What You Need to Know About At-Home Beauty Treatments

In the face of COVID-19, more people are trying to substitute in-office beauty treatments with at-home ones. Since there are so many on the market, deciding which ones are beneficial can be a daunting task. You have to separate the beauty fads from the beneficial treatments.

With all the advances in technology, there are some legitimate at-home treatments that can help improve your skin. Read on to learn which at-home treatment devices can help your skin.

At-home skin treatments vs. professional

While some at-home treatments can benefit your skin, they are not a replacement for professional in-office treatments. You will not get the same results. However, you will get some results. At-home treatments are great for people on a budget who understand the limitations of these treatments. Also, they are great to help maintain your skin in between professional treatments. Always discuss them with your doctor before starting. Here are some that are available on the market.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a great way to improve fine lines and wrinkles, shrink enlarged pores, fade uneven skin tone, and help better absorb products absorb. It involves the use of a handheld device with numerous tiny needles, which are inserted into the skin to create micro-injuries. When the body repairs these micro-injuries, it rejuvenates itself. The Georgia Lousie EGF micro-needling device combines micro-needling with a galvanic current to rejuvenate the skin.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion utilizes an abrasive instrument or crystals to physically exfoliate the skin. It helps remove dead skin cells that make our skin look dry and dull, improves uneven skin tone and mild scarring, boosts collagen production to help with fine lines, and increases circulation. PMD Beauty Personal Microdermabrasion Classic is an at-home microdermabrasion device that combines exfoliation with suction to help improve the appearance of the skin.

Radiofrequency

Radiofrequency treatments are a great way to stimulate collagen to smooth fine lines and wrinkles to rejuvenate the skin without causing wounds that need care, like micro-needling. It also increases muscle tone to tighten and contour the face. There is very little downtime, and it is relatively painless. Tri Pollar Stop Vx is a 3rd generation radiofrequency device that is FDA-approved for at-home anti-aging treatments.

Dermaplaning

Dermaplaning utilizes a blade to remove peach fuzz, exfoliate dead skin cells, and increase the penetration of anti-aging products. It can immediately brighten the skin and improves the texture and tone of the skin in the long term. Dermaflash Luxe is a device that combines dermaplaning with sonic technology to allow the device to glide easily over your skin.

Hair removal

Several laser and light devices can remove unwanted hair by targeting the pigment melanin in the hair follicles. Your skin color will dictate which device is safe to use on your skin since some devices will burn darker skin colors. There are various FDA-approved at-home devices, such as Braun Silk Expert and Tria Beauty Hair Removal devices.

Microdroplet infuser

Skincare infusers are devices that can deliver concentrated skincare ingredients to the skin. They are often used to infuse retinoids, antioxidants, or acids into the skin. The deeper the ingredients go, the better results you will achieve. The Droplette infuser can push these ingredients into the skin at a high velocity to help penetrate deeper.

Microcurrent

Microcurrent technology is used to stimulate collagen production to help fade fine lines and tighten the skin temporarily. It may also increase the penetration of skincare products. The results with FDA-approved at-home devices, like NuFace Trinity, may be subtle and require consistency. Another device, Solawave Advanced Skincare Wand, combines microcurrent with red light to help increase collagen production and soothe inflamed skin.

LED

LED (light-emitting diode) is a device that emits a particular color of light when an electrical current is passed through it. The color of the light determines what therapeutic benefits you will achieve from the device. Here are two FDA-approved at-home devices: the Lightstim device emits red light to help stimulate collagen and reduce inflammation and blue light to kill bacteria to help with acne; the MZ Skin Light Therapy Golden Facial Treatment device emits five different lights: red, blue, green (to help with pigmentation and broken capillaries), yellow (to help increased lymphatic drainage to reduce puffiness), and white (to help heal wounds).

Quartz roller

Beauty rollers can help increase blood flow to the skin, increase lymphatic drainage to reduce puffiness and eliminate toxins, and deliver a facial massage to help with migraines. Rose quartz is purported to help calm and soothe the skin. Vanity Planet 3-in-1 Sonic Rose Quartz Beauty Roller combines the benefits of a rose quartz roller with vibration therapy to help tone, tighten, and lift the face.

Deep cleansing devices

Deep cleansing devices not only thoroughly cleanse the skin, but also help the penetration of skin care products to yield better results. The Foreo Luna 3 deep cleans the skin with silicone bristles while delivering a gentle facial massage. Massage can increase circulation to improve the appearance of the skin. The Clarisonic device deep cleans the skin to remove dirt, oil, debris, pollution, and toxins on the skin's surface to reveal a more radiant complexion.

Risks of using at-home beauty devices

As with any at-home device, it may not be suitable for all patients. Patients who have certain skin conditions, like eczema or psoriasis, are on certain medications, like blood thinners, or have medical conditions may not be able to receive some of these treatments. If you are inexperienced in how to perform these procedures, it can cause irritation, burns, wounds, bleeding, infection, and scarring. Also, there are not many clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of these at-home devices alone or in a side-by-side comparison to professional devices. Before starting any at-home treatments, it is best to discuss the procedures with your dermatologist.

While at-home devices do not deliver the same results as professional in-office treatments, they can benefit the skin. The results may be more subtle and require more treatments. For those who cannot afford the pricey in-office treatments or want to do “homework” in between professional treatments, some at-home devices will help. It is best to discuss at-home treatments with your dermatologist first, so you do not cause more harm than good to your skin.