Microdermabrasion: What It Is, Cost, Benefits and Results

Microdermabrasion is a physical exfoliation treatment.

Cleveland Clinic's description: a device that removes skin by rubbing it off, working only on the top layer of skin.

On a med spa menu the same service may appear standalone or as a "microdermabrasion facial," and Cleveland Clinic also calls it a "power peel" — a nonsurgical, nonchemical treatment.

Two device types do the work.

In crystal microdermabrasion, tiny crystals are sprayed through a tube onto the skin and vacuumed back up.

In diamond microdermabrasion, a diamond-tipped wand abrades the skin while suction clears away the debris.

There is nothing to numb: Cleveland Clinic says the treatment needs no anesthetic, causes no bleeding and needs minimal downtime, with a pink glow that typically fades after a day.

The namesake to keep straight is dermabrasion, its surgical cousin — Cleveland Clinic calls dermabrasion a more aggressive technique, a sanding procedure that bleeds, crusts and needs about 7 to 14 days before normal activities.

This guide covers the in-office treatment done with a powered device at med spas and dermatology offices, not the at-home scrubs and hand-held gadgets sold under the same name.

Cleveland Clinic groups microdermabrasion with superficial problems — fine lines, dullness, brown spots, mild acne scars and sun damage — and lists what it can make less noticeable: age spots, enlarged pores and blackheads, fine lines, mild scars, uneven skin tone, stretch marks and sun damage.

The acne-scar line is worth pausing on, because two of this guide's sources draw it differently.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says microdermabrasion won't treat acne scars, though dermatologists use it to even out skin tone alongside other acne-scar treatments.

Cleveland Clinic includes mild (especially acne) scars among what the treatment can make less noticeable.

Read together, the ceiling is "mild" scars made "less noticeable" — and AAD does not count microdermabrasion among its acne-scar treatments.

As for who should hold off: our sources give no microdermabrasion-specific "shouldn't" list, and we won't invent one.

What Cleveland Clinic does give is a disclosure list — it suggests discussing acne or acne medication, frequent rashes or cold sores, changing moles, eczema or psoriasis with the provider before treatment.

Whether the treatment suits your skin is a licensed-provider question: the provider who examines your face can tell the difference between a surface concern this treatment addresses and something deeper that needs a different plan.

We could not confirm a national price for a microdermabrasion session: no tier-1 or tier-2 national survey was readable when this page was researched.

Med spa prices are set clinic by clinic, so collect quotes locally and make them comparable.

For the full breakdown, see what microdermabrasion costs.

One number you may meet while comparing is ASPS's $1,829 average for skin resurfacing procedures like dermabrasion.

That is a plastic-surgeon fee for a broad category that includes surgical dermabrasion — the aggressive procedure that bleeds and needs about 7 to 14 days before normal activities — and it is not a microdermabrasion price.

What turns a per-session quote into a total is the session count.

Cleveland Clinic describes a typical course as five to 12 sessions spaced a week or two apart, and says monthly treatments can help maintain results — so the per-session quote is the start of the math, not the end of it.

What else can move the number between quotes: the city and the practice, the license of the person performing the treatment, and whether the exfoliation stands alone or comes bundled inside a multi-step branded facial priced as a package.

One money note: under IRS Publication 502 (for 2025 returns), a procedure directed at improving appearance that doesn't meaningfully promote the proper function of the body or prevent or treat illness or disease generally cannot be included as medical expenses — a definition that, by extension, generally puts purely cosmetic skin treatments outside HSA and FSA eligibility.

Results build across sessions rather than arriving in one.

Cleveland Clinic says most people need multiple treatments, that results build over multiple sessions, and that monthly treatments can help maintain them.

The size of the change is worded carefully in the source: age spots, enlarged pores, fine lines, mild scars, uneven tone, stretch marks and sun damage made "less noticeable." Not erased, not cured — less noticeable.

How many sessions: Cleveland Clinic's typical course is five to 12 sessions spaced a week or two apart.

