Inside a Microdermabrasion Session

A microdermabrasion session is easier to picture once you know what the machine does. That picture also tells you what to ask.

What follows is a published description of the machine, a plain reading of it, and the questions to bring.

What the machine does

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery explains that in microdermabrasion, a special machine applies a slightly rough applicator tip, made either of tiny rough particles or of a diamond tip, to the skin of the face or neck to remove the uppermost layer of skin. The society's microdermabrasion page has the original description.

Reading the description plainly

Three details stand out. A machine does the work, the tip is slightly rough, and the target is the uppermost layer of skin. The source names the face or neck as the places it is applied.

If a provider describes your session in softer words, ask them to match those words to these steps.

What to ask the person running the machine

• Which tip will you use, tiny rough particles or a diamond tip?
• Will you treat my face, my neck, or both?
• How will you decide how much of the top layer to remove?
• Who will run the machine, and what is their training?

Steps you can repeat back

Ask to hear the steps in order, and expect answers you can repeat back. For a second published overview, read another description of microdermabrasion.