Excuse my ignorance, but before I was asked to do this review I didn’t even know that microdermabrasion was something you could do at home. I thought it was a fancy facial treatment that celebs have done in salons, or maybe at a pinch in their mansions.
But it turns out that us mere mortals can have a go too, as there are now a range of home microdermabrasion systems available. I was approached by Dermacare Direct, a UK family firm from Leicester, to try out their new system.
Andrea from DermacareDirect is very approachable and happy to answer any questions you have about skin treatments on Twitter or Facebook. Andrea is a trained and qualified dermatology specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the skincare sector.
And look – Andrea sent me an extra one to give away! What lovely faces we will all have.
You can find the giveaway at the end of this post.
What is microdermabrasion?
Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive procedure that uses tiny crystals to remove the outermost layer of dry, dead skin cells and reveal fresher-looking skin. It’s a powerful but gentle exfoliation; credited with smoothing fine wrinkles, improving the texture of the skin and reducing scars and age spots.
The DermaTx system uses pharmaceutical grade aluminium oxide crystals in its cream. It feels like very, very fine sand, quite gentle and not harsh at all.
I’ve been using the DermaTx home microdermabrasion system for around three weeks now. The battery-operated device comes with a cleansing brush head and a foam head for exfoliating, plus a choice of cream depending on your needs – either Brighten, Clarify or the one we’re trying out which is Rejuvenate.
You can use the cleansing brush up to 5 times a week, and the microdermabrasion treatment once or twice a week, but not both on the same day.
To do the treatment, attach the sponge head and apply the cream to both the sponge and your clean, damp skin. Massage it all over the face for around two minutes.
If I’m being picky, it is a slight niggle that the device doesn’t switch itself off after two minutes, as a Clarisonic does. I had to juggle the timer on my phone whilst cleansing, then just estimated. But given that you will pay at least £100 for a Clarisonic cleansing brush, whilst this system is only £59 and does a lot more than just cleanse, it’s a niggle I can live with.
The other advantage of this system over Clarisonic is that replacement heads/brushes are far more affordable – it’s only £6 to replace both the brush and foam heads, whereas new Clarisonic brush heads are from £21. Both systems recommend that you replace the heads every 3 months.
Refills of the microdermabrasion cream are £39, and this comes with a free foam head. Considering what you’d pay for a salon treatment, that’s a pretty good deal.
The one thing Clarisonic does offer which the DermaTx system doesn’t is a choice of brush heads, including very soft ones for sensitive skin. Possibly this is something they could add to their range in the future.
So the big question – does it work? Well, after three weeks’ use I can say that my skin feels much smoother with no negative reactions. I definitely notice a difference when I apply serum after doing this treatment as it sinks in better.
It doesn’t show up hugely well in photos, but check out the scar just below my chin. That’s definitely fading:
It’s a simple, effective and enjoyable treatment which I like a lot and plan to keep on using. Two Opposable Thumbs up for this one.
So would you like to give yourself some star facial treatment? Enter the giveaway and you could be doing just that very soon.
The Giveaway
One winner will receive a DermaTx Rejuvenate Microdermabrasion System worth £59.
This consists of a 75 ml size DermaTx Microdermabrasion Rejuvenate Cream
1 x electronic hand held device plus batteries
1 x cradle
1 x cleansing brush head
1 x exfoliating foam/sponge head
plus a handy storage bag to keep it all together.
It’s designed for normal to sensitive skin and is suitable for both men and women in their 20’s to 40’s.
HOW TO ENTER
Enter via Rafflecopter below. Lots of options so do as few or as many as you want.
RESTRICTIONS
UK entries only please. One entry per person.
CLOSING DATE
This giveaway closes at Midnight on Wednesday 1st July 2015. One winner will be chosen at random and the prize posted out by me as soon as possible.