PMD Microdermabrasion ~ 6 Week Results & Review

It’s results day here at Hot & Flashy for the PMD Personal Microdermabrasion device! In a previous post I showed the unboxing and 1st use of the product and also provided a 25% off discount code for Hot&Flashy readers. I promised to report back in 6 weeks so here I am with the full review.

How Microdermabrasion works: 

It physically removes dead skin cells from the outer layer of skin using abrasion and suction. The removal of the dead skin triggers the body’s healing process which replaces the lost dead cells with healthy new ones.

The PMD promises to:

• Smoothe away dull rough texture
• Soften the appearance of lines, wrinkles & blemishes
• Fade brown spots
• Unclog pores
• Enable skincare products to absorb more effectively

The PMD retails for $179, and replacement heads cost $14.95 for a set of 6 (4 face, 2 body). To receive 25% off, enter “HotandFlashy25” at checkout on the PMD Website. The code will be good until November 14, 2014. The heads need to be replaced every 2-4 treatments.

My experience using PMD:

Before I could start using the device I had to discontinue using Retin-A for a full week. The manufacturer doesn’t recommend using any chemical exfoliants in conjunction with the PMD so no tretinoin, retinol, or glycolic acid.

For my 1^st use I used the white “training disk” after washing and drying my face. Here’s a photo showing my skin immediately after the first use and the next morning:

As you can see the treatment caused redness and irritation, but it was calmed by the next morning. I used samples that PMD provided of their toner and moisturizer afterward and had no stinging with either product.

For the  2^nd-5^th uses I bumped up to the  Blue “Sensitive” disk. I had more redness and irritation after the 2nd use but progressively less redness after each use with the blue head. I ran out of the sample toner and moisturizer so I used my alcohol-free witch hazel toner and Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum and CeraVe PM moisturizer. The toner didn’t sting, but the moisturizers did.

For the 6^th use I decided to go all out and use the green “Medium” disk. The redness was back and OMG did the toner and moisturizers sting!! I felt like the kid from “Home Alone” when he slaps on the after shave!!

The PMD was easy to use, and easy to maintain. I enjoyed my sunday night ritual of going up early to “sand” my face. It works really well from the jawline up to the cheeks, but it’s really hard to get good contact and suction for pretty much the rest of the face. I wanted to be able to use it everywhere, but it just didn’t work on my chin, nose, forehead, and backs of hands. And of course as with all things anti-aging, it can’t be used below the eyes (where we all need it the most)!!

After using the PMD for 3-4 weeks (once a week) I found that my skin was softer and smoother and that it no longer had all those flakes that are a constant annoyance while using retin-a and glycolic acid. The lack of flakes and sloughing skin also made makeup application so much better and smoother!

Before & After Pictures:

 In the full front face, the main difference I see is that the redness on my cheeks is diminished, but I don’t see a huge difference in my wrinkles, brown spots, or acne spots.

The side view is where I was really hoping to see a big difference since that’s the main place the PMD actually got suction and worked well, but sadly I don’t see a big difference in my discolorations or wrinkles (except that my eyelids are more droopy from going off Retin-a).

Again, same… I just don’t see much of a difference… especially (in this shot) the textured skin below my lip to the side of my chin and to the left of the old “naso-labial” fold.

So, for me it was a mixed bag, but not an epic fail by any means. If I didn’t miss my Retin-a so much, I might continue to use it to see if better results can be achieved with longer use, but it didn’t do enough for me to stick with it and use it instead of retin-a. For people who don’t use retin-a or glycolic acid it could be a good product. I put the photos out here for you to judge for yourself. Only you can know if this would be a worthwhile investment for you, and you may see differences that sway you one way or the other.

Overall the pros for me are the ease of use, softer & smoother skin, and better makeup application. The cons are the lack of suction on chin, nose and forehead, and lack of reduction of wrinkles and spots.

I’ve seen many glowing reviews on the product from younger bloggers so it may just work better on younger skin.

Click here to order your PMD and enter “hotandflashy25” at checkout to save 25%!