Beyond The Mask: Try Microdermabrasion

The skinny on the most effective light-cosmetic way to improve your complexion.

MONEY BETTER SPENT | As someone who subjected her face to a variety of professional spa treatments over the past six months in a one-time push to see if I could significantly improve my complexion, I can now report that of all the treatments I tried—steam, exfoliation, extraction, masks, scrubs and massage—not one of them brightened my skin tone the way microdermabrasion does.

Though I’ve had my share of facials over the years, until recently I hadn’t tried microdermabrasion (a skin rejuvenating procedure using a combination of a fine abrasive tip or crystals and vacuum suction applied to the skin) because it was always more expensive than the basic facials I booked, and I assumed there was no way it could ever be more effective. I was wrong.

“If you are interested in getting a facial, then microdermabrasion is one of the more compelling treatments. It can play a role in helping skin look and feel better by removing a microscopically thin layer of surface skin,” writes Paula Begoun in The Original Beauty Bible.

Begoun warns readers that microdermabrasion is pricey and that its effect is only temporary, both of which are true. But when you consider that a standard facial (the effect also temporary) at a respected spa costs close to $100 (and, let’s face it, probably involves procedures you could execute at home), microdermabrasion treatments for $83 at Vancouver Laser & Skin Care Centre (you need to join their club to get this price) seem like a deal. —Annabel Lee

For more on microdermabrasion at Vancouver Laser & Skin Care Centre, visit vancouverlaser.com