Many acne sufferers are turning to professional treatments in hopes of clearing up their skin. Two very popular choices are chemical peels and microdermabrasion.

At the end of this post I will let you know which method I prefer for my clients and why.

Let’s first talk about Microdermabrasion.

Microdermabrasion is a form of mechanical exfoliation that removes the outermost layer of dead skin. Originally microdermabrasion sprayed aluminum oxide crystals onto the skin while simultaneously vacuuming them up. Newer machines known as diamond microdermabrasion, use a wand that abrades the skin, while at the same time vacuuming up the dead skin cells. As an esthetician, I’ve used both types of machines and prefer diamond tip because you don’t have to worry about ingesting the crystals. If you are an esthetician and performing a lot of crystal microdermabrasion treatments, I highly recommend wearing a mask over your mouth and nose for protection or investing in a diamond tip machine if possible.

As far as using microdermabrasion as a means for acne clearing, I would only recommend it for non-inflamed acne. The abrasion is great for exfoliating the build up of dead skin cells which play the biggest role in this type of acne.

I would however completely steer clear of this treatment if you have combination or inflamed acne. You do not want to use anything abrasive when dealing with inflammation because it will promote MORE inflammation and irritation. And also the abrasive nature of microdermabrasion would just really hurt when used on cysts.

Now let’s talk about chemical peels.

Chemical peels most commonly contain acids that exfoliate layers of dead skin cells. Unlike microdermabrasion, which just exfoliates the outer layer of skin, peels can penetrate deeper into the layers of skin depending on the strength of peel that is used.

Besides exfoliation, which is very important when clearing up acne, peels can also provide much needed anti-bacterial and hyperpigmentation lightening depending on the acids or other added ingredients in the peel formula. There are so many peel combinations and I love that you can target multiple conditions based on the ingredients.

So which method do I use to clear up my clients?

Hands down, I prefer chemical peels to microdermabrasion. I like that I can use peels on both inflamed and non-inflamed acne, especially since most people tend to have a combination of both types. I also like that I can get more benefits besides just exfoliation, such as anti-bacterial action and hyperpigmentation lightening.

The bottom line though is that that whether you pick chemical peels or microdermabrasion, these methods will only be effective if you have the proper homecare routine to use in between your treatment sessions. So make sure that you are following the recommendations of your esthetician in between each treatment to get the best results.

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Watch Carmen’s Video Version Of This Post: Microdermabrasion or Chemical Peels for Acne?