Five trending facial treatments and their relationship with skin health

Non-invasive aesthetic facial treatments provide viable alternatives to invasive facial treatments for rejuvenation and the correction of skin discolouration, texture, lines, wrinkles and sagging caused by photoageing, intrinsic ageing and skin conditions. They are widely available and have gained popularity in skincare regimes, as they often have minimal healing time (downtime) and discomfort and can be inexpensive. However, the desire for a youthful and ‘picture perfect’ appearance prompts many to seek ‘quick fixes’ and instant results with aggressive non-invasive facial treatments. While this approach may provide instant gratification, it can lead to adverse events and have negative consequences for skin health over time. This article aims to briefly discuss five commonly practised non-invasive facial treatments and their relationship with skin health. Specifically, it will discuss microdermabrasion, hydradermabrasion, chemical peeling, dermaplaning and microneedling.

Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive, superficial physical exfoliation procedure that removes the skin barrier (El-Domyati et al, 2016). It is used to resurface the skin and stimulate subsequent rejuvenation via wound healing responses (Shah and Crane, 2021). There are two types of microdermabrasion: crystal microdermabrasion, which involves a closed loop negative pressure system and deposition of crystals (aluminium oxide, sodium chloride, magnesium oxide or sodium bicarbonate) into the skin, and crystal-free microdermabrasion, which involves resurfacing with an abrading tip, such as diamond or bristle (Haney, 2020; Shah and Crane, 2021).