Clear, refined, fresh, even-toned, glowing skin is the ultimate desire for all of us who love our skin. To assist with achieving these results, exfoliation is a fundamental technique. Exfoliation comes in many forms and will ultimately help to reduce surface debris, dryness and a lacklustre appearance. It will also effectively prep the skin to receive key ingredients from serums, and treatment creams and will stimulate cell turnover and renewal.
Exfoliation can be in the form of either mechanical or chemical. Often when these techniques are combined the results are exponential. Chemical exfoliation will take the form of either a progressive, mid-depth or deep peel in the clinic.
While at home it may be with the daily application of an AHA/BHA (glycolic, mandelic, lactic, salicylic acid) serum, or Vitamin A serum, after cleansing and toning. Some of the better mechanical exfoliation treatments available in the clinic room are Microdermabrasion, JetPeel, Ultrasonic Deep Clean, Dermaplaning and Micro-hydrabrasion. Home techniques include the use of gauze with toning lotion after cleansing or a scrub.
Today we will look at a few of the in Clinic mechanical exfoliation techniques.
Focused on restoration and hydration, the JetPeel facial assists with making your skin red carpet ready. This gentle but effective treatment is a needle-free, pain-free, non-invasive aesthetic procedure incorporating the benefits of lymphatic drainage, exfoliation, intense hydration and oxygen infusion, all without downtime. This detoxifying exfoliation ritual dramatically improves the texture and appearance of the skin using a moisturising, oxygenated jet stream to resurface and then hydrate. It also uses pressurised oxygen to penetrate the skin with microdroplets of a cocktail of serums including hyaluronic acid, peptides and antioxidants. JetPeel is suitable for all skin types including mature, dry, rosacea, sensitive/reactive, and clogged skins.
The Ultrasonic Deep Cleaning treatment offers no downtime, is pain-free and is an effective procedure where ultrasound technology creating vibrations up to 28k hertz will gently remove keratinised skin cells and debris. The result when used in conjunction with a chemical exfoliant is nothing short of a dramatically smooth and radiant complexion. The Ultrasonic vibration can also create temporary open channels in the outer layers of the skin to infuse serums to boost the hydration and regeneration of the skin.
Microdermabrasion works on the outermost layers of the skin and is a skin-freshening technique that helps to repair skin on the face and body, which has taken a beating from the sun and the effects of aging. Microdermabrasion polishes and buffs the skin to achieve a healthy glow and helps alleviate dull, dry and coarse-textured skin. It stimulates the production of collagen and elastin and may be used in conjunction with chemical exfoliation. It is also an excellent treatment to remove the rough skin of keratosis pilaris found on the upper arms and shoulders.
Dermaplaning is most beneficial for those with an uneven texture, hyperkeratotic build-up, vellus hair (also known as peach fuzz) and to remove surface skin cells so topical serums may penetrate more efficiently. Dermaplaning is a light shaving of the epidermis using a specific scalpel and should be performed by a well-trained aesthetician.
Similar to microdermabrasion, Micro-hydrabrasion is a clinical vacuuming system that exfoliates surface dryness with aluminium oxide crystals. In addition, streams of filtered water and aloe vera are used to achieve deep cleansing, helping to loosen impacted plugs in the skin and wash away soluble debris, whilst leaving your skin hydrated.
Depending on your skin condition and what you are wanting to achieve, any of these mechanical exfoliation treatments may be undertaken every week as a corrective strategy or every month as maintenance. They may be combined with relaxing facial treatments, clinical peels and/or LED light therapy. Clinical exfoliation treatments are like a workout for your skin by accelerating cell renewal, refining the texture, stimulating the tone and simply keeping your skin looking healthy and radiant all year round.
