me at beautifulnewskincs@yahoo.com and I will help you all I can. Smile

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:29 am Quote

Hi Nanapost,

From what I have learned I truely feel you can get a nice exfoliation at our age with a product like Dr. H's cleansing cream. Dr. H is very gentle.
I am babysitting my grandchildren right now but will PM you later.

Have a great day,
Winnie

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:11 am Quote

Sassyred wrote:

There is not one website for Epidermx, there are quite a few of us distributors.

*Edited*

It's fairly obvious there is no 1 website for Epidermx. We get to hear all about the different sites and distributors on this forum.

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:38 am Quote

Sorry Toe,

apparently I didn't understand your post regarding, is this a new website. Very Happy

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:21 pm Quote

I'm confused. (but then, what's new about that?) Laughing

The studies cited seemed to be talking about the actual microderm treatments given in an office of a derm or esthetician. Is Epidermx a spa treatment of a home use product? hmm

I have a cream that is applied with a brush and called something like Micro Dermabrasion. I believe it's a good exfolliant, but the feeling and effect isn't like the spa treatments of microderm I've had.

Can we actually say that the home use products will product the same effects if they haven't been studied? Think

JUDY

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:51 pm Quote

Judy,

I have been in an environment for years that did Micro Dermabrasion. I also have used the new at home treatments. From what I have observed the results can not compare. This is my own personal opionion. There are so many products on the market now claiming to be MD at home. From my experience the treatments are harsh and you need to be very careful with the fragile facial skin. Most of these treatments tell you that you should use 2 to three times a week. They do not give any time limit to use. I was advised by my facialist to not use these products on my skin.

In all fairness I am talking about MY SKIN and advice given to me.

My fear is that with all these Micro Dermabrasions on the market young woman will think that is the magic cure. Not everyone needs this type of treatment.

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:47 pm Quote

Whoa there, Winnie! Be careful, you may incur the wrath of the Epidermx distributors/pluggers on this forum. Wink

I think you make a valid point about using harsh treatments on your skin in your own home. Better off getting the professionals to do it.

Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:09 am Quote

Toe: I'm not sure about GetSkinAppeal.com being the new Epidermx website, it's just where I got mine...

JudyMarshall:

You have every right to be confused, as I was too for a very long time...reason being is that the FDA has no proper regulations on what can be termed "microdermabrasion" which makes for some chaos indeed! In fact, most of the companies that sell products called microdermabrasion, don't even have the proper crystals that even enable the process! ie. that are hard enough to do the job.

Truth is though, Manual Microdermabrasion (so long as it IS the proper crystals) IS Microdermabrasion...there have even been studies to prove manual microdermabrasion fared as well as the salon version: (I'll bore you with another study)

Microdermabrasion: A Comparison of Techniques
Synopsis: This study, which is accepted for the Facial Plastic Surgery Section of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, compares different microdermabrasion systems and techniques. Home based manual microdermabrasion appeared equal to suction microdermabrasion especially in the areas of pigmentation, scarring and acne breakouts. In addition, the manual system appeared to be tolerated better than the suction units with less discomfort and increased patient compliance. The manual microdermabrasion also was subjectively PREFERRED to suction microdermabrasion in the areas of acne scars, sun damage, aging and overall complexion. Histopathological evaluation showed the results of resurfacing for both techniques.

-------

The crystals you want are FUSED MEDICAL GRADE CORUNDUM CRYSTALS...a particular TYPE of aluminum oxide crystal. In nature, they are actually rubies when they have chromium present...Very very hard. Second in hardness only to the DIAMOND! And just because it says aluminum oxide crystals doesn't even mean they're the right ones, you need fused medical grade ones...which is where epidermx comes in...

Unlike the so-called competition out there called microdermabrasion that puts practically anything in a jar there that abrades somewhat, they throw in some other mostly petrol chemical by products (cheap fillers), a little fragrance and make a fortune while the WAVE of popularity of microderm lasts...until people get sick of more products that don't work, unless you stumble upon the real thing like I did. I almost gave up on finding an at home *real deal*

But this is, cause not only do you have the proper crystals but also all the ingredients in there all natural, and VERY high quality, but just to be sure it *worked* I tried the salon version too, and personally I thougt this cream worked Just As Well As if not BETTER than going to the salon. I say better only because I get to work certain areas (that need it!) longer and I don't believe anyone can know my skin better than me to know which areas to work.

I can't say for sure that there aren't other *genuine* microdermabrasion creams out there, I just know a lot of them that aren't and when I found that was I, quite frankly, just stopped looking...

: )

Hope this makes it all "clear as Mud"! As my momma would say...

-Danielle

Besides, I don't think that you could get before and after pics /results like the ones of these folks if it wasn't true microderm

And I called these poor people to make sure they weren't fake!!! (I'm so bad!)

Laughing

Whatever you do, Keep on smiling!

Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:14 am Quote

I love the Epidermx and although I don't sell it, I have seen it on many sites that seem to be trustworthy:
www.getskinappeal.com
www.smoothskinnaturally.com
www.goldportbeauty.com
www.newskinnaturally.com

By the way, when I ordered the deception wrinkle cream (which instantly erases wrinkles) on ebay, I got a free sample of Epidermx with it and camellia oil for around $6.00 Very Happy

I am not sure if the seller is still doing this, but it was nice to try it first.

Toe, I am not sure if you've ever tried Epidermx before or not, but if you read the feedback on Ebay (from the seller who sells Deception wrinkle cream and has given away free samples) I don't think that 99.9% of the people are lying just to make the seller feel good Wink

There must be a reason people are raving about it...don't you think?

Shoot, I can see why everyone wants to carry it, it's the best stuff I've ever tried in my life!

Also, for those who are skeptical- I emailed a lady who gave her email address (as a testimony) on newskinaturally.com and she can not say enough good things about it. So, if you want to hear from a customer who uses it and doesn't sell it (besides me) you can email her as I did when I was reasearching it out.

Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:20 am Quote

Danielle,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing that. I was freaking out when I was reading my skin could thin, and I feel much better now. I do agree with some other posts though that people can over do it. I try to pay attention to what my skin needs. When I asked a wound care nurse about exfoliating/microdermabrasion, she reminded me that the first step in healing a wound, is to get the dead cells out of the bed first. She said that microdermabrasion may be so effective because it's helping to get rid of nasty layers of skin so that new healthy skin makes itself more present. Sorry, I am not repeating as nice as she did...but it was something to that effect.
Anyway, thank you for doing research on this and helping to make me feel better. I don't ever want to stop using Epidermx as long as my results keep improving. Very Happy

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.