Microdermabrasion (for Beginners)!

I don’t know about you, but my beauty routine has been one big, giant mess since I started having babies on repeat. Can anyone relate?! I have to admit that I never did too much before babies – seriously I could get hair & makeup done in 12 minutes tops, most days!

But things are a-changing.

And one of those things, quite unfortunately, I might add, is my skin.

At 35, I am starting to see fine lines appear in rapid fashion, my skin tone getting blotchy, and sun spots shooting up. But hey, at least I don’t have as much acne anymore?! Needless to say, I am fully aware at this point that I need some upgrades to my skin care routine. STAT.

So, I keep hearing about microdermabrasion and decided that this might be a nice “first” addition to my current beauty/skin care routine.

I was terrified to try it. Which really seems silly now.

I didn’t do my microdermabrasion treatment the “fancy” way. And when I say “fancy,” I mean, you can literally have a cosmetic procedure that includes wands with crystals or diamonds. Many types of offices provide the procedure (think spas, cosmetic surgery offices, clinics, or cosmetic dermatologists). A quick Google search tells me that a treatment in one of these locations is between $75 & $200, depending on where you go. People rave about the treatments!

Another less expensive option is that you can get your own microdermabrasion wand to use at home – diamond-less, I’m sure – but they seem to be around $100, like this one at Ulta: (Michael Todd Microdermabrasion Wand).

I went the even LESS expensive route, (I’m just starting out here, guys) and bought the Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Plus set ($55). It includes two parts: the Refine step, and the Pore Minimizer.

Imma tell you about it. BUT if you’d rather watch me talk about the details in video form and show you how to do it, I posted the link to my very first YouTube video below which includes education about the product as well as me fumbling through the application process!

Step 1: Refine

This step is the actual “microdermabrasion” step. It’s basically an intense exfoliator that removes dead skin and build-up in the pores. The result is the reduction of the appearance of fine lines, smoother, healthier, more even skin.

Honestly, it feels like you’re sandpapering your face.

However, this is good. The sandpaper effect I describe here is actually the skin becoming wounded, and when it repairs, it does so by becoming smoother, more elastic, and healthier and younger-looking.

It’s not great for patients with active acne, rosacea, eczema, or dermatitis, because it can make those conditions worse.

Regular treatments can help reduce sun spots, redness, the appearance of fine lines, and blemishes. It’s definitely something you want to continue regularly once you start, in order to achieve the desired results.

You can use it 2-3 times per week, after cleansing. You only need a small amount, and you just rub it into the skin for 1-2 minutes. Simple. I was terrified, but managed. Ha! See my video about it all, down below.

It usually takes a week to see visible results so don’t give up after one try. I’ve now used it twice and can already feel that my skin is tighter, but I don’t yet “see” a difference because it hasn’t quite been long enough!

Step 2: Pore Minimizer

The pore minimizer is a moisturizing serum that calm and comfort the skin. It has some shockingly-cool ingredients, like sea whip extract and evodia fruit extract (associated with calming and soothing skin). So it’s a great combo with the more abrasive “Refine” step!

It’s also super-easy to apply, just 2-3 pumps, rubbed onto the face in an upward and outward motion and you are good to go! You can use your regular moisturizer next, actually!

This step is not totally mandatory but apparently comes highly recommended, so I grabbed it, too!

Results:

After applying both steps, my face felt NOTICEABLY smoother. Like, incredibly smooth. And also clean. My makeup went on more evenly and dare I say stayed on for longer as well? It hasn’t been long enough for me to see true results in skin tone and fine lines, but I’ll be sure to update you guys in my stories in the upcoming weeks!

You may not SEE a visible difference, but I could definitely FEEL a difference!

This particular set (or just the Refine step) can be grabbed from your Mary Kay consultant, or email me (surgeonwifelife@gmail.com)  if you don’t have one and I can hook you up with a consultant!

And I can find answers if you have any questions about it! I have people.

Beauty Update:

One part of my post-baby adventuring/journey, which I’ve been sharing every step of the way, is to revisit (or visit for the first time, like this), some ways to improve my beauty and self-care game.

While I don’t believe it is healthy to be fixated on appearance, it IS nice to prolong youthful-looking features as much as possible, right?

I hope you’ll enjoy exploring some other beginner beauty adventures with me as a discover more treatments and options out there, like microdermabrasion! And advice on what I should try next?!

Oh, and before I go, I made this video for you guys, and though I made some mistakes (forgive me as it was my VERY FIRST ONE), I loved the process. So you can expect much more in the future! If you’d like to subscribe to my channel, you can find me over on YouTube at this link: My YouTube Channel. I’m thrilled for what’s ahead, and I hope you are, too!

All the love to YOU!

Honestly,

-AM ❤️💋❤️

More About Me: Hi! I’m Ann Marie, a blogging mama of 3 tiny gals, and a wife to a busy Orthopedic Surgeon. You can find me right here for a weekly smattering of inspiration for your motherhood journey, home, marriage (I see you other medical wives!), style, and beauty. You’ll find me most active on Instagram or Facebook for life between blog posts. And I truly can’t wait to see you there, friend. ❤️💋

To connect, shoot me an email at honestlyannmarie@gmail.com ❤️