Personal Microderm System review

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Scrubbers, this one’s for you…

photos: we heart this

Scrub-a-holics like me know that the best (and most satisfying) scrub of all comes from microdermabrasion. There are some great products on the market that include the treatment’s key ingredient, aluminum oxide micro crystals, but none of them truly give you the same results you’d achieve from a professional service. Until now…


Personal Microderm
is just that, an at home microdermabrasion system. Looking and acting very much like a Dremel tool, it comes with discs coated with aluminum oxide micro crystals, in different degrees of coarseness, that spin and gently resurface the superficial layers of your skin. The first time I turned it on it was a combination of sheer delight and utter fear; was I really going to sand my own skin? Yes, I’m really going to sand my own skin! Let’s do this.

After watching the instructional DVD, I washed and thoroughly dried my face and got down to business. The device works by vacuuming your skin up to the surface of the disc as it spins. Creating a seal that they say increases blood flow, but also insures better contact between your skin and the disc.

It can be a bit tricky to get the vacuum action going (it helps by pulling your skin taut with your other hand) but once it does, you move the device slowly across the surface of your skin and it holds the suction as it goes, polishing your skin. Cheeks are a cinch, the nose? Not so much. It helps that they give you discs of different sizes to maneuver in smaller spaces (and those with more curves). But I had trouble getting as satisfying a scrub in those areas.

Now is a good time to tell you; the experience itself is hardly spa-like. Maybe some candles and some new age music would help! While it didn’t hurt at all, the vacuum action is not what I’d describe as pleasant. It’s also a bit loud. So while it was in process, I was a bit dubious. That was until I saw the results.

Whether it’s acne or aging that challenges your skin (or like me, both – jealous?) the list of improvements that can be made using the Personal Microderm are impressive:
• It can soften and modify the fine “expression” lines typically seen on the forehead and around the mouth.
• It reduces fine, crêpe lines on the cheeks generally caused by aging and sun damage.
• It smoothes pigment changes or skin discoloration.
I’m happy to report, I saw improvements in all of these areas!

There’s a certain amount of “freshness” that my skin sees after all exfoliation, but my skin was noticeably smoother after just one use. More than I ever had with an at home topical product. And after removing all those dead skin cells, my face was a fresh, clean canvas (albeit a slightly tender one) that seemed to absolutely drink in my products.

The biggest improvement for me can be found in a small brown sun spot on my cheekbone that nothing seems to make a difference on. After one use, the spot was less noticeable. By use four – it has disappeared. Ok, wow.

At $180, the Personal Microderm is an investment. But considering that the purchase price is about that of one facial, and the four including discs will last about four treatments each – I think it’s a wise purchase for anyone chasing spa treatments at home. Don’t expect to feel all white robe fluffy, just expect visible results.

And talk about timing…the system is 20% off at Dermstore.com from now until April 17th, making it just $144. And Replacement Discs are $12 for six (regularly $15).

We’ll have one more Review Team member chiming in with their thoughts in the comments. And oh hey, what do you know? Giveaway alert – we’re giving one away starting tomorrow, April 13th….

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also may contain an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

20 Comments

  1. Wow! This really looks like it works well. I have yet to get a facial, yet to have a micro-derm of any sort but have seen and heard great things about the process. My own sister-in-law for several years had her own business with one of these systems that cost ooodles of money and if this is half as good as the big guns, it’s a deal! One of these days I’ll breakdown and try it.. :)

  2. @stef – you really got my attention with the disappearing brown sun spots! And you’re right, the cost isn’t outrageous when you think about what a facial costs (and frankly how temporary the improvements can be). I have a feeling this is going to be hard for me to resist, especially with the discount.

    1. I am with @turboterp this is one tempting device.– I also love the thought of my skin “drinking in product”

  3. @stef Maybe this is a silly question but- do you feel like it is significantly different from the Clarisonic? Do you get rid of a lot more “debris” with this? I have so many skin troubles that I have long considered giving something like this a try. I just wonder if my skin is too sensitive.

    1. @kellie76 – oh yeah, WAY different then a Clarisonic. This is way more advanced exfoliation.

      As far as your skin being too sensitive, how do you do with cream exfoliants? My skin is pretty tough, and I was a bit red after use (but fine the next day). You def. would not want to even LOOK at any of the discs other than the sensitive ones.

  4. Wow, this really makes me want to try it. I’ve got some of those annoying spots on my cheek that NOTHING will make go away.

  5. Ooh this is exciting – I don’t think I’ve heard of this product before! I know microdermabrasion treatments are around $100+ so if this works, it’s definitely worth it! There are so many skin care gadgets that I want to try…

  6. I am ready for this tool! Thanks for reviewing it and giving us a shot at winning one!

  7. Oh definitely fine lines! Would love to be able to do this at home.

  8. OMG! I MUST get rid of my fine lines and sun spots! I have been yearning for a microdermabreasion treatment but it is costly….it would be fab to have one of my very own…..maybe I could do some treatments on my gal pals too :)

  9. Darcy Castro says:

    I spent 10 years in Hawaii. I am a strawberry blonde with blue eyes. This did not bode well for my skin. I’ve been diligent about sunscreen, but at 30 I look older than I think I should. I’ve always wanted to try microdermabrasion, and if I could have one and do it myself and my mom and sisters, oh….it would be bliss.

    1. Darcy Castro says:

      Oh, but I didn’t give a SPECIFIC reason I would love this. I would love to smooth the fine lines around my eyes (crows feet?) and generally try to erase some sun damage so that products work better.

  10. I would love for the personal microderm system to help me with my sun spots! Thank you!

  11. Wow! Didn’t even know a product like this existed. I’ve never done microdermabrasion, but I’ve always wanted to. I love gadgets…especially beauty gadgets. Definitely would be worth the price if it works. Keeping this on my radar.

  12. I have never tried Microdermabrasion, but I do have acne scarring and this sounds like a great alternative to gallons of concealer! :)

  13. @Stef, while a noisy little vacuum exfoliating your skin doesn’t sound pleasant, I’m glad you had such great results! I have terrible scars from cystic acne (hyper-pigmentation, raised scars, icepick scars…) And while it’s a pretty expensive system, it might be a good investment.

  14. I would love to use this system to help with fine lines and pore size! I love beauty gadgets and this would be a great addition to my arsenal :)

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