How long they last is the question our sources answer least precisely: we found no sourced figure, in months, for how long microdermabrasion results hold.

What Cleveland Clinic does say is directional — monthly treatments can help maintain results, and the treatment does not stop skin aging.

One caution for judging any spa's photo gallery: under the FTC's endorsement guides, an ad featuring a consumer's experience is likely read as showing what consumers will generally achieve, and the FTC says disclaimers like "results not typical" do not adequately reduce that impression. Before-and-after photos are that spa's patients, never a preview of yours.

On pain: microdermabrasion needs no anesthetic, and Cleveland Clinic says it usually isn't painful — the sensations people report are scratching, stinging, suction and vibration.

A session takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

On downtime: the window Cleveland Clinic names is skin that might be a little red, swollen or sensitive for up to 24 hours.

Its other description of the same recovery is a pink glow that typically fades after a day.

That first-day window is what the sources name for redness and sensitivity.

The one longer timeline Cleveland Clinic gives is bruising, which might last a few days — more on that below.

If skin stays swollen longer than a day or two, that is past what the sources describe — the section below covers when to call the provider.

The downside list is short, and it is not empty.

Beyond the first-day redness, Cleveland Clinic lists bruising that might last a few days, discoloration, flaky or dry skin, and sun sensitivity.

We did not find a study that quantifies how often any of these occur, so we won't quote a percentage — the honest statement is that the sources call these outcomes possible, not how likely.

Sun sensitivity is on that downside list, which makes sun protection the one aftercare question to ask in the room: what the provider wants you to use, and for how long after a session.

The cleanest comparison is depth.

Cleveland Clinic's ladder: microdermabrasion only removes the top layer of skin; chemical peels exfoliate deeper; microneedling goes deeper still and may work better for problems beneath the surface, like acne scars.

The ladder, side by side:

Dermaplaning is the other surface-level option: Cleveland Clinic describes it as shaving away the uppermost layers of skin with a blade, used for dull skin, fine lines, mild acne scars and peach fuzz — with any hair removal temporary, because hair grows back.

Branded facials blur the line from the other direction.

Hydrafacial describes its Platinum treatment as seven therapies in one: lymphatic drainage, microdermabrasion-style exfoliation, a gentle peel, extraction, targeted booster serums, LED light therapy and hydration infusion.

If a menu sells a "microdermabrasion facial," ask how much of the appointment is actually microdermabrasion — HydraFacial is its own treatment, covered on its own hub.

Which option fits which concern is a licensed-provider question: depth is only the first differentiator, and the provider who examines your skin can weigh what the concern actually is, your pigment history and what recovery you can take on.

Who may perform microdermabrasion is set state by state, and the rules differ enough that the same word covers different scopes.

Three states we verified:

• North Carolina — the Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners' declaratory ruling, effective July 25, 2022, lets licensed estheticians use devices including microdermabrasion, microcurrent, dermaplaning and microneedling with a device no deeper than 1 mm, and the state's statutory definition of "esthetics" includes giving facials. The bars: nothing that penetrates beyond the epidermis, and no calling the practice "Medical" or "Master" esthetics.
• California — the Medical Board of California says estheticians may perform microdermabrasion only if it affects the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum; deeper "medical" microdermabrasion, done to remove scarring, blemishes or wrinkles, must be performed by a physician or a supervised RN or PA.
• New Hampshire — estheticians must complete hands-on training for each advanced modality before using it, and microdermabrasion is on the state's list; the rule also requires such equipment to be used within its FDA 510(k) scope.

Read together, the three make the practical point: the depth of the treatment and the license of the person holding the device are regulated together, state by state.

That is exactly the pairing to ask about before you book.

"Near me" is the right frame for this treatment: the rules, the licenses and the prices are all local.

When the search results for microdermabrasion near you come back, the checklist above is what turns a menu of look-alike offers into a decision you can make on the facts — and the consultation is where a licensed provider tells you whether the surface is where your concern actually lives